Equipment

Best Bicep Curl Bar for Gym Owners and Garage Gym Fitness Fanatics

This article will help you to find the best Curl Bar based for you and your goals based on value, quality, function, style and performance.

It is designed for Box and Gym owners who need to provide good equipment for their clients, as well as athletes that want to build bigger, stronger arms at home in garage gyms.

For your convenience, if you know exactly what you want simply click on the correct button below:

Read on to learn more about what you should look for and how to choose the right one for you.

What Exercises can you do with a Curl Bar?

This type of Bar is incredibly varied when it comes to functionality across different exercises.

  • Barbell Curl
  • Preacher Curl
  • Reverse Grip Curl
  • Varied Grip Curl
  • Back and Forth Curl
  • Close Grip Curl
  • Wide Grip Curl
  • Drop Set Curls
  • Upright Rows
  • Overhead Tricep Extensions
  • Skull Crushers

For Gym owners, this means that you can keep a wide spectrum of clients happy, whatever their ability level and relative training experience.

For individual athletes, this shows how much use you will be able to get out of your next new piece of Gym equipment!

Benefits of The Curl Bar

Many athletes can benefit from a Curl Bar (or specialty camber bar) as the bends in the shaft help limit stress on the wrists and reduce common injury risks.

Lifters can also employ a narrow grip with the Bar for performing Tricep Extensions, Skull Crushers and Close Grip Curls.

Versatile and effective, this Bar is an essential workout tool for any gym.

We have chosen our three favourite types for you to select from.

ROGUE CURL BAR

Rogue Curl Bar side view with detail

Rogue’s first-ever Curl Bar is fully machined and assembled in the USA and adapts many of the same properties from their flagship Rogue Ohio Barbell.

These features include bronze bushings, a snap ring design, and their trademark Ohio knurl pattern.

The first run of the Bar includes a unique E-coat finish with bright zinc sleeves.

The 1.96” diameter sleeves are compatible with most standard Olympic plates, but the 31.50″ space between the sleeves means that this bar is NOT designed to be rackable on a squat stand or power rack. It is simply too narrow.

Rogue EZ Bar

However, it will fit on a specialised bench for Preacher Curls.

Try it with the Rogue Arm Blaster: Using your Bar with this unique accessory can help promote proper, consistent form and isolate the biceps—maximizing the strength-building benefits of the workout.

Specifications:

  • Made in Columbus, OH, USA
  • Shaft: 28.5MM diameter
  • Sleeves: 1.96” diameter, Bright Zinc finish, 10.50″ loadable length
  • Distance between sleeves: 31.50″ (Bar is NOT Rackable)
  • Exclusive Rogue Ohio Knurl Pattern
  • Cambered for reducing stress on wrists during curls
  • Black E-Coat finish
  • Bronze Bushings
  • Snap Ring Design
  • Weight: 30LB

ROGUE CURL BAR – CERAKOTE

This version of the Rogue Curl Bar includes a Black Cerakote shaft finish and bright zinc sleeves (a slight variation on their original E-Coat Bar).

Rogue Curl Bar Cerakote Variation

Cerakote is a ceramic-based coating that was first popularized in the firearm industry for its durability in thin applications and excellent corrosion resistance—up to 100x that of traditional Black Zinc.

Every Rogue Cerakote Bar is fully machined and assembled in the USA.

As in the model before, the Rogue Curl Bar – Cerakote featured bronze bushings, a snap ring design, and their trademark Ohio knurl pattern.

Rogue EZ Bar Cerakote detail full view

The 1.96” diameter sleeves are compatible with most standard Olympic plates, but the 31.50” space between the sleeves means that this bar is NOT designed to be rackable on a squat or power rack.

Specifications:

  • Made in Columbus, OH, USA
  • Shaft: 110,000 PSI tensile strength steel, 28.5MM diameter
  • Sleeves: 1.96” diameter, Bright Zinc, 10.50″ loadable length
  • Distance between sleeves: 31.50″ (Bar is NOT Rackable)
  • Exclusive Rogue Ohio Knurl Pattern
  • Cambered for reducing stress on wrists during curls
  • Black Cerakote shaft finish
  • Bronze Bushings
  • Snap Ring Design
  • Weight: 30 LB

ROGUE RACKABLE CURL BAR

The Rogue Rackable Curl Bar features the same cambered design, knurl pattern, and E-coat finish as the original Rogue Bar, but with 20 inches of additional space between the sleeves (51.8125” vs 31.5”).

This means it can be racked in most standard power racks.

Rogue Rackable Bar

With a racked Bar, plate loading becomes much easier, and athletes can begin their curl movements directly from the starting height rather than having to pick the bar up off the ground.

Close-grip bench movements can also prove more comfortable with this type of specialty camber bar, and Skull Crushers are made safer and more achievable, as users can now have the Curl Bar set up in the J-cups or on Spotter Arms.

Rogue Rackable curl bar

Each of these rackable Curl Bars are machined and assembled in Columbus, Ohio, and include precision-bent steel with a snap ring design and bronze bushings.

The sleeves have 10.5” of loadable length and a Bright Zinc finish, while the 110,000 PSI shaft features a corrosion-resistant E-Coat finish (in black) and Rogue trademark Ohio knurling.

Specifications:

  • Made in the USA
  • Men’s Specialty Camber Bar
  • Rackable on Most Standard Power Racks
  • Steel Tensile Strength: 110,000 PSI
  • Diameter: 28.5MM
  • Weight (unloaded): 35LB
  • Overall Length: 74.75″
  • Distance Between Sleeves: 51.8125″
  • Loadable Sleeve Length: 10.50″
  • Snap Ring Design
  • Bronze Bushings
  • Finish: Black E-Coat shaft, Bright Zinc sleeves
  • Ohio Pattern Knurling
  • Guarantee/Warranty: 5-year

Curl Bar FAQs

Got more questions? Look through our Curl Bar FAQs to find what you’re looking for.

Is it Bad to Curl with a Straight Bar?

No. Both the EZ Curl Bar and the straight Barbell are effective tools in different ways.

However, curling with a straight bar places more stress on the wrists.

Often people overload with too much weight and injure their wrists (it is the weakest point in the movement) during this type of bicep curl.

Is a Curl Bar Better than Dumbbells?

Compared to dumbbell curls, both the setup and progression are easier.

Plus, a barbell works better for heavy lifting and allows both arms to move together simultaneously.

Dumbbell curls, on the other hand, allow for a greater range of motion and natural unrestricted movement. Both are good to include in a training regimen.

Which Size Curl Bar is Best?

This depends whether or not you want to be able to rack the bar back on a squat or power rack.

If you do, then this Curl Bar is perfect for you.

If it’s not important, then this Curl Bar should be your best bet.

Do EZ Curl Bars Work?

Yes. The EZ Curl Bar works very effectively. It places less stress on your wrists and allows you to build big, strong arms.

EZ Curl Bar or Straight Barbell – Which is Better?

As far as which one is better, I would say neither as they both do the job.

The straight barbell weighs more and distributes the weight further out to the sides. This forces the body to work hard to balance.

The EZ Bar allows for a greater range of different Bicep Exercises, is less severe on the wrists and doesn’t take up as much room. Both are good depending on what you want to achieve.

Should I Buy an EZ Curl Bar?

Yes. The EZ Curl Bar is designed to isolate your triceps and biceps and allow more focused work on those muscles.

The various angled grips on the bar protect your elbows and wrists from the joint damage that can come from heavy arm workouts. An EZ bar is a must for anyone looking to concentrate on arm development.

Is a Curl Bar Good for Biceps?

Yes. The barbell curl can be done to help improve grip and arm strength, both of which can impact pulling strength and performance.

Your biceps are moving the weight, but your hands, wrists, and forearms are supporting it. All those secondary muscles will be taxed and you’ll have a crushing grip as a result as well.

Should you go Heavy on Biceps?

Don’t go too heavy.

Your arms take a beating when you go heavy on back and chest days, so you don’t need to lift heavy weights when training the biceps or triceps directly. I like to go light but do a lot of reps.

This also helps to develop wrist and tendon strength. Both criminally undervalued and undertrained facets of the human body when it comes to training in general.

Can you Deadlift with a Curl Bar?

Yes. You can Deadlift with a Curl Bar. Deadlifts are easy to do with an EZ Bar.

All you do is use a double overhanded grip with your feet around shoulder width apart and perform a normal deadlift motion.

Can you use a Curl Bar for Hip thrusts?

Yes. You’ll see plenty of people using barbells to do hip thrusts, and you certainly can load a barbell with weight for hip thrusts. But it’s not your best option if you have smaller bars, like EZ-curl bars or non-Olympic barbells, available.

Choosing the Right Curl Bar for You

Now you have all the information you need to find the right Bar for you.