Why Use an EZ Curl Bar?

This sounds very technical, but this simply means that your wrists are at an angle when curling rather than pointing directly up or directly down, as they would if you were holding a traditional, straight barbell. This means you can lift with your wrists in the strongest position possible, using a grip much closer to a 'neutral' grip.

Why Train with an EZ Curl Bar?

The "ergonomic," more natural way you hold an EZ Curl Bar greatly reduces the pressure you feel in your elbows, wrists, and even in your shoulders. That is why people train with an EZ Bar. The angles on an EZ curl bar avoid the external rotation that is needed when using a straight bar, which can be crucial especially if you have a history of elbow and shoulder issues when training. Simply put, it is more comfortable to use, whether it's for bicep curls, tricep extensions, skull crushers, or even shoulder raises.

You can even try it yourself, whether you're sitting at your desk or browsing on your phone. Put your arms out in front of you with your wrists straight, your fingernails facing directly upwards, as if gripping a straight bar. Notice how it feels like you're slightly twisted, strained, or not quite in a natural position? Now turn your wrists inward just slightly, maybe to a 45-degree angle. Notice how the feeling of being twisted is no longer present, or at least feels reduced, especially at the elbows? This is essentially what an EZ Bar is designed to do, to enable you to perform your workouts with your wrists in that more natural-feeling position.

Should you Use an EZ Curl Bar?

Of course, what might be comfortable for one person might not be the same for another person. If you have been happily using a straight bar for years without any issues, and you also just tried the actions above and can't feel any significant joint strain, then maybe an EZ Curl Bar isn't the right choice or necessary for you.

But we'd be willing to bet some people will have just tried the action above and can feel exactly what we mean - if so, you're exactly the sort of person who might benefit from adding an EZ Curl Bar into their training mix.

Plus, and we can't stress this enough, if you do have a history of joint pain in the wrists, elbows, or shoulders, an EZ Bar could be the solution. Many people don't appreciate how small angle changes to your lifts or other workout movements can make a huge difference to injury prevention and your gains until they discover the change for the first time, and we find this to be the case with a lot of people who use an EZ Curl Bar for the first time.

Are EZ Bars Better?

There's some debate over whether a traditional barbell or an EZ Curl Bar is better for muscle activation and overall training progression. There are a lot of detractors out there who claim an EZ Curl Bar provides less muscle activation than a straight bar, or who simply claim EZ bars are less effective all round. Our view is that you do whatever is best for you personally, but we do have two counters to those who are doubtful about whether to use an EZ Curl Bar:

1. This study, which found that activation of the biceps brachii and brachioradialis was greatest when using an EZ Curl bar, compared with straight barbell and dumbbell curls.
2. You can't train when you're injured or your joints are over-fatigued from strain; so even if barbell or dumbbell curls were fractionally more effective for muscle activation - though again, this is a matter of some debate - you may find that being able to train more often or more intensely with an EZ curl bar without negative effects outweighs any possible reduction in muscle activation.
   
   

Want to know more about EZ Curl Bars?

Still have questions? Get in contact with our team and we'd be glad to help. Already have one of our bars, whether it's an EZ Curl Bar or one of our Olympic Weightlifting Barbells? Follow us on social media and tag us in any images of our equipment; we love to see it in action (and we may send you a free T-shirt for your efforts too!)

Plus, keep your eyes on our website for future articles on EZ Curl Bars - we'll be looking to publish articles on how to use an EZ Curl Bar properly, all the advantages of the bar, and the best exercises to do with an EZ bar.

If you're already convinced, at Again Faster we offer two different EZ Curl Bars. We have one which is the traditional length for an EZ Bar, so nice and compact (140cm long) and ideal for a small home gym setup. But we are also pleased to offer one of the only rackable-length EZ Bars available to purchase in the UK, compatible with our range of racks. This version (188cm long) means you can rack your EZ Bar, making loading plates as easy as possible, and also allows you to better replicate the workouts you'd perform with a straight barbell, but with the advantage of enabling you to use the joint-friendly grip offered by an EZ Bar.