Are barbell curls a compound exercise
Barbell curls are not a compound exercise as they do not use multiple joints to execute the movement. It is a good isolated exercise for the biceps.
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What is your why
Before we go into the details of barbell curls and compound exercises let me ask you a couple of questions:
- Why do you want to barbell curl?
- Why do you want to get stronger?
- Why do you want to build muscle?
- What happens when you do?
- What happens if you don’t?
These questions are important to achieve your long term goals. Life will get in the way of your dreams and ambitions. You better have some good reasons to go through with them. Sitting down and answering these questions is the key to get you focused on the long run. Most people go about their life like this:
- What do I want?
- How do I get it?
- Why do I want it?
With this thought pattern, you will be chasing your own tail. What you want changes hundreds of times a day. If this becomes your guiding principle, you will have a hard time to feel fulfilled and happy. If you flip this on its head, something interesting starts to happen:
- Why do you want something
- How do you get it
- What do you need to do to get it
Going through life focusing on your why will connect the dots for you. Your thoughts and actions will be connected to your deepest desires and wishes. This why life will make more sense to you and it will become easier to reach your goals and be happy. If you want to know how this works on a psychological basis read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. If you are still not convinced check out Simon Sinek's TED talk on the golden circle. He makes a very compelling case telling the story of the Wright brothers.
Compound exercises
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements which activate multiple muscles. Some examples are:
- Back squat
- Front squat
- Overhead squat
- Deadlift
- Bench press
- Snatch
- Clean and jerk
These exercises have become very popular as you train a lot of muscles in the same amount of time. The antithesis to compound exercises is isolated exercises. Isolated exercises focus on one muscle group only. This usually involves only one joint rather than multiple during the movement.
Barbell curls
The barbell curl is not a compound exercise as it only uses one joint and focuses mainly on the biceps.
The barbell curl starts with full extension. You can either stand or sit at a curl bench. From full extension, you bring the barbell up to your chin. Rinse and repeat rot get a bigger biceps.
Pros of barbell curls
The advantage of the barbell curl is that you can load it very heavy. It is also an interesting exercise for balance and strength.
Cons of barbell curls
The biggest disadvantage of the barbell curl is that is strains your wrists unnecessarily. This can be fixed by using an EZ bar to do your curls.
Are barbell curls a compound exercise
No, they aren’t. Barbell curls are the antithesis to compound exercises.
