Barbell moves are among the most efficient for building muscle and strength for one simple reason: they allow you to lift more weight than any other bit of kit. The barbell is also an incredibly versatile training tool, suitable for a range of protocols. Compound lifts – squats, presses and deadlifts – are the Olympic barbell’s bread and butter, and while it can be used for some arms-specific moves, such as the close-grip bench press and barbell curl, a better bar option for targeting your biceps and triceps is the EZ-bar.
This joint-friendly bit of kit has an undulating middle section that’s ergonomically designed for a grip that reduces strain and pressure on your wrists and elbows, so it’s perfect for hitting your biceps and triceps hard without compromising your joint health. EZ-bars, like barbells, come in two varieties: fixed, where the weight can’t be changed; or an empty bar on which you can add weight plates to increase the amount of resistance you lift. Here we’ve rounded up our favourite bicep-building, tricep-toning exercises, using both conventional barbells and EZ-bars.