Question about the body: which bar is better - straight or curved? Curved bar Exercises with a curved bar

Characteristics, training emphasis, and athlete’s physiology influence the choice of bar. A projectile that is correctly selected in terms of weight, shape, size and length is the key to effective training with a barbell. Even amateurs should know how much a particular bar weighs.

What is the neck for?

The bar is a metal rod onto which plates are placed on the sides. There are alternative simulators, but without this equipment it is impossible to perform basic strength exercises.The neck provides:

• ease of use with the barbell;
• working out several muscles at the same time;
• safe exercise with heavy weights.

Different types of bars are designed to emphasize the load on a specific muscle group.

Weight, length and other characteristics

Every athlete who works with weights needs to know how much the bar weighs and what the difference is between all types.

The length of an empty training bar is 120–180 cm. The Olympic bar standard is fixed - 220 cm.

Standard diameter of the pancake seat: American - 25mm, European - 30mm. Olympic standard - 50mm. The first is suitable for beginner athletes and women. The second allows both men and women to train comfortably. The third is capable of withstanding 500–600kg and is used by professionals.

The central part - the one by which the athlete takes the bar - is usually made with a diameter of no more than 3 cm, for Olympic Games- 2.8 cm.

The length and density of the steel determine the weight of the bar: an Olympic bar weighs 20 kg, a regular bar 160 cm long weighs 6–8 kg.

Types of vultures: features and their weight

Bars can be divided into three main groups: straight, curved and parallel grip. All of them are suitable for both home training and gym training.

Straight bar without weights (suitable for bench press)

Classic. Diameter no more than 3 cm, length 1.5–2 meters. The universal chrome-plated bar allows you to perform bench presses, standing curls and squats. With heavy weight and prolonged load, the athlete's arms may hurt; it is worth stopping the exercise to avoid spraining. Types of straight bar:

• Olympic weightlifting
• Olympic for women
• powerlifting
• universal

Table: What is the length and diameter of all types of straight bar and how much do they weigh

Video: Training with a straight standard bar

The curved shape allows the bar to be held in a way that is comfortable for the athlete, regardless of weight. Provides an anatomically natural position of the hands. Must be used when performing French press sitting or standing. It is advisable to do a French bench press or standing curl. In other exercises it is as effective as a straight bar.

As with the straight bar, there are two varieties:

• EZ-shaped neck
• W-shaped

The first one is better to use if the emphasis in training is on working the biceps. It reduces the stress on your hands, from your wrists to your forearms. Typically, the length of such a bar is 120 cm, weight is about 6–7 kg.

Video: Training with EZ-bar for biceps

The second bar is a variant of the first with a different slope. Allows additional load on the triceps and forearms. Suitable for bench press. The average length is 120 cm, weight is 6–8 kg.

Video: W-Bar Training

Designed for exercises to work the biceps, triceps, and back.

T-neck It is attached to the simulator and is not a separate piece of equipment. Reduces the load on the back when rowing the barbell in a bent over position and lying down. Helps pump up the back and shoulder girdle.

Video: Denis Borisov - about the T-bar row

Redistributes the load to the sides. The athlete is in the center of the apparatus. A convenient training tool for beginners.

Video: Options for trap bar exercises

Castles: types and their features

The locks hold the discs in place; without these locks, working with the barbell would be dangerous. Sizing formula: neck diameter equals lock size. Three types of locks:

How to choose a neck

There are no universal rules for choosing a neck. The most important thing is to “try on” the bar for yourself, to feel that it is comfortable to work with it.

Professional trainers advise using a bar of medium length or longer, otherwise the athlete will not be able to rack the apparatus.

However experienced athletes advise the following:

• A universal straight bar is suitable for home training;
• if the emphasis is on working the biceps, it is recommended to take a curved bar;
• when pumping up the triceps, a parallel grip apparatus is suitable;
• for deadlift - trap bar.

Video: Selection of an empty neck

The barbell is a must-have element for those who want to pump up their body, become stronger and more resilient. The main principle of working with a barbell is the absence of pain in the hands. When they first appear, you need to change the bar so as not to get a sprain. What type of bar to train with depends on the exercise and the physiology of the athlete.

Surely every athlete has held a barbell in his hands at least once in his life, but few can correctly characterize this equipment, although it does not at all belong to exotic sports equipment. In fact, everything is simple: it’s called a barbell sports equipment, which is only used in power types sports such as powerlifting, weightlifting and bodybuilding. In addition, almost all athletes use it during training, regardless of sports discipline. Naturally, everyone noticed that in the hall there is usually curved rods and straight.

Preference is always given to a straight barbell with (20 kg), which is what is used in all kinds of strength competitions. However, in all this fuss, they forget about an equally practical version of the barbell - also known as curved rod. Such a projectile at correct use can bring enormous benefits. The only practiced example is biceps training, namely standard standing curls. There are often cases when athletes use curved rods, however, they do not at all understand the true potential of such vultures. Today we will try to talk in detail about the true meaning of such seemingly simple shells.

What is the difference curved rod from simple?

First of all, its undulation. The main advantage curved neck is its convenience. There are often cases when performing a particular exercise puts quite a lot of stress on our wrists; in addition, straight barbells require quite strong forearms. As you can see, the plus is quite significant, but that’s not all.

What are they for? curved rods?

The fact is, most of the human muscles use our forearms and wrists. A striking example is the pectoral muscle, the main functions of which are to bring the arm to the body and rotate the arm inward (pronation). Have you ever wondered why the bench press is only performed with an overhand grip? Any other grip would disable a large part of the pectoral muscles. Similar situations are observed with shoulder girdle, arm and back muscles. But more on that a little later. The main conclusion of this paragraph is curved rods provide safety and can increase the productivity of a particular exercise.

Kinds curved necks.

There are actually three options curved necks: angular, wave and standard. You have already become familiar with the first one. As for the second and third types, everything is quite simple. The corner is distinguished by sharp, less often straight, corners, which actually elevate it to the EZ format. Wave, in turn, is completely devoid of sharp corners, which makes it the most convenient when performing all sorts of things, etc. So, where should one type of neck be used?

Exercises with a curved bar.

1. Biceps – standing arm curls.
Of course, this is the first exercise on our “curved” list. Its popularity is quite high, because in every gym There are several athletes who perform this movement. The load on the biceps can be different, with an emphasis on the long or short head. It all depends entirely on your grip. Curved rod allows you to transfer most of it to the long bundle of the biceps, which is often called the external one. It is the one that borders the triceps and deltoid, and is also responsible for the appearance of your arm.

Of course, curls with an EZ bar cannot eliminate short buns from working. Take this into account when designing your training. Also try to alternate performing these bends, both straight and curved barbell.

Curved Barbell Extensions, Lee Priest

2. Triceps - French press.
One of the best triceps exercises is traditionally performed with a straight barbell, which in turn puts a lot of stress on our wrists and forearms. They also receive an unfriendly load elbow joints, which, under the pressure of an incorrect grip, are forced to bend to the sides. Of course, athletes use a straight bar for a reason. The fact is that the reverse position of the hands, which is used with a straight barbell, at the end point of the trajectory sets the maximum load on the medial head of the triceps, but the rest of the trajectory is rather unnatural.

3. Triceps - bench press with a narrow grip.
Another productive exercise for the triceps muscle, which is usually performed with an Olympic bar. To put it simply, a straight bar does not allow you to fully realize the potential of your triceps. Your task is to keep your elbows as close to your body as possible, while lowering the barbell to the middle of your chest. Anatomical structure your hands simply will not allow this, as a result of which you will spread your elbows to the side.

Take curved lift the barbell with a shoulder-width grip, and the exercise will become several times more productive. In addition, this will allow you to turn off pectoral muscles. Of course, the working weight will decrease slightly. — best exercise for triceps, second only to .

4. Deltas – barbell row to the chin.
Again, traditions that force us to pick up a straight bar, which creates a very unnatural load on our hands. Moreover, many athletes use too much narrow grip, as a result of which traction occurs due to the work of the trapezius muscles.

Bent-over barbell row, Lee Priest, workout latissimus muscles backs

5. Back – pull towards the belt.
Essentially, the straight bar in this exercise does not create negative consequences, however use curved rod can improve movement productivity. The fact is that the anatomical features of the human structure will not allow you to place your elbows far behind your back using a standard grip. Holding a wave-shaped projectile reverse grip(palms up), you will be able to retract your elbows as much as possible and squeeze your shoulder blades together, as a result of which the load will be colossal.

Bodybuilding uses many machines and equipment. Most of the workouts are performed using dumbbells or barbells. Usually they use equipment with a straight bar, but some exercises are easier to do with a curved one. It is also called the EZ bar, and it is found in every well-equipped gym. A barbell with a curved bar is most often used for triceps and biceps exercises. This projectile helps reduce the load on the hands and minimize the risk of injury.

Biceps curls, performed on a Scott bench and while standing, and French presses, performed while lying, standing, or seated, use a curved bar. No confirmed information about greater efficiency, and, therefore, load and effectiveness in terms of growth muscle mass there is no such projectile, but it certainly has its own positive traits, which need to be taken into account.

The choice in favor of this projectile is due to several advantages:

1. Ease of use. Many athletes simply feel much more comfortable with an EZ bar, allowing them to lift much heavier weights.
2. Shift in emphasis.Curved neck exerts a slightly different load on the muscles, therefore, alternating it with the usual straight one, you can achieve uniform and comprehensive development of muscle tissue.
3. Safety. The curved bar design reduces the stress placed on the wrists, which greatly reduces the likelihood of injury even with large amplitudes and weights.
4. Reliable grip. Most bodybuilders note the fact that holding the EZ bar is much more comfortable, and therefore safer, which allows you to perform difficult exercises with minimal risk of injury.

Some athletes who work with a curved bar believe that it helps improve the definition of the biceps, but there is no confirmation or refutation of this fact. In any case, working with such a projectile, you can diversify your training program.

There is no fundamental difference between these two equipment regarding the amount of weight that an athlete can lift. The difference between the vultures lies in the structure. The curved design allows for a more secure grip with reduced wrist strain. Shorter bar allows for greater balance when lifting heavy weight, since it is much easier to “grope” the center of gravity. The latter helps to load the arms evenly and do the exercise technically correctly.

A curved bar is of greatest value to athletes with hand injuries. This apparatus is great for athletes who want to lift heavy weights, as it is much safer and less traumatic. Manufacturers sports equipment release vultures strongly and weakly curved. You need to choose according to your own feelings, that is, the projectile that is more convenient to work with.

What is better for muscle growth

It is impossible to say for sure which of the projectiles pumps up the muscles more. But, given the fact that muscles grow better when they are worked out comprehensively, it is better to train by alternating bars, changing grip, arm width, position, using a variety of exercise machines. This will allow you to load each individual muscle area. Otherwise, a stop in progress becomes inevitable, that is, a plateau occurs when the muscles stop growing.

The arsenal of equipment and various exercise equipment in bodybuilding is very diverse. The main part of the work in the gym is training with a barbell or dumbbells. The most popular barbells are straight, but there are others with a curved bar, which are more convenient to use in some exercises. A curved bar (also called an EZ bar) can be found in any normal gym. It is most often used during exercises for the arms - biceps and triceps. the main objective its use – reducing the load on the hands and preventing injuries.

A curved bar is used to perform biceps curls (standing, on a Scott bench) or for French presses (standing, sitting, lying). There is no exact information that the EZ bar loads muscles more effectively or promotes their growth, but this type of barbell does have its advantages.

Which bar should you choose – curved or straight?

In general, there is no difference in the amount of weight lifted between these bars. The main difference is comfort and reduced strain on the wrists. Moreover, a curved bar is shorter and easier to balance with larger weights, and it is also easier to find the center of the bar on a curved bar. Finding the center correctly allows you to perform the exercise correctly technically and load your arms equally.

A curved bar will be more important for those athletes who have suffered hand injuries in the past. Also, this type of barbell is safer to use when working with hands maximum weights. Today, a distinction is made between weakly curved and highly curved necks. Both options are used for training the hands; choosing is an individual matter and must be assessed based on convenience.

No one can say unequivocally which bar is better for muscle growth. But the principles of bodybuilding tell us that to effectively build muscle mass, you need to work on all possible areas muscle group. Therefore, we advise you not only to use different bars in your workouts, but also to change the type of grip, the width of your hands, perform the exercise in different positions, and use different equipment and exercise equipment. It is this approach that will allow you not to forget any muscle bundle and work out everything.

Types of bars in bodybuilding

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Anyone who hasn't wondered about choosing a bar hasn't been to the gym. Straight, EZ-shaped, W-shaped - any self-respecting fitness center has a full arsenal of torture tools muscle fibers. All that remains is to find out which one will give you the maximum advantage when performing classical exercises. As always, there is no clear answer to this question. Which barbell to choose is a matter of physiology and personal preference.

Straight barbell curl

Usually the question of choosing a bar comes up when you train your biceps. As you probably know, one of the basic exercises on him - . As a rule, many athletes prefer to take a straight bar for this purpose, and there is a completely reasonable explanation for this from the point of view of biomechanics.

• While working with a straight bar, your
  The palms are in a supinated position and facing strictly towards the ceiling. Due to this, the main load falls exactly on the biceps, which is reduced to the maximum. Compared to an EZ bar, the load is this muscle there will be more, which speaks in favor of a straight bar.
• However, straight barbell lifts also have their downsides. Injury hazard. The hands are in a somewhat unnatural position, which increases the load on the wrists and the risk of injury. More than one athlete has injured their wrists in this particular exercise, so if this is your weakness, you should think about safety nets in the form of special belts or still opt for an EZ bar.

Biceps curl with EZ bar

When working with an EZ bar, the mechanics of movements change.

• The palms are in a semi-supinated position, which is together with the biceps activates brachialis. As a result, the load on the biceps becomes slightly less, which reduces the degree of its contraction.
• At the same time, the semi-supination position is much more natural for the body - in life, our palms are in this position much more often than when they are turned strictly to the ceiling. Therefore, it’s easy to do the exercise with this grip convenient, and moreover the risk of injury is significantly reduced. So for those who have weak wrists, the answer to the question of which barbell to choose is quite clear.
• Finally, but not least, there is another advantage of the EZ-shaped bar. As a rule, it is short enough that facilitates the task of stabilizing the weight of the barbell and reduces the risk of falling on one side.

Dotting the i's

Which bar is best for biceps? It's up to you. If we compare the risk of injury with the risk of not working out the biceps enough, in our opinion The scales are tipping in favor of the EZ bar.. The fact is that the difference in the degree of activation of the biceps can hardly be called dramatic, while the risk of injury to the wrists is quite tangible, especially since not everyone does strengthening exercises for the wrist muscle group.