If you’re short on time but want to hit every major muscle group with one powerful tool, a 35-minute full-body EZ bar workout might be your new go-to. The EZ bar, with its signature curved shape, allows for a comfortable grip that reduces wrist strain while still allowing you to lift heavy and push hard. Whether you’re at the gym or working out at home, this time-efficient training method delivers serious results.
In this blog post, you’ll discover the benefits of EZ bar training, get a complete 35-minute full-body workout plan, and learn form tips to maximize your performance—all optimized to help you build muscle, burn fat, and increase endurance.
Unlike traditional straight barbells, the EZ curl bar’s angled grip places less stress on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. This makes it an excellent choice for lifters with joint issues or anyone looking to train efficiently and safely.
An EZ bar isn’t just for curls—it’s perfect for presses, rows, squats, deadlifts, and even overhead movements. Its shape and size make it ideal for transitioning between exercises in a circuit or high-intensity format.
Because the EZ bar is compact and easy to load, it’s perfect for fast-paced, total-body workouts. You can move between exercises with minimal downtime, keeping your heart rate up and maximizing calorie burn in just 35 minutes.
Muscles Targeted: Lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps
How-To: Hinge at the hips, keep your back flat, and pull the bar to your lower chest. Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top.
Tip: Avoid rounding your lower back. Keep the core engaged.
Muscles Targeted: Shoulders, triceps, upper chest
How-To: Press the bar straight overhead from shoulder level. Lower under control.
Tip: Keep wrists stacked above elbows for proper alignment.
Muscles Targeted: Biceps, shoulders
How-To: Perform a curl, then transition into an overhead press. Reverse the movement.
Tip: Focus on controlled movement to avoid using momentum.
Muscles Targeted: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core
How-To: Hold the bar in the front rack position (resting on shoulders), squat to parallel or below, then push through your heels to stand.
Tip: Elbows high, chest up for balance and posture.
Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back
How-To: With a slight bend in the knees, hinge at the hips, lowering the bar until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings. Drive up through the hips.
Tip: Don’t round your back—maintain a strong neutral spine.
Muscles Targeted: Calves
How-To: Hold the bar on your back or at your sides and lift your heels as high as possible.
Tip: Pause at the top of each rep for peak contraction.
Muscles Targeted: Obliques, abs
How-To: Sit on the floor with knees bent, hold the bar across your lap, lean back slightly, and rotate the bar side to side.
Tip: Keep your feet lifted for an extra challenge.
Muscles Targeted: Core, shoulders
How-To: Perform a full sit-up while pressing the bar overhead at the top.
Tip: Use controlled movement and avoid jerking the bar.
Muscles Targeted: Core, shoulders, stability
How-To: In a plank position, drag the bar from one side to the other using alternating hands.
Tip: Keep your hips steady and avoid rocking.
Muscles Targeted: Full body
How-To: Clean the bar to shoulder level using legs and hips, then press overhead.
Tip: Engage your glutes and core for explosive power.
Muscles Targeted: Legs, shoulders, glutes
How-To: Perform a front squat into a push press in one fluid motion.
Tip: Move explosively and maintain control throughout.
Muscles Targeted: Traps, delts, arms
How-To: Pull the bar up to chest level with elbows high after a slight hip hinge.
Tip: Drive with your legs and pull with your traps.
Muscles Targeted: Triceps
How-To: Lie flat on a bench or the floor, bend elbows to lower the bar to your forehead, then press back up.
Tip: Keep elbows steady and close to your head.
Muscles Targeted: Delts, traps, biceps
How-To: Pull the bar vertically up the torso with elbows leading the movement.
Tip: Don’t lift too high—stop at upper chest level.
Muscles Targeted: Biceps
How-To: 7 reps lower half, 7 reps upper half, 7 full reps.
Tip: Use moderate weight and keep strict form.
Take time post-workout to stretch the major muscle groups you just trained:
The EZ bar typically weighs between 15–25 pounds depending on design. Add plates according to your strength level. Choose a weight that allows you to perform each move with perfect form for the entire 45 seconds.
This workout is time-based, but that doesn’t mean you should rush. Controlled movements activate muscles more effectively and reduce your risk of injury.
While straight barbells are excellent for heavy compound lifts like deadlifts and squats, EZ bars offer unique advantages for high-rep, time-efficient full-body training. Their design allows for smoother transitions between exercises, especially in circuit-style formats. Additionally, EZ bars are less intimidating for beginners and require less space—perfect for home workouts.
Absolutely. The EZ bar is highly effective for hypertrophy and strength development, especially when used consistently in a progressive overload program. Focus on adding small amounts of weight over time, increasing rep range, or decreasing rest periods to continue building lean muscle mass.
Depending on intensity, body weight, and rest periods, a 35-minute full-body EZ bar session can burn 250–450 calories. The incorporation of compound lifts and short rest keeps your heart rate elevated, improving both muscular endurance and cardiovascular health.
EZ bar workouts are ideal for:
The 35-minute full-body EZ bar workout is an effective, no-excuse routine that targets every major muscle group while improving your endurance and metabolic rate. Whether you want to build lean muscle, burn fat, or improve overall strength, this efficient training style delivers major gains in minimal time.
Incorporate this program into your weekly routine 2–3 times and adjust the load and intensity as you progress. Remember, consistency and form are the keys to success. Get started today, and feel the difference in just a few sessions!
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