Reverse barbell curls are a great alternative to the traditional barbell curl. Although I would recommend the normal barbell or dumbbell curl exercise as your main mass builder for your arms, reverse barbell curls are also a great exercise to throw into your routine to mix things up a bit. Although this exercise does work your bicep muscle and is generally referred to as a bicep exercise, a lot of the stress is actually placed on the forearm muscles when performing this exercise. Both the bicep and forearm muscles are worked during this exercise so don’t be surprised to really feel those forearm muscles burning during the lift, you are not performing the exercise incorrectly. Here’s how to perform the reverse barbell curl with proper form:
Grab a Weight. Use a weight that you can perform at least 8 reps with and can maintain good form throughout the movement. For this lift you have the option of using dumbbells or a barbell. In this guide we are going to focus on the barbell reverse curl. If however you wish to use dumbbells then that’s fine. The same rules will apply.
Stand Upright. Once you have the barbell in your hands, position it down in front of you at arms length. It should now be resting somewhere near your upper thighs. There should be a very slight bend in the elbow to ensure arms are not completely straight. Keep good posture and stand nice and upright whilst looking forward. This will be the starting position of the reverse barbell curl.
Grip. Grip the bar firmly with an overhand grip. Your palms should be facing towards your body to begin with. During the movement they will be facing down towards the floor as you curl the bar up.
Now Lift. What you now want to do is curl the barbell up while maintaining the current grip you have on the bar. Curl the bar as you would during a normal barbell bicep curl. The only difference here is that your palms are facing a different way than they would be when performing a bicep curl. Curl the bar up to around shoulder height or to the point when your forearms are vertical to the floor.
At this point your palms should naturally be facing down towards the floor. Now lower the bar back down to it’s original starting position whilst keeping it under control at all times. Palms will now revert back to facing in towards the body. Try and remember to keep that upright position throughout the movement with your head looking forwards or slightly up.
How to do Reverse Barbell Curls – A Few Pointers
Grip. Keep that grip tight. When you lift the bar up, your palms will be facing down towards the floor making the movement seem a little unnatural at first. Focus on squeezing the bar to maintain good form and make the movement feel less awkward. You don’t want the bar falling out of your hands when you lift it!
Body Movement. Just like the bicep curl, try and minimize any swaying or movement of your body during the lift. A slight bit of movement can be ok but you don’t want to be over exaggerating it and taking the stress away from the targeted muscle groups. Using momentum to get the weight up takes away work from the muscle.
Start light. If your new to this exercise then start light to get use to it. As mentioned earlier, a lot of people find this movement unnatural and a bit awkward at first. Get the benefits from the exercise by perfecting the form and really feeling the forearms and biceps contracting during the movement.
