Barbell Drag Curl

How to perform the Barbell Drag Curl

1. Stand tall with a barbell held at a shoulder-width supinated grip resting against the thighs.
2. Instead of curling the bar out in an arc, pull the elbows straight back behind the body as you lift.
3. Dragging the elbows back keeps the bar traveling straight up the torso, hugging the body the whole way.
4. Because the shoulder extends rather than flexes, the long head stays lengthened and the bar rises up the belly and chest.
5. Squeeze the biceps at the top where the bar reaches the lower chest, elbows pointing back and down.
6. Lower the bar down the same path along the torso, letting the elbows return forward to full extension.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Curling the bar out in a normal arc instead of dragging the elbows back along the torso.
• •Letting the elbows stay forward so the bar leaves the body and the long-head bias is lost.
• •Swinging the torso to fling the bar up the belly with momentum.
• •Rounding the shoulders forward rather than keeping the chest up as the elbows drive back.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.