Can You Deadlift With A Curl Bar? – Don’t Try It!

The Deadlift is one of the best movements you can do for total body strength.

Usually, it’s performed with an Olympic barbell but specialized Deadlift bars are also commonly used.

However, can you deadlift with a curl bar or is it not a great idea like the squat?

Honestly, you should guess by now that any deadlift variation with an EZ bar is going to be subpar compared to a typical straight barbell.

I’ll go over why so you don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s a good option for your training.

Let’s get started!

What Is A Deadlift?

The deadlift is a full-body movement, meaning that it trains the entire body.

This makes it great for getting stronger overall, but for hypertrophy, you have better options such as an RDL (Romanian Deadlift), Stiff Leg Deadlift, and more!

There are other variations of a strength-based deadlift such as the conventional and sumo deadlifts as well.

All in all, if you want to get as strong as possible, doing some kind of deadlift in your training is something I highly recommend.

What Is An EZ Curl Bar?

An EZ curl bar, or just an EZ bar, is a type of barbell with a curved grip in the shaft.

This makes it more comfortable on your wrists, forearms, and elbows.

Typically, as the name suggests, EZ curl bars are great for curl variations as shown above, but tricep and shoulder movements are commonly used as well.

What you shouldn’t use an EZ bar for is Deadlifts, Squats, and other big compound movements.

Here are the pros and cons of using EZ bars for the Deadlift.

Related: What Is An EZ Bar? - The Best Tool To Build Bigger Arms

Advantages Of Using A Curl Bar For Deadlifting

This is even easier to figure out than the advantages of using a curl bar to squat.

Whereas curl bars can be used for split squats and lunges, there aren’t any real good uses for the Deadlift.

I know, super surprising, right?

Trying to get stronger at the Deadlift is hard with a curl bar. It’s not built for it, and overall just has no comparison to a straight bar.

Even dumbbells are a better option than a curl bar for the Deadlift.

Related: The Ultimate Showdown - Curl Bar vs Dumbbells for Bicep Gains

Potential Drawbacks Of Using A Curl Bar For Deadlifting

Now we get into the downsides of curl bar Deadlifts, which by the way, aren’t a thing.

The Deadlifts starting position requires you to use an overhand grip on the barbell right outside of your legs, or inside for Sumo, and have your knees slightly bent.

While performing the Deadlift, the bar should stay in contact with your shins and thighs for the entire movement.

Now, why might an EZ bar be bad at this?

The bent camber angle of the shaft is going to cause drag up your legs! This will slow down the movement, and make it far less effective overall.

An EZ bar also doesn’t have enough space to set up properly whatsoever. Plus, the loadable sleeve length is going to severely limit how many weight plates you’ll be able to add to the barbell.

A couple of other issues with an EZ bar are as follows:

• Knurling isn’t aggressive enough for Deadlift variations
• The short length of most curl bars won’t provide any whip which you want more of to get into a better starting position.
• Even if you had longer sleeves, the amount of weight necessary to continually get stronger at the Deadlift could easily exceed its max weight capacity.

There are definitely more issues with EZ bar deadlifts but I think that’s enough to convince you.

Related: How Much Does A Curl Bar Weigh? (Standard, Olympic & More!)

What Bar Is Best For The Deadlift?

Using an EZ bar to Deadlift with is not something I recommend you do. So here is what you should use instead if you want more variation, or if there isn’t a straight bar available.

• Dumbbells – Dumbbells get pretty heavy and require more stabilization than a straight bar. This makes them harder which is great for getting stronger. I highly recommend you use straps, especially if you’re training to build muscle. You can do dumbbell deadlifts, stiff leg, Romanian, etc.
• Hex/Trap Bar – The trap/hex bar deadlift is a great movement that is far more effective for building muscle than a straight bar. You can push your knees forward with a more upright torso to bias the quads, sit the hips back to make it more glute/hamstring biased or just set up somewhere in the middle for a bit of both. The neutral grip handles are also much easier on your shoulders, wrists, and forearms. Plus the more upright position is easier on the back as well.
• Deadlift Bar – If you want to get stronger for Powerlifting, investing in a deadlift bar is a good idea. A deadlift bar is a special type of power bar, which is another type of Olympic bar. The shaft is thinner/longer which allows for a better grip and more whip. This will result in a slightly higher position at the beginning of the movement. Straight bar deadlifting is best if you use this type of barbell over an Olympic bar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Now I turn it over to you!

Did I convince you to never use an EZ bar to Deadlift?

Let me know in the comment section below, right now!

Until next time,

-Dante