Are you asking yourself how much does an EZ bar weigh? I’ve got the answer to this question and many others below.
The EZ bar is quite an underrated piece of gym equipment, but it can leave anyone with questions about it. Let’s take a closer look at the weight of an EZ curl bar and more!
How Much Does an EZ Bar Weigh?
Let’s answer the main question first: How much does an EZ curl bar weigh? The weight of a curl bar typically varies between 18 to 22lbs. With that said, it’s possible to find an EZ bar here and there that weighs 15lbs, maybe a little less.
I can’t imagine the need for a heavier EZ bar than 22lbs. That would kind of make it not so “easy” to use (sorry, couldn’t resist a cheesy pun).
How Much Does an Olympic Curl Bar Weigh?
But, there are even heavier curl bars. An Olympic EZ curl bar can weigh up to 25 pounds. That’s the size of a fairly large weight plate. No wonder Olympians are in such great shape!
What Does an EZ Bar Look Like?
EZ bars typically look like a smaller version of standard barbells. However, they’re typically smaller (more on that below) and feature curved handles. EZ curl bars are often best for isolation lifts instead of compound lifts.
What Olympic Curl Bars Look Like
An Olympic curl bar would look similar to its standard counterpart. However, Olympic EZ curl bars will also feature those signature curved handles.
Differences Between an EZ Bar and a Straight Bar
It’s also important to understand how an EZ bar and barbell differ from one another. While they might look pretty similar, there are some major differences between these two items. Here’s a closer look at the differences between EZ curl bars and standard barbells.
Appearance
The main difference between an EZ curl bar and a straight bar is the shape of these items. A standard barbell is shaped like a long, straight bar.
On the other hand, an EZ curl bar features curved handles. Other than these handles, it maintains a straight shape for the purpose of loading weights.
An EZ bar features curved handles to help make lifting weights more comfortable. This feature is most noticed in those who experience pain in the hands, wrists, and forearms when lifting with a standard barbell.
Length of a Straight Bar vs Curl Bars
A standard barbell (the one you see in the gym or use to bench press at home) ranges in length from four to six feet. Some barbells are longer than six feet, but they’re usually exclusive to powerlifters.
An EZ standard curl bar is shorter in length than a standard barbell. Most EZ curl bars are 46 to 48 inches in length. An Olympic EZ curl bar is a bit longer, ranging from 50 to 54 inches.
Loading Weight Plates
As you can imagine, adding and removing weight plates from either a barbell or EZ curl bar will generally be the same. The differences between these two types of barbells have to do with their end connections.
Most EZ curl bars (mine included) use butterfly clamps for the purpose of adding or removing weight plates. On the other hand, standard barbells often use rotatable cuffs to keep weights safely secured.
Since an Olympic EZ bar is far thicker than a standard curl bar, you’ll need to use Olympic weight plates with larger center holes.
Beneficial Reasons to Start Using Curl Bars
Now that you understand how much an EZ bar weighs, it’s time to find out why they’re beneficial. With that in mind, here are a few beneficial reasons to start using standard curl bars.
Increased Overall Grip Strength
While you’re lifting weight, there’s almost nothing more important than having a good grip. While a straight bar is good to use, it doesn’t give you the same level of grip strength as you’d have with a standard curl bar.
The curves of EZ bars avoid the external rotation you’ll deal with while using straight bars.
Easier to Balance
A part of working out involves using weight plates. However, the length of standard barbells make it difficult to keep weight evenly distributed. You won’t have this problem with standard curl bars, since they’re much less longer.
The bar weight of a curl bar also makes it easier to move around while you’re not using it.
More Muscle Activation
Whether you’re working out your lower or upper arm muscles, muscle activation is important. Considering that, you’ll be glad to know that a curl bar is great piece of exercise equipment for muscle activation.
You can also pair EZ curl bars with something like Fat Gripz that gives you a wider grip for more forearm strength.
Popular Curl Bar Variations
We’ve spent a lot of time discussing curl bars and Olympic barbells. However, there are other types of curl bars worth learning more about.
Rackable Curl Bar
One of the best things about a commercial gym is being able to depend on the safety and stability of power racks. If you haven’t heard of these items, they allow someone to safely set down a weight that’s too heavy to continue lifting.
Most regular barbells are made to fit power racks. Unfortunately, curling bars aren’t. Until some smart person came up with the idea of rackable curl bars.
Rackable curl bars are about the same length of a standard bar, meaning they’ll be able to fit on power racks while you’re performing exercises. If you have a power rack in your house, rackable bars should definitely be a part of your home gym.
Super Curl Bars
If you’re looking for a curling bar, you might also run into super curl bars. This variation of a curling bar features deeper bends where your hands go.
Unlike standard bars, these deeply curved bars provide more grip stability for arm curls, allowing you to perform deeper curls. The grip of a super bar places your hands in an extremely natural position, especially when compared to a regular barbell.
Vulcan Curl Bar
Another popular variation on a curling bar comes from a popular company in the fitness industry named Vulcan. These barbells are more like Olympic bars than standard ones.
The overall length of this Olympic bar is 31.5 inches, making it easy to work with in most workout spaces. The exact weight of this item is 25lbs.
When Should I Use an EZ Curl Bar?
Besides the question how much does an EZ bar weigh, I’m only often asked about when to use this type of barbell. If you are interested in or currently own an EZ curl bar, it’s beneficial to learn what exercises are best. As you probably can guess, EZ curl bars are best suited for muscle-building curl exercises (as the name of this item suggests).
But that’s not all curl bars are good for. Here are three of the best exercises to do with a standard EZ curl bar.
Standing Bicep Curls
We’ll get this one out of the way since it’s the most obvious and probably what you were expecting to see. What you might not know is you can still get a lot of variety out of only using an EZ curl bar for bicep curls.
You can step into most gyms and see at least one person performing standing bicep curls.
To switch this exercise up and activate different muscles, change your grip placement after every few workouts while doing bicep curls. It might seem like a small change, but it can lead to some impressive strength and size gains.
A pro tip is to keep in mind while doing these curls is to use the right weight. Don’t be that person jerking your back trying to curl heavier weights. Stick with what allows you to curl without moving your back – just your arms.
Don’t believe that this exercise is a great way to get bigger arms? Maybe Phil Heath in the video below will convince you otherwise.
Skull Crushers
The name of this exercise might sound a little intimidating, if not scary. But when you properly do skull crushers, this exercise is an incredibly fast way to gain more mass in your triceps.
Performing this exercise might feel a little awkward at first. But the benefits are well worth it. To get started, you’ll need an EZ curl bar and your chosen amount of weight. I’d recommend starting out light, especially since this might be a new exercise for you.
Next, lie down on a flat bench and get the curl bar ready like you’re going to bench it. Instead of benching it, you’ll do a type of reverse curl. I never feel that explaining exercises in text is best, so here’s how to do this exercise in video form.
EZ Curl Bar Bent Over Row
Lastly, I also wanted to mention the bent over row. Typically, you’ll do this exercise with a standard barbell. However, you can also do bent over rows with an EZ curl bar. This exercise works your shoulder and back muscles.
With a standard EZ curl bar, you might benefit from using this item’s curved handles to get a better grip. Plus, the design of this bar makes me great for knocking out high rep sets with lower amounts of weight.
There you have it, you now know how much an EZ bar weighs. These types of bars are great for certain types of exercises. I also feel that there’s an essential part of any home gym setup. For more fitness-related tips, visit newgenerationfitness.net.