The barbell drag curl is a bicep-focused exercise that involves curling a barbell while keeping the elbows pulled back, emphasizing the contraction of the bicep and minimizing shoulder involvement. It also engages the forearms as secondary muscles.
Also Works
Forearms
How to Perform
1
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
2
Let the barbell hang at arm's length in front of your thighs.
3
Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the barbell up towards your chest by contracting your biceps.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Drag the bar up along your body by driving your elbows straight back behind you, keeping the bar in contact with your torso the entire time.
•This is not a regular curl; the bar path is vertical along your body, not arced out in front of you.
•Focus on peak contraction at the top and hold for a full second before slowly lowering the bar back down your body.
Common Mistakes
•Performing a regular curl arc instead of keeping the bar against the body, which defeats the purpose of the drag curl.
•Shrugging the shoulders up to help lift the bar instead of keeping the traps relaxed and letting the biceps do the work.
•Using too much weight, which makes it impossible to maintain the bar-to-body contact path.