Biceps · Barbell
Barbell Curl
The barbell curl is an isolation movement in which the lifter holds a barbell with an underhand grip and bends the elbows to raise the bar toward the shoulders.
Also called Bicep Curl, Curl. orcatrain matches these names when you search the movement catalogue.
How is the barbell curl performed?
Standing with the bar held at arm’s length against the thighs, hands about shoulder width apart and palms facing forward, the lifter bends the elbows to bring the bar up toward the shoulders and then lowers it under control until the arms are straight. The upper arms stay roughly still against the sides, so the movement happens at the elbow rather than by swinging the whole arm forward.
What does the barbell curl train?
The barbell curl isolates the elbow flexors with both arms tied to one bar, which usually allows a heavier total load than dumbbells and makes progression easy to track in small increments. The trade-off is a fixed wrist and hand position, and the fact that a stronger arm can quietly take more than its share. It is an accessory movement, not a measure of overall strength.
How does orcatrain score the barbell curl?
Barbell curl is scored on its own as an orcatrain strength score, computed with the DOTS coefficient applied to your estimated one-rep max. As with any single-joint accessory, that coefficient was built for a whole-body powerlifting total, so the score is most meaningful tracked against your own previous sets.
Every scored set is turned into an estimated one-rep max, and that estimate is scored with the DOTS coefficient against your bodyweight and sex — so a set is comparable with your own past work and with lifters of a different size. Sets above ten repetitions are recorded but not scored: the estimate is a curve fit that stops being honest past that point, so orcatrain returns nothing rather than a confident guess. Weights are stored in kilograms.
Track your progress on Barbell Curl.
Movement names and groupings come from Strength Level, where you can also see their strength standards for this movement. DOTS is computed by orcatrain itself.