EZ Curl Bar

The EZ curl bar is that wavy bar you find in every gym, usually near the dumbbell rack. The zig-zag shape isn't a stylistic choice: the bends create grip angles that put the wrists in a more natural position than a straight bar, halfway between full supination and a neutral grip.

What is it for? Mainly working biceps and triceps with less joint stress. If you have wrist or elbow pain with the straight bar, the EZ is often the solution. The semi-supinated grip reduces torsion on the elbow joint and lightens the load on the wrist flexors, letting you focus on the target muscle without compensations.

The most common exercises are the EZ bar curl (standing or on the preacher bench), the skull crusher and overhead triceps extensions. With the straight bar the biceps work in full supination, which slightly recruits more of the long head of the biceps. The EZ, with its angled grip, shifts some of the work to the brachialis and brachioradialis. It's not better or worse: they're different stimuli.

Bar weight varies: lighter models weigh around 6 kg, sturdier ones up to 12 kg. In the gym the weight is almost always marked on the bar itself. Olympic versions with 50 mm sleeves also exist, but most EZ bars in the gym have the standard 25 or 30 mm hole.