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Exercise library · Biceps

Backpack curl

Curl for the biceps with other equipment.

How to do it

1 of 3

Hold the backpack by its handle

  1. Starting position

    Stand upright, hold the backpack's top handle in one hand with your palm forward and let your arm hang by your side.

  2. The movement

    Bend your elbow and bring the backpack toward your shoulder, then lower it until your arm is almost straight.

Most common mistake

Don't swing the backpack with your body, stand still and keep your upper arm by your side as your elbow bends.

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Muscle group
Biceps
Equipment
Other
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

The backpack curl is a one-arm curl. Your biceps bend the elbow, supported by the brachialis and brachioradialis. A rucksack differs from a dumbbell in two ways. The top handle is thin and the weight hangs below your hand, so your forearm and grip work to keep the bag steady. The contents can also shift, so you have to steer the lift more than with a fixed weight. For most people it ends up a light to moderate exercise, as a rucksack can rarely be packed really heavy.

Common mistakes

  • The contents shift about. Loosely packed books or bottles slide around and tug at your arm. Pack tightly, put the heaviest items at the bottom and fill the gaps with clothes or a towel.
  • The bag resting on your forearm at the top. When the rucksack bumps into your forearm or shoulder it takes the weight, and your biceps get a breather. Stop just short and let the bag hang freely.
  • Not knowing what the bag weighs. Then you cannot tell whether you have got stronger. Weigh yourself on the bathroom scales with and without the rucksack and work out the difference, or pack it the same way every time.

Variations and alternatives

  • The dumbbell curl is the original, when you have dumbbells and want to add weight in even steps.
  • The band curl gives more resistance at the top and is easy to take with you, if you have a resistance band.
  • Chin-ups give your biceps plenty of work alongside your back, if you have a bar to hang from.

Sets and reps

Since a rucksack can only get so heavy, 12 to 20 reps per arm over two to four sets works best, for both muscle and endurance. For thinking about rep counts when the weight is capped, see the guide to sets and reps.

Add weight in small steps with water bottles: a litre of water weighs about a kilo, so one half-litre bottle at a time is a sensible step. Once the bag cannot get heavier, lower it more slowly or pause for a second halfway up. That is progressive overload with what you have at home. Check that the handle is firmly stitched before you load the bag heavily.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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