Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl
Also known as: seated barbell close-grip concentration curl
Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl is the middle rung where progress speeds up and fits late in an arms workout.
How to do Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl
- Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Rest your upper arms against your inner thighs, just above your knees, and let the barbell hang down in front of you.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause, then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.
Common Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl Mistakes
Gripping off-centre so one side carries more load
Set both hands on matching knurl marks before each set.
Letting a nearby joint take over as the set gets hard
Stop the set as soon as the working joint stops leading the movement.
Easier and Harder Than Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl
Swap Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl For
Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl?
Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Rest your upper arms against your inner thighs, just above your knees, and let the barbell hang down in front of you. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the barbell up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl work?
The Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl primarily targets the biceps. It is classified as a arms exercise and is performed with a barbell.
How many sets and reps of the Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic arms patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl?
Try the Cable Drag Curl, Dumbbell Incline Curl V. 2 or the Weighted Standing Curl. Each trains the biceps with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
Is the Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl the same as the seated barbell close-grip concentration curl?
Yes. The Barbell Seated Close-grip Concentration Curl is also commonly called the seated barbell close-grip concentration curl. Different gyms and training programs label it differently, but "seated barbell close-grip concentration curl" refer to this same movement.
