Narrow-Grip Barbell Curl
Bringing your grip inside shoulder width tips the shoulders into slight internal rotation and puts a bit more of the load on the biceps long head, the outer portion tied to the arm's peak. It pairs perfectly with the wide-grip curl so you can work both heads across a session. The narrow grip also tends to feel natural and strong.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Body part
- Biceps
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Biceps Brachii Long Head
- Browse by movement
- Elbow Flexion
- Target
- Biceps Brachii Long Head
- Secondary
- Biceps Brachii Short Head, Brachioradialis
How to do it
- 1
Grip a barbell underhand with your hands set inside shoulder width.
- 2
Stand tall, brace your core, and pin your elbows against your ribs.
- 3
Curl the bar up by flexing the elbows while keeping the upper arms still.
- 4
Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly to a full stretch.
- 5
Keep the bar path close and controlled throughout.
- 6
Exhale as you curl, inhale as you lower.
Tips
- Do not let the elbows flare out; keep them close so the long head stays loaded.
- Avoid gripping so narrow that your wrists twist uncomfortably.
- Control the lowering phase to get the most from each rep.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The grip creeps back out toward shoulder width once the arms burn, because the close position feels awkward. Mark the spot with your index fingers on the knurling and check it before every set.
- Shoulders roll forward at the top to help the bar the last few inches, so the rep finishes with the chest collapsing instead of the elbow closing.
- At the bottom the bar comes to rest on the thighs and the arms go slack for a beat, which parks the long head in its stretched position with no load on it at all.
- Elbows drift forward off the ribs at the top to squeeze harder, but raising the upper arm in front of the body shortens the long head at the shoulder and takes tension off the part this grip is meant to load.
- Treating this and the wide grip as the same lift and loading them the same. The close grip usually feels stronger, which is exactly why the reps get sloppy here first.
Frequently asked
- How should a beginner program the narrow-grip barbell curl?
- Two or three sets of 8 to 12, once or twice a week, is enough direct biceps work when it follows rows or pull-ups. Pick the weight by the bottom of the rep: if you cannot start the first inch without a shrug, it is heavier than you can use for now. Add load in 2.5 pound jumps and treat the elbow position, not the rep count, as the pass-fail test. Alternate blocks with a shoulder-width or wide grip every few weeks so the elbows see more than one angle.
- What can I use instead of a barbell for the narrow-grip curl?
- A pair of dumbbells held close together in front of the hips gets you the same inside-shoulder line, and a single dumbbell gripped with both hands is closer still. On a cable, clip a short straight bar to the low pulley. At home, standing on a band with one foot instead of two narrows the hands automatically. If a straight bar with the hands in tight bothers your wrists, the inner grips of an EZ bar are the closest comfortable match.
- Which biceps head does the narrow grip work, and when should I not bother with it?
- Bringing the hands inside shoulder width turns the shoulders in slightly and puts a little more of the load on the long head, the outer part of the arm behind the biceps peak. It is variety work for someone who already curls, and useful when the same grip week after week has left the elbows sore. It will not transform your arms on its own, since grip width shifts emphasis rather than switching a head off, and it is the wrong call if a close grip makes your wrists ache, where dumbbells let each hand rotate freely.
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