Overview: barbell bars and how much they weigh. Curved neck: when is it best to use it? Video: Straight Standard Bar Workout

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Genus. 1984 Trained since 1999. Trained since 2007. CCM in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and the South of Russia according to AWPC. Champion Krasnodar Territory according to IPF. 1 rank by weightlifting. 2-time winner of the championship of the Krasnodar Territory in t / a. Author of over 700 articles on fitness and amateur athleticism. Author and co-author of 5 books.

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Date of: 2016-03-13 Views: 21 784 Grade: 5.0 Hello everyone, if anyone is not in the subject of what a curved neck is, then look at the picture. Although, I think that everyone has seen such a neck and it is in every hall. It is also sometimes referred to as the EZ neck. But not everyone understands why, for what and when it is needed, and when it is better to take a direct one. How did such a vulture come about? History is silent on this, but I think that many athletes of the beginning or middle of the last century began to notice that doing curls and French presses with a straight neck is not for everyone and not always convenient. And to understand - why - let's turn to biomechanics and physiology. So, the fact is that the position of the joints during flexion and extension of the arms with a straight neck is not entirely physiological. Our skeleton is arranged in such a way that it is much more convenient when the hands are facing each other, or there is some kind of angle between them. But when they are fully deployed, it's not that it causes discomfort for everyone, but it's not the optimal position of the joints. This applies to the hands, and elbows, and shoulders. It turns out that people noticed this, and made such a neck, where the palms are not fully deployed, but are at an angle to each other. This allows you to better load the biceps and triceps and allows you to avoid problems with the joints of the hands in the future. In general, you need to understand that some exercises or some types of exercises are not physiological for our structure. And you should try to avoid such exercises. Since such a discrepancy with our joints can result in chronic problems in the future. The most striking example is . But back to the topic of the article. Below I will give exercises where it is better to use a curved neck.

The load is indicated on a 10-point scale (the total load is summed up)

The load is indicated on a 10-point scale (the total load is summed up)

The load is indicated on a 10-point scale (the total load is summed up)

The load is indicated on a 10-point scale (the total load is summed up)

In all other exercises, using a curved neck will give you nothing but inconvenience. By the way, by analogy with the neck, it is also better on the horizontal bar, which has a similar bend. And it is also better to do it with a similar curved handle. In general, you must understand the essence, which is that all flexion and extension of the arms to our body is more convenient to do when the hands are slightly turned towards each other or completely facing each other.

conclusions

1. Try to do all French presses only with a curved neck. If not, then it is better not to do these exercises at all. 2. Bending the arms (biceps) is also desirable to do with such a bar. However, if it is not there, then a straight line will do. 3. You can try broaches and swings forward as an experiment with a crooked neck. 4. For all other exercises, a curved neck is either uncomfortable, or at least will not give you any advantages. 5. The curvature of the necks is different. From a slight curve to a very strong one (the so-called W-shaped necks). Therefore, I advise you to use necks with a medium or low degree of curvature. Good luck!

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This bar confuses some, and begs the question - is it bent? But this is just a feature of the barbell neck, which allows you to change the type of loads. When you come to the gym for the first time, you can see a lot of “iron”, unfamiliar, causing interest. It would seem that there can be something incomprehensible in the bars, but they are not so simple as they might seem at first.

For example, a bar with a curved neck, which is found in any even the slightest self-respecting sports club. Barbell with EZ neck, or a curved neck, a fairly popular tool for fans to pump up biceps and triceps. The shape of the neck allows you to reduce the load on the hand, preventing injuries.

Which neck is better straight or curved?

Curved bar exercises allow you to maximize the load on the biceps and at the same time reduce the load on the back when lifting. maximum weight. But still, which neck is better straight or curved. This position of the hands makes it possible to carry out exercises with maximum amplitude.

Due to the unevenness of the shape of the neck, the projectile during training is safer than a barbell with a straight, traditional neck. The short length of the neck allows you to more accurately determine right place girth, and evenly distribute the load on the biceps.

However, during training, it is not worth giving preference to one projectile, sometimes it is still worth alternating not only the projectiles, but also the training program.

As a rule, in training, the preference is given to a barbell with a straight neck, but do not forget about an alternative that has a number of advantages:

The curved neck, unlike the traditional one, is much more comfortable to hold in your hands, which makes it much easier to exercise. This makes it possible to "weight" the bar and take more weight.

The shape of the neck makes it possible to change the type of load, which in turn allows you to achieve the desired much faster.

Barbell exercises

The weight of a curved neck is different from a straight neck. Due to the shorter length, it is slightly lighter. And this is what allows you to perform exercises with a curved neck, increasing the weight lifted. But this is not what is decisive. It is the shape that provides the “best grip”.

At home, the curved bar is quite often used in biceps exercises. Depending on the distance of the hands, the barbell is raised:

• shoulder width;
• narrow grip;
• wide grip.

These exercises allow you to focus on the entire surface, on the inside and external head biceps. The variable use of "grip" allows you to achieve maximum effect and better quality indicators. But regardless of the location of the training, the maximum effect can only be achieved by doing the exercises correctly, avoiding swaying, sharp projectile tossing and swinging, and at the top point of the lift, it is necessary to squeeze the biceps for a few seconds. If you have your own equipment, you can easily perform exercises with a barbell with a curved neck at home.

Who did not wonder about the choice of neck, he was not in the gym. Straight, EZ-shaped, W-shaped - any self-respecting fitness center has a full arsenal of torture tools muscle fibers. It remains only to find out which of them will give you the maximum advantage when performing classic exercises. As always, there is no single answer to this question. Which barbell to choose is a matter of physiology and personal preference.

Barbell Curl with Straight Bar

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

• While working with a straight neck, your
  the palms are in the supination position and are turned strictly to the ceiling. Due to this, the main load falls exactly on the biceps, which reduced to the maximum. Compared to the EZ bar, the load on this muscle there will be more, which speaks in favor of a straight neck.
• However, straight barbell lifts have their drawbacks. Injury hazard. The hands are in a somewhat unnatural position for themselves, the load on the wrists and the risk of injury increase. Not one athlete has injured his wrists in this particular exercise, so if this is your weak point, you should think about safety nets in the form of special belts or still opt for an EZ bar.

EZ Bar Curl

While working with the EZ bar, the mechanics of movements change.

• The palms are in a semi-supinated position, which, 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, with such a grip, the exercise is simply done convenient, and more the risk of injury is greatly reduced. So for those who have weak wrists, the answer to the question of which bar to choose for the barbell is quite clear.
• Last but not least, there is another plus of the EZ neck. It is usually short enough facilitates the task of stabilizing the weight of the rod and reduces the risk of falling to 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 tip in favor of the EZ neck. 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 palpable, especially since not everyone does strengthening exercises on the wrist muscle group.

In bodybuilding, many simulators and equipment are used. Most workouts are done with dumbbells or barbells. Usually they use shells with a straight neck, but some exercises are easier to do with a curved one. It is also called the EZ-neck, and it is found in every well-equipped gym. The barbell with a curved neck is most often used for triceps and biceps exercises. Such a projectile helps to reduce the load on the hands and minimize the risk of injury.

In lifting the biceps, performed on the Scott bench and standing, as well as french press, which is done lying down, standing or sitting, use a curved neck. No confirmed information about greater efficiency, and, consequently, the load and performance in terms of growth muscle mass there is no such projectile, but it certainly has its positive qualities that must be taken into account.

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

1. Ease of use. Many lifters are simply much more comfortable with the EZ bar, which allows them to lift much big weights.
2. Accent shift. A curved bar has a slightly different load on the muscles, therefore, alternating it with a regular straight bar, you can achieve a uniform and comprehensive study of muscle tissues.
3. Safety. The shape of the curved neck allows you to reduce the load exerted on the wrists, which greatly reduces the likelihood of injury even with large amplitudes and weights.
4. Grip reliability. Most bodybuilders note the fact that holding the EZ bar is much more comfortable, and therefore safer, which allows you to perform complex exercises with minimal risk of injury.

Some athletes working with a curved bar believe that it helps to improve the relief 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 shells 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 neck allows for more balance when lifting heavy weight, since it is much easier to "feel" the center of gravity. The latter helps to evenly load the hands and do the exercise technically correctly.

The curved bar is of the greatest value for athletes with hand injuries. This projectile 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 slightly curved. You need to choose according to your own feelings, that is, the projectile with which it is more convenient to work.

What is best for muscle growth

It is impossible to say exactly which of the shells pumps the muscles more. But, given that muscles grow better when they are worked out comprehensively, it is better to train with alternating barbells, changing grip, arm width, position, using a variety of simulators. This will allow you to load each individual section of the muscle. Otherwise, a stop in progress becomes inevitable, that is, a plateau occurs when the muscles stop growing.

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Unlike a straight bar, a curved bar places more stress on the inner head of the biceps, so this exercise is well suited for building arm mass. Another advantage of such a neck is the reduction of stress on the wrists, which reduces the risk of injury in the future if the athlete works with a large weight.

Correct technique

1. Before performing the exercise, you need to stand up straight, holding a barbell with a curved neck with a wide grip. The palms look forward, and the elbow joints are pressed tightly against the body. It will be starting position for bending the arms.
2. After exhaling, a smooth bending of the arm is performed in elbow joint. Part of the arm from the elbow to the shoulder must necessarily remain motionless, since only the forearms are included in the work.
3. The movement is performed until the biceps are fully contracted and until the bar is at the same level with the shoulders. A small pause is maintained at the top point of the amplitude and the muscles are additionally tensed.
4. As you inhale, the bar gently lowers down to its original position.
5. 15-20 repetitions are performed. Beginner women are recommended to work with 12 kg, and beginner men - with 20 kg.

This exercise can be performed in a block simulator from the lower block. For this, a special EZ-handle is used. With its help, you can feel the middle part of the biceps well at the end point of the amplitude.

Safety

Bending the arms with a curved neck refers to simple exercises, but this does not mean that safety precautions can be neglected. Advanced athletes must definitely work at the racks, as the hands can get tired at any time under the influence of a large weight. You can also use the help of an insurer. He must stand behind, since only in this position can you catch the barbell.

Beginners are advised to work with an empty neck. As a rule, its weight reaches only 10 kg, but at first this is quite enough. After you feel that the exercise has become too easy, you can start using larger weights.

In this exercise it is important to hold the wrists firmly. You do not need to “break” them much, as this leads to rapid fatigue of the joint. When working with a large weight, such a movement can injure the joint.

Common Mistakes

Body rocking. In some cases, athletes can be observed trying to bend the arms holding the curved bar by rocking the torso. This does not need to be done, since the load will not normally flow on the biceps. It is better to perform fewer repetitions, but without losing quality.

Elbow extension to the side. For beginners, this mistake is especially common, since they do not own the technique. this exercise. The spread of the elbows leads to a decrease in the amplitude of flexion, so the biceps contract poorly. It is very important to keep the elbows pressed to the body, they should not sway and move.

Repulsing the bar from the hips. This technique is often used by weightlifters to simplify the exercise. However, beginners who work with lighter weights do not need to use this technique, as it will prevent them from engaging their arms normally.

Equipment

To complete the exercise, you will need a curved neck and discs for the barbell. A curved bar differs from a straight bar in that it allows you to load the biceps more, and this has a positive effect on their development. Additional equipment may require gloves. They strengthen the grip and also create a good grip for the hands with the neck surface.

1. The load on the biceps directly depends on the degree of curvature of the neck: the more curved the neck, the higher the load.
2. Do not throw your arms too high up. In other words, the bar should not rise to shoulder level, as the load will begin to decrease towards the top of the amplitude, which will negatively affect the efficiency of the entire exercise. In this case, the brushes in the upper part of the movement are always in front of the elbows.
3. No need to move your elbows back when lifting weights and forward when lowering. It is enough to shift the elbows by 5 cm while lifting the bar, and then return them to their original position.
4. There is no need to swing with the whole body, since the bar rises not by inertia, but due to muscle strength.
5. At the bottom, the arms are fully extended so that the biceps can fully stretch under the load. This movement greatly improves the amplitude and efficiency of the exercise.
6. It is important to keep your shoulders and back straight. The chest is straightened, and the shoulders are slightly retracted so that the posture always remains even.