Biceps: Straight Bar or EZ Bar?

[geesler]

TweetWhich do you prefer and why?
I can do much more weight with the EZ bar (easy bar) than a straight bar- so I prefer the straight bar.

[Skarhead]

Tweeti do both

[Iron_Gook]

TweetBoth. Have gone up to 165 on the straight bar for reps. That was in my younger days... LOL! Now I can easily curl the wagon wheels (135lb+ a few lbs) with no troubles. I generally use the straight because it's easier for me to count the total weight. LOL! I'm math dumb.

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[myseone]

TweetTheoretically: For superior biceps stimulation the straight bar works better because the biceps are able to more fully contract with the palms facing upwards. The more the hands are turned in towards the body or facing downwards the less activation of the biceps and the more brachialis and other forearm muscles take over the action.

Real world: Straight bar curls can over stress the wrist and elbows in some people.
Having your hands turned slightly inwards towards the body does'nt make that much of a difference if you are training intensely.
Bringing the brachialis into play (which you do with e-z curls) will give the arm a more complete appearance.

Conclusion: I would use straight bar curls if I had difficulty building biceps mass and I had no elbow or wrist issues.
If I did have issues, or I did'nt but wanted to also increase the size of my brachialis I would do e-z bar curls.

Currently I do e-z bar cable curls, and reverse grip pulldowns for my biceps and Braqchialis region. I also do v bar t-bar rows and neutral grip lat pulldowns which heavily hit the brachialis and biceps.

[Equalizer]

TweetI use both as well....fuck cables I go for the dumbells and barbells for mass. Crush them into submission with a variety of standard and reverse grip, alot of guys neglect to do reverse grip curls and you really hit the outer bicep and you can really tell by the fuller, thicker size.

[geesler]

TweetRev grip is great for forearms too