by David Colello

Created on: November 24, 2010

Barbell curls are about as stereotypical of an exercise as they come, but they can be fun and effective by trying some of the following moves.  When people think of barbell curls, the image that often comes to mind includes muscle bound, and more recently steroid using, behemoths loading weights on the bars and straining their bodies to lift more than the next guy.  While this will always unfortunately be the case for a few misguided people, the reality is that barbell curls are useful for everybody, and can be done in the privacy of your own home if you wish.

As with all exercises, the difference between getting really toned or really big muscles lies in how much weight is used and how many repetitions are performed.  For larger muscles, which is often the goal of guys looking to impress others, the goal should be to do curls with a weight that they can only do five or six times before muscle fatigue hits.  Doing three or four sets of this will provide the desired effect.  For most women, the goal is instead to have sleek, firm, toned arms.  To begin with, women lack the high testosterone levels found in men, so developing large muscles will not happen accidently.  Many women avoid strength training because they fear looking bulky and manly.  However, by doing curls with a weight that allows for fifteen to twenty repetitions at a time before muscle fatigue, people can build tone and not grow bulk. 

As for the exercises, in a gym there will be plenty of barbells available to use.  Find one and put the appropriate amount of weight on the ends.  If you are at home, you can use a broomstick, rake, or any other similar sturdy bar.  Simply put something of the chosen weight in two bags and tie them on to each end of the bar.

You can do a regular curl by standing upright and raising the bar up to your shoulders by bending at your elbows.  You can also lean over and do incline curls which will isolate the biceps muscles even further.  By holding the bar at the top of the movement and then slowly letting it down, you will work your muscles differently as well.  Yet another variation includes raising the bar only until your forearms are parallel with the ground and then back down.  Do that six to eight times, and then do only the upper part of a curl the same amount of times, where you start with forearms parallel to the ground and raise up to the shoulders.  Finish by doing complete range bicep curls another six to eight times.

Try some of these techniques and achieve the arms that you want in no time at all!

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