Dumbbell Bicep CurlMuscles Worked
The dumbbell bicep curl works your biceps, with your forearms assisting through your grip. With a weight in each hand, a weaker arm can't lean on the stronger one, and you can turn your palms fully up for a strong squeeze at the top.
How to do it
- Stand tall with the dumbbells hanging at your sides, palms facing forward.
- Tuck your elbows in by your ribs and set your shoulders back.
- Curl both dumbbells up by bending your elbows, keeping your upper arms still.
- Squeeze your biceps as the dumbbells reach shoulder height, with your pinkies turned slightly up.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly until your arms are straight.
Form tips
- You can also start with your palms facing your thighs and turn them up as you curl, which uses the biceps' role in rotating the forearm.
- Keep your wrists neutral rather than curling them in at the top.
- Avoid rocking your torso, since strict reps with a lighter weight give your biceps more of the work.
Why it made the list
No. 2 of 12
Best Bicep Exercises
Unilateral version, fixes imbalances. Allows supination through the ROM which maximizes bicep short head activation.
More bicep exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Dumbbell Bicep Curl sets in KasMaker and watch your biceps and forearms fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
