Battle of the specialty bars: the tricep bar vs the EZ curl bar.
Which bar should you purchase for your home gym?
Overall, the EZ curl bar is a better investment because it allows for a wider variety of exercises. The angled grips on the EZ curl bar makes biceps training easier by taking away the pain/discomfort in your wrists. It also gives you many extra options for biceps training. The tricep bar makes triceps training more efficient and comfortable because of the neutral hand grips, but offers fewer exercise options than the EZ curl bar.
Of course, the tricep bar is still a great option. Let’s dive deep into these bars and decide which one is right for you.
What is a Tricep Bar Used for?
A tricep bar is a shorter barbell with two vertical, neutral grips. It has an oval shape, usually with two knurled grips inside. The main difference between a tricep bar and a regular barbell is that a tricep bar has two neutral grips on the bar, whereas a regular barbell is straight and allows either an underhand or overhand grip.
Tricep bars are also shorter, which means they are a bit easier to use than long, seven foot barbells (and better for compact home gyms). They usually measure around 34 inches in length, but you can find them as small as 24 inches. So they’re about half the length (or a little less) of a regular barbell.
Tricep Bar – More Comfortable
This difference in grips between the tricep bar and straight bar may seem subtle, but it makes all the difference in the world. The neutral grip provides a really tight, clean, comfortable, and ergonomic hand position for so many exercises. It just feels more natural to use a neutral grip rather than an underhand or overhand grip.
I mean, just think about it. When your arms are at your sides, do your hands rest in an underhand, overhand, or neutral grip? Mine certainly rest in a neutral grip!
The neutral grip position is less stressful on your wrists when performing triceps extensions and curls. When your grip is in the underhand position, the wrist is will be prone to discomfort/pain. In the overhand position, the wrist is not as strong. The neutral grips on the tricep bar provides the perfect in-between position for comfort and strength!
Tricep Bar Exercise Versatility and Muscle Emphasis
Don’t be fooled by the name “tricep” bar either.
The tricep bar is not just for triceps. It’s a fantastic bar for a wide variety of exercises. The different grip on a tricep bar allows you to emphasize muscles that would normally be underutilized with a traditional straight bar.
On triceps exercises, the tricep bar tends to emphasize the lateral head of the triceps, which is the thicker part near your elbow. This is the part of the triceps most used in the bench press. That means training with a tricep bar can have some nice carry over benefits to your bench press.
For curl exercises, the tricep bar mimics a dumbbell hammer curl, placing the emphasis on the Brachioradialis, as opposed to the Biceps Brachii.
Some of the exercises a tricep bar works the best with:
- Flat or overhead triceps extension
- Hammer curl
- Shoulder press
- Close grip bench press
- One arm row
Tricep Bar Summary
• Allows you to emphasize muscles that would normally be underemphasized in certain exercises
• Provides a tighter, comfortable, and ergonomic grip for triceps extensions and hammer curls
• Is a much shorter bar than a straight bar
Check out the tricep bar in action from YouTuber Fitness Depot North America:
What is an EZ Curl Bar Used for?
An EZ curl bar is a shorter barbell which has zig-zagged curves on the bar to allow for different hand grips. With a straight barbell, the only two options are an underhand or overhand grip. And with the tricep bar, you can do a neutral grip.
On the other hand, the EZ curl bar offers a compromise between the tricep and straight bar, meeting in the middle (quite literally), offering a slightly rotated underhand or overhand grip.
Another cool thing you can do with the EZ curl bar is flip it over. This allows you to do a wide grip either underhand or overhand, or a close grip underhand or overhand. EZ curl bars are also a bit shorter in length than straight bars. Standard length is about 48 inches, but they can be as long as 60 inches (five feet).
EZ Curl Bar – Easier on the Wrists
The EZ curl bar is much easier on the bones and joints in your wrists than the straight bar. I know I’ve had lots of pain when I go up in weight with a straight bar curl. It really hurts my wrists. The EZ curl bar eliminates that pain by placing your wrist in a slightly rotated position which eliminates unnecessary stress.
Consider a standing straight bar curl:
Notice the angle of the wrists with the classic barbell curl grip. They are kept straight, which puts them in an uncomfortable position, and increases the stress on the bones and joints. This leads to pain and discomfort, especially as you add more weight.
Now consider a standing curl with an EZ curl bar:
The grips on the EZ curl bar are slightly angled, which takes the unnecessary stress off of your wrists. It’s a much more ergonomic position. Your wrists will thank you for it!
Just for a moment, take your wrists and turn them so they are in an underhand position. Now try to keep turning them that way. You will notice immediate discomfort.
It’s because when the wrists are in a horizontal position (like in the straight barbell curl), they are fully rotated, and thus, are at their weakest. That slight angle of the EZ bar brings the back to a much more comfortable position.
EZ Curl Bar vs Straight Bar Biceps Activation
The EZ curl bar is heavily focused on the Biceps Brachii, Brachioradialis, and Brachialis muscle groups.
One recent study explored the differences in electromyographic (EMG) activity between the dumbbell curl, EZ curl, and barbell curl in the Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis muscles. The study found that both the EZ curl and the barbell curl showed increased EMG activity when compared to the dumbbell curl. The differences between the EZ curl and the barbell curl were negligible.
So, this shows that both the EZ curl bar and barbell are effective at stimulating the Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis. What you choose will be up to your own subjective preference. However, if you want to put your wrists in the most comfortable position, the EZ bar can’t be beat.
Some of the exercises an EZ curl bar works the best with:
- Standing curl
- Preacher curl
- Spider curl
- Reverse curl
- Skull crusher
- Overhead triceps extension
- Close grip bench press
EZ Curl Bar Summary
• Relieves pain/discomfort usually experienced from biceps curls with a straight barbell
• Stimulates Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis to the same extent as straight barbell curl
• Is a little bit shorter in length than a straight bar
Check out the EZ curl bar in action here from YouTuber donnysayslift:
Tricep Bar vs EZ Curl Bar? Which is Better?
| Tricep Bar | EZ Curl Bar |
|---|---|
| Allows you to target different muscles | Allows you to target different muscles |
| Ergonomic hand position | Ergonomic hand position |
| Moderate amount of exercise capability | Large amount of exercise capability |
| 24-34 inches in length | 48-60 inches in length |
| 2 grip positions | 4 grip positions |
Now that we have all the facts, let’s take a look at how the tricep bar vs EZ curl bar stacks up.
As we’ve seen, both the tricep bar and EZ curl bar offer alternative grips which provide more comfortable, ergonomic gripping positions for certain exercises than a straight bar. Both bars are also quite effective in stimulating and emphasizing the right muscle groups. The tricep bar is a bit smaller than the EZ curl bar, so if space is an issue for you, you may want to go with the tricep bar.
But, gun to my head, if I had to choose one of these bars for my home gym, I would definitely choose the EZ curl bar. The main reason is because the EZ curl bar allows for a wider variety of exercises.
There are multiple hand grips available on an EZ curl bar, whereas the tricep bar really only has two options: the neutral grips and the oval handles around the neutral grips (although these aren’t really designed to be handles, per se). This means it is somewhat limited.
Don’t get me wrong. The tricep bar is an awesome piece of home gym equipment, and it will add tremendously to your training if you use it wisely. However, the versatility and overall effectiveness of the EZ curl bar makes it a more cost-effective option.
What Tricep Bar and/or EZ Curl Bar Should I Buy?
For an in-depth look at my recommendations for the best tricep and EZ curl bars on the market, check out my two articles on the subject:
Tricep Bars
I spent hours researching the best tricep bars on the market today. What I found is the BEST combination of durability, size, and affordability.
CAP Barbell Olympic Tricep Bar
The CAP Barbell Olympic Tricep Bar is by FAR the best overall tricep bar for olympic (2″) weight plates I could find. This bar has a solid and sturdy build with a standard (34″) length. The 200 pound weight capacity is also standard and works well if you want to load heavier (25-45) pound plates on.
Here is the same tricep bar by CAP Barbell, but this one has rubber grips, for those who want more grip protection.
CAP Barbell Standard Threaded Tricep Bar
The CAP Barbell Standard Threaded Tricep Bar is the perfect tricep bar for standard (1″) weights. This bar has a nice build quality and chrome finish. The length is standard (34″) and so is the weight capacity (200 pounds), which makes it an excellent bar for both light and heavy lifting. It’s also really affordable.
EZ Curl Bars
These are the absolute BEST EZ curl bars I could find. These beasts are all you need to fuel your workout for years to come.
XMark Olympic EZ Curl Bar
It’s astounding that this bar isn’t more expensive, given how high quality it is. This bar is built for Olympic (2″) weight plates. Weighing 24 pounds with a weight capacity of 400 pounds, this thing is an absolute monster! The XMark brand is known for making super high quality strength training equipment. You can’t go wrong with this bar!
CAP Barbell Standard Threaded EZ Curl Bar
At first glance you may be put off by the really cheap price tag. I mean, “You get what you pay for”, right? In this case, WRONG! CAP Barbell made another gem of a bar here. Weighing only 11 pounds, with a 200 pound weight capacity, this bar is way more sturdy and strong than you would think! The build quality is excellent. It has a smooth, nice chrome finish.
FAQ
Q: How much does a tricep bar weigh?
A: Standard tricep bars typically weigh anywhere from 10-20 pounds. Olympic tricep bars typically weigh anywhere from 10-30 pounds.
Q: How much does an EZ curl bar weigh?
A: Standard EZ curls bars typically weigh anywhere from 10-20 pounds. Olympic EZ curl bars can weigh anywhere from 15-50 pounds, but typically around 20-30.
Q: Can you do squats with an EZ curl bar?
A: Yes! Although not quite as ideal as a straight bar for training legs, there are still a variety of leg exercises you can do with an EZ curl bar. Check out this video by fitness YouTuber donnysayslift, where he demonstrates how to squat with an EZ curl bar as well as some other awesome EZ curl bar leg exercises:
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