The guillotine curl is abicepsisolation exercise performed lying face up on a flat bench with a barbell hanging behind your head, curling the bar toward your forehead with the upper arms fixed overhead. Lying on your back removes the hips and lower back from the lift, and with your upper arms pointing at the floor behind you the shoulder is flexed, so the biceps work through the elbow alone in a shortened position that standing curls never reach. Intermediate lifters use it as the last biceps exercise of an arm or pull session.
What Muscles Does the Guillotine Curl Work?
- Primary: biceps brachii (both heads)
- Secondary: brachialis, brachioradialis
- Tertiary: anterior deltoid (holding the arm position), forearm flexors (grip), rectus abdominis
How Do You Set Up for the Guillotine Curl?
Place a light barbell on the floor behind the head end of a flat bench. Lie face up with your head at the very end of the bench, feet flat and lower back pressed into the pad. Reach back and take the bar with an underhand grip at shoulder width. Let your arms hang straight toward the floor behind your head, bar just off the floor.
How Do You Perform the Guillotine Curl?
- Fix your upper arms pointing toward the floor behind your head, elbows still, bar hanging with straight arms.
- Curl the bar in an arc toward your forehead by bending only your elbows.
- Stop when the bar is just above your face and your forearms have passed vertical; the biceps are fully shortened here.
- Squeeze for one count at the top, keeping your upper arms motionless and your shoulders down on the bench.
- Lower the bar over two to three counts back along the same arc until your elbows are straight.
- Let the bar hang behind your head with your arms straight and re-set your grip before the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Pin your elbows in space: picture them clamped to the bench end so only your forearms swing.
- Curl toward your forehead, not your chest: the arc stays behind your face, which keeps the shoulder out of the movement.
- Keep your wrists straight and your knuckles pointing at the ceiling at the top of the curl.
- Feel the stretch behind the bar at the bottom before you start each rep instead of bouncing out of it.
- Keep your lower back and head on the bench throughout; the trunk has no job here other than staying still.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Going too heavy: with no leg drive available you let the upper arms swing forward to lift the bar; pick a load that lets your elbows stay fixed for every rep.
- Lowering the bar too fast: the bar sits above your face at the top, so a lost grip lands on your head; keep the eccentric slow and use a spotter for heavier sets.
- Letting the elbows drift toward the ceiling: this pulls the front delt into the lift and shortens the arc; keep your upper arms pointing at the floor.
- Lifting your head to watch the bar: neck flexion under a bar coming toward your face strains the neck; keep your head on the bench.
- Cutting the bottom short: stopping with bent elbows skips the stretched part of the rep; let the arms hang straight before each curl.
What Are the Best Guillotine Curl Variations?
- Dumbbell guillotine curl: a dumbbell in each hand, an easier version that is simpler to bail from.
- Paused guillotine curl: a two-count hold with the bar above your forehead, a harder version for lifters who rush the top.
- Lying cable curl: the same supine curl on a low pulley, keeping tension constant through the arc.
- Single-arm dumbbell guillotine curl: one arm at a time, the free hand steadying the working elbow.
- Incline dumbbell curl: the opposite shoulder position, arms hanging behind you on an incline bench, stretching the long head.
How Do You Progress the Guillotine Curl?
- Add 5 pounds to the bar once you complete every set at the top of your rep range with your elbows fixed.
- Work from 8 to 12 reps at the same load before adding weight.
- Add a fourth set after three sessions at the same load and reps.
- Slow the lowering to four counts, or pause two counts above your forehead, when adding weight is not an option.
How Should You Program the Guillotine Curl?
Program the guillotine curl as the last biceps exercise of an arm or pull day, after heavier standing curls and after your rows. Train it once or twice a week for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Pair it with an incline dumbbell curl so the biceps are worked at both ends of the shoulder range.