Strict Curl (Barbell, Back Against Wall)
The strict curl is a bicep isolation exercise performed with your back, glutes, and head pressed firmly against a wall to eliminate momentum. By removing the ability to swing the body, this movement places maximum tension directly on the biceps for pure strength and hypertrophy.
Since the strict curl effectively removes 'cheating' via momentum, accurate load management is crucial; the AI tracks your specific weight and RPE trends to ensure you aren't sacrificing the 'strict' standard just to chase higher numbers. By analyzing your local muscle recovery and HRV data, the AI can precisely adjust volume to prevent tendon overuse—a common issue with heavy isolation work—while ensuring progressive overload matches your actual daily readiness.
Form Cues
- Press your head, upper back, and glutes firmly against the wall
- Tuck your elbows into your sides before starting the lift
- Squeeze the barbell hard to activate your forearms
- Curl the weight up while keeping your lower back flat against the wall
- Lower the bar slowly to a full lockout
- Don't let your head or butt come off the wall at any point
- Don't swing your elbows forward excessively to move the weight
- Don't cut the range of motion short at the bottom
- Don't use your legs to drive the weight up
Common Mistakes
- Arching the lower back off the wall
- Pushing the head forward to strain the neck
- Flaring the elbows outward
- Using a grip that is too wide or too narrow
- Curling the wrist excessively at the top
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the biceps brachii (both the long and short heads) by enforcing strict isolation and preventing other muscle groups from assisting. The forearms and brachialis also work heavily to grip the bar and stabilize the elbow joint throughout the range of motion.
Primary
Secondary
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