Standing SZ curls

When standing for SZ-Curls, position yourself upright with your legs in a hip-width stance. A slight arch in the lower back protects this area of the body. Keep your gaze forward while holding the SZ-bar in an underhand grip in front of you. The grip width varies depending on the focus of the exercise. You can choose between a regular, narrow, or wide grip. Pay attention to the grip technique to avoid common mistakes and protect your joints. More on this can be found in the last section of this post.

Movement execution

Start with SZ-Curls in a narrow grip, holding the SZ-bar closer than your shoulders. This makes it easier, especially for beginners, to keep the elbows close to the body. The emphasis is on the bicep muscles. While exhaling, bend both forearms upward until they are near your chest. Then, return to the starting position while taking a deep breath.

Grasping the SZ bar with a shoulder-width grip, you raise the forearms upward while keeping the upper arm and elbow directly beside the body. Exhale during the lifting motion, and as you lower it back down while inhaling, maintain muscle tension without fully extending the arms.

Another option is to perform SZ curls with a wide grip. In this case, you grasp the SZ bar significantly wider than your shoulders. This adds complexity to the movement as the elbows no longer naturally remain stationary. Lift both forearms upward over the elbow joint, ensuring the upper arms stay steady, and exhale. Then, return to the starting position at a moderate pace, inhale, and prepare for the next repetition. The arms are almost fully extended in the end position.

Stressed muscles and common mistakes

The discussed muscles and common mistakes in performing standing SZ-Curls are elaborated in detail on the SZ-Curls page.

Alternative variants to standing SZ curls

To add variety to your training, you can also resort to similar exercises or further variations of standing SZ-Curls.