Drag Curl
A barbell curl where the bar slides up the front of your body: your elbows travel back as you curl, which keeps the work on your biceps and out of the front of your shoulders.
- Primary muscles
- Biceps
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
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Why do it
Drag curls suit lifters who already curl well and want a variation that takes the front delts out of the lift. Because your elbows move behind your body, the bar path rules out swinging it forward, and the biceps works hard near the top. It's an intermediate move because the path feels odd at first, so start lighter than your normal barbell curl. Compared with a standard curl, the range is shorter, ending at your lower chest rather than your shoulders.
How to do it
Stand holding a barbell with an underhand grip at your thighs.
Curl the bar by pulling your elbows back and up, so the bar drags up the front of your body.
Stop when the bar reaches your lower chest and squeeze the biceps.
Lower slowly along the same path, keeping the bar in contact with your torso. The bar never swings out in front of you.
Common mistakes
Letting the bar drift away from you
Once the bar moves out in front, it's a regular curl with odd elbows. Keep it touching your torso on the way up and down.
Keeping the elbows fixed
Your elbows should travel back and up as the bar rises. If they stay at your sides, the bar can't follow your body.
Shrugging the bar higher
Raising your shoulders to get the bar further up hands the work to your traps. Stop at your lower chest and squeeze your biceps there.
Going as heavy as your usual curl
The changed path makes your normal curl weight feel much heavier. Start lighter and build up once the movement feels natural.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
