The classic mass builder for thick, strong biceps.
Keep your elbows locked at your sides, don't swing your body or let them drift forward.
Locking both hands onto a bar in an underhand grip means neither bicep can dodge work, and the fixed grip lets you load elbow flexion heavier than any dumbbell variation. With your elbows pinned to your sides, the biceps alone carry the bar from full stretch to full squeeze. It stays the benchmark arm builder because it is brutally simple to overload week after week.
A straight bar locks your hands fully palms up, which some wrists hate. Adjust your grip width until it feels natural, and if it still nags, swap to an EZ bar, the angled grip takes the strain off with nearly identical bicep work.
Around shoulder width is the default and hits the biceps evenly. Slightly narrower emphasises the outer bicep, wider hits the inner portion. Comfort at the wrists and elbows should decide before anything else.
The barbell lets you go heavier and progress in small, steady jumps, which makes it the better main lift. Dumbbells add wrist rotation and fix side to side imbalances. Build around the bar, fill in with dumbbells.
