Arms · Barbell
Barbell Standing Close Grip Curl
How to do the barbell standing close grip curl, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall holding a barbell with a narrow, underhand grip inside shoulder-width, arms hanging straight. Keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the bar up toward your shoulders. Lower the bar slowly until your arms are fully extended.
- 1Feel your biceps, especially the outer head, contract as you curl the bar
- 2up
- 3Keep your elbows fixed at your sides so only your forearms move
- 4Squeeze at the top, then lower under control to feel the stretch
Common mistakes
- Don't swing the bar or lean back to lift it
- Avoid letting your elbows drift forward or flare out
- Don't drop the bar fast on the way down
Muscles worked
The barbell standing close grip curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell standing close grip curl for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More biceps exercises
- How to do the resistance band bicep curl
- How to do the resistance band hammer curl
- How to do the barbell bicep curl
- How to do the cable bicep curl
- How to do the cable hammer curl
- How to do the overhead bicep curl
Last reviewed June 2026.