

This is mainly because of the increased stress drag curls place on your biceps. The Verdictĭrag curls have a slightly higher difficulty level than barbell curls. The movement of drag curls is pretty easy to master, but the stress it places on your biceps can take some getting used to. When it comes to the technique and the weight being lifted though, drag curls can put a lot of stress on your biceps which can make them quite a challenging exercise. The movement itself is a little more complex, but is still relatively simple for most people to do correctly. Drag Curlsĭrag curls, like barbell curls, are a pretty easy exercise to perform from a physiological standpoint. That being said, the technique and the amount of weight being lifted can make them a challenging addition to your workouts.īarbell curls have an easy physiological movement, but still challenge the working muscles enough for them to grow and develop.

Difficulty Level Barbell Curlsīarbell curls have a low difficulty level as they only require flexion of your elbow to generate the movement.Īs this is pretty easy for most people to achieve, barbell curls aren’t particularly difficult to perform. However, your forearm muscles will certainly activate to some degree during both.īarbell curls work your forearms more simply because the weight is being moved from a further distance away from your body.ĭrag curls keep the weight closer to you so less stabilisation from your forearms is required. Neither of these exercises alone will build your forearms. This means you can move more weight with your biceps using drag curls than you can barbell curls.Īs you can overload your biceps more during drag curls, there’s a good argument that they’re slightly better at building biceps than barbell curls. In drag curls, the weight is “pulled” (or dragged) up your body to the top end of the exercise. The advantage that drag curls have over barbell curls is the ability to move more weight during the exercise.ĭuring barbell curls, the weight is “lifted” from the lowest position to the highest position in the movement. Which Is Better For Building Biceps?īoth exercises are great for building your biceps. However, the main difference comes in the movement required.īarbell curls use flexion of the elbow to create the movement, whereas drag curls have more of a pulling motion. There are some similarities between barbell curls and drag curls, such as the equipment needed and some of the working muscles in each exercise. Sources What’s The Difference Between Barbell Curls And Drag Curls?
