Spider Curl
The spider curl has you lying face down on an inclined bench with your arms hanging straight down, curling an EZ-bar up toward your shoulders. Lying prone removes any chance of swinging your torso to help the lift, so the biceps do the work through the entire range without momentum. It suits anyone who wants a strict, isolated biceps exercise once basic curls stop being a challenge on their own.
Why it works
A standing curl lets your hips and lower back sway to help move the weight once it gets heavy, which takes real work away from the biceps without you noticing. Lying face down on an incline pins your torso and upper arms against the bench, so there's no surface to push off of and no momentum to borrow. The biceps have to lift and lower the bar on their own the entire time, which makes the spider curl one of the stricter ways to isolate them.
Set up
- Set an incline bench to a steep angle and lie face down against it, chest and stomach supported.
- Let your arms hang straight down, holding an EZ-bar with an underhand grip at the angled part of the bar.
- Keep your upper arms pinned against the bench for the whole set.
How to do it
- Curl the bar up toward your shoulders by bending your elbows.
- Keep your upper arms pressed against the bench as you curl.
- Squeeze the biceps at the top of the curl.
- Lower the bar back down with control until your arms are straight again.
- Repeat for the set without letting your torso lift off the bench.
Form cues
- Upper arms glued to the bench the whole rep.
- Curl with the elbows, not the shoulders.
- Full stretch at the bottom, full squeeze at the top.
- No swinging the torso to start the curl.
Breathing: Exhale as you curl the bar up, inhale as you lower it back down.
Common mistakes
Letting the upper arms drift forward off the bench to help the lift.
Fix: Keep your upper arms pressed against the bench throughout the set, even if it means using less weight.
Using a weight heavy enough that only a partial range of motion is possible.
Fix: Drop the weight until you can curl through the full range, from a straight arm to a full squeeze, on every rep.
Rushing the lowering phase and letting the bar drop.
Fix: Control the bar on the way down just as deliberately as the way up; that portion builds strength too.
How to program it
- 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps works well, once or twice a week alongside other biceps or pulling work.
- It fits best after a compound pulling movement, since it isolates the biceps once they're already somewhat fatigued from bigger lifts.
- Increase the weight in small steps once every rep in a set looks clean through the full range.
Safety notes
- Avoid letting the elbows flare out to the sides; keep them tracking in the same line as your upper arms.
- Stop short of full lockout tension at the bottom if you feel any pinching at the front of the elbow.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How much weight should I use for spider curls?
Start light enough to complete every rep through the full range of motion without your upper arms lifting off the bench. Add weight in small steps from there.
Spider curl vs preacher curl: what's the difference?
Both remove momentum by supporting the upper arms, but the spider curl has you face down with your arms hanging, which keeps tension on the biceps even at the top of the curl. The preacher curl angles the arms in front of you and eases off tension near full contraction.
Can I do spider curls with a dumbbell instead of an EZ-bar?
Yes, a dumbbell in each hand works the same way. The EZ-bar's angled grip is just easier on the wrists for some lifters.
Why don't I feel spider curls in my biceps?
Check that your upper arms are staying pinned to the bench and that the weight isn't so heavy you're only moving it a few inches. Both let other muscles sneak in and take over.