Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl with Band

Execution

1. Brace your belly and stand solidly on the bands before you start curling.
2. Exhale and curl the bar up over 1-2 seconds; the band tension builds as the bar rises.
3. Squeeze the biceps hard for one beat as the bar reaches shoulder height, elbows still glued to your ribs.
4. Inhale and lower the bar under control over 3 seconds, resisting the band trying to snap your arms down.
5. Keep both feet planted on the bands for the whole set so the tension stays even on each side.
6. If a band slides off your foot, lower the bar and end the set right there, because a band that lets go sends the bar straight up at your face. To finish, lower the bar to the front of your thighs, keep a firm hold on it and step off the bands one foot at a time before you set it on the floor.

Quick cues

• Grip a touch narrower than the shoulders.
• Elbows glued to your sides.
• Fight the band on the way down.
• Feet planted firm on the band.
• Tension builds toward the top.

Common faults

• Fault: The foot sliding on the band mid-set

  Fix: Position the band right under the arch of the foot and wear grippy shoes so it cannot slide.

• Fault: Letting the bar snap down fast because the band yanks it

  Fix: Drop to a lighter band and count three beats on the way down.

• Fault: The elbows flaring away from the ribs as the band gets heavier near the top

  Fix: Pin a towel between the upper arm and ribs and keep it there for the whole set.

• Fault: Leaning the torso back to beat the band tension

  Fix: Drop the band tension and stand with your back to a wall if the lean is still there.