Bar weight is one of those things that’s perpetually shrouded in mystery.
Unless it is explicitly engraved on the bar, or you measure it yourself, you’d always receive random replies if you ask someone in the gym about it.
‘Hey, how much does an EZ bar weigh?’
‘What? EZ Bar? Uhm…why?’
Don’t be surprised if that’s what you hear.
If you are diligent about tracking your lifts and using progressive overload in your workout routines, then it’s critical to know the weight of the bar.
How else do you know the exact weight that you are lifting? Oh yes, if someone tells you that the weight of the bar does not count, punch them in the face.
Before we jump the gun, let’s take a moment to understand the difference between the EZ bar and the straight bar.
What is the EZ bar?
The humble bicep curl often gets overshadowed by fancy isolation moves – the likes of reverse curls, hammer curls, or regular curls….and swanky machines in the gym these days. But it still remains ‘the granddaddy’ of bicep and tricep exercises as they say.
And there’s no better variation of it than, the bar curl. Oh yeah, dumbbells, kettlebells, ropes, nothing even comes close to it.
The bar curl allows you to work out all muscle heads in the bicep group, the forearms, the wrists, the shoulders and even some muscles of the back. Wondering what to workout after chest day? There you have it. Personally, I do these curls to train my shoulders after chest day, but you can also work your arms (for those with skinny arms), your call.
You can stack more plates and you are less likely to perform ‘swing’ reps with it. Although, tons of guys do, especially the ego lifters…
If you have been working out for a while, you’d be aware that there are two types of bars that are used for bicep curls.
There’s the straight bar, and there’s the EZ curl bar with the weird-looking curves right in the middle of the bar. Some even call it the cambered curl bar.
It’s shaped somewhat like an M. Or is it a W?
The question is, which one is better for bicep growth? The EZ curl bar or the straight curl bar?
EZ Curl Bar vs. Straight Bar
The fact is that even some of the most experienced lifters don’t know the difference between the EZ bar and the straight bar.
Here’s the deal.
The EZ Curl bar is designed specifically for people who have wrist mobility issues. Keyboard warriors in particular have wrist pain when they do curls with straight bars, let alone cleans or power cleans.
Swapping it with an EZ curl bar allows you to hit the biceps without too many tradeoffs and most importantly, without cringing in pain or having to make a beeline for your theragun after your workout – although you should use one of these gizmos for better recovery.
The bent portion of the bar which you grip during the curls allows you to have a pronated grip, which is when you have the thumbs above your pinkies. The pronated grip is a lot gentler on your wrists.
The caveat is that this alters the pattern in which your upper arm muscles are activated. Rather than placing the emphasis on the bicep head, it works out the brachialis muscle more. Also, this type of bar isn’t quite suited for vigorous workouts like say the smith machine deadlift, you will definitely need a straight bar for that.
Does that make it ineffective for bicep growth?
Not really. The difference, if any, is soo tiny, unless you are a professional bodybuilder hitting your home gym to work each muscle head individually and are getting judged by professional judges on stage at the Mr.Olympia, then you really have nothing to worry about.
Most fitness buffs would not even notice the difference, except for the reduced pain. Which is a serious positive.
Hints why I only use the EZ bar to curl now, especially when loading heavy weights to shock my muscles. I don’t even mess with throwing weight on the straight bar anymore.
How Much Does an EZ Bar Weigh?
Coming to the point at hand, how much does the EZ bar weigh?
That depends on the manufacturer and the length of the bar. This doesn’t apply to the Ez bar only though, I have previously sought to figure out the bench press bar weight, deadlift bar weight and deadlift bar weight. Trust me, these all are different depending on different parameters.
However, there are two types of EZ bars that are commonly available in most gyms.
- The Standard EZ bar
- The Olympic EZ bar.
Olympic EZ bars are heavier and have thicker dimensions as compared to standard EZ bars.
Here’s a ballpark figure for the weight and size of both variations of the EZ bar.
Olympic EZ Curl bar: Weighs 18-25 lbs.
Can be 47-52” in length with 2” rotating sleeves. It can only be used with Olympic plates and the weight varies from 18-25 lbs.
Standard EZ Curl bar: Weighs 10-18 lbs.
Is 47” in length and has 1” non-rotating sleeves. Can only be used with standard plates and the weight varies from 10-18 lbs. The standard EZ curl bar is a great option for people looking for short barbells.
Why does the EZ Curl bar in my gym weigh more than 25 lbs.?
The EZ curl bar is not used in the Olympics nor in any sporting event which makes standardization unnecessary.
So most manufacturers have their own variations of the EZ curl bar that vary in length and weight.
Rogue, for example, has an EZ curl bar that’s 54” in length and weighs a whopping 30 lbs. It also differs from other bars in the design as it has knurling all over, except for a small portion in the middle.
Troy has one that’s 60” with extremely long sleeves that allow users to stack more plates.
There’s even a “super curl ez bar”. None of these are common variations sold universally though.
Super Curl EZ Bar
Another variation that’s offered by selected manufacturers is the ‘super curl’ EZ bar which has extremely exaggerated angles for the grip.
Not only would this increase the degree of pronation of the grip during bicep curls, it would be equally effective if you are looking to target the triceps.
How Much Does the Super Curl EZ Bar Weigh?
The Super Curl EZ bar can be of varying length from 49″-55″ and comes with both rotating and non-rotating sleeves. The Super Curl EZ bar weighs in anywhere from 20-25 lbs.
What Workouts are EZ bars used for?
The zig-zag angled design of the EZ bar makes it a very effective tool for performing a variety of exercises.
Here are some of them.
Skull Crushers
These are one of the most effective exercises for the long and the lateral triceps heads and when performed with an EZ Curl bar, it is a lot easier on the wrist, allowing you to lock in your elbows to the sides and prevents them from flaring outwards.
There are also several skull crusher alternatives that work pretty much the same muscles, but you might need some complicated equipment for those, but most of them work great for someone who doesn’t have big hands to handle the bar.
Upright rows
If you have never tried upright rows with an EZ curl bar, try it now. The angled grip allows you to bring the bar higher towards your chin, which really hits your trapezius muscles. Again, it prevents wrist niggles that users face while performing these with the straight bar or even a heavier trap bar with heavier weights.
A good alternative to upright rows is high pulls, you can do high pulls or upright rows using the EZ bar, but I would start with upright rows and once I gained some muscle I would start doing high pulls.
Curls
There are so many variations of curls that you can do with the EZ curl bar. There’s wide grip, narrow grip, reverse grip for the forearms, 21s, drop sets, 100s, back and forths, preachers, we could go on all day about this. It’s a truly versatile bar for bicep development.
Overhead triceps extensions
Performing overhead triceps extensions with dumbbells makes the elbows flare out and you are more likely to cheat to move the weight. Not with the EZ-Curl bar. It allows you to maintain good form throughout and hits the triceps even with a lighter weight.
Related Reading:
- Neutral Grip Pull Ups
- Bushing Vs Bearing Barbell
- Barbell End Caps – Best Budget Replacement Options
- Why Do I Bench More Than I Squat?
- Tactical Barbell Review, Results, PDF, Download
- Shoulder Press Machines – Our Top Picks
Ben Mayz
Hi there! I'm Ben, main author and chief editor at Fitlifefanatics.com. I have been obsessed with Strength Training and Fitness for 18 years now.
My passion for living a happy fit lifestyle is what made me realize that fitness is what I wanted for my future.
I went on to earn my Masters in Sports Training & Biomechanics.
My passion for Strength training & fitness and my love of helping others is what made me start Fitlifefanatics.
Here, myself, and a team of specialist aim to provide the most accurate, and actionable information possible in hopes to help foster the fitness community forward.
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