Incline Dumbbell CurlMuscles Worked
The incline dumbbell curl works your biceps, with extra emphasis on the long head. Because your arms hang behind your torso on the incline bench, the biceps starts each rep in a deep stretch that a standing curl can't reach.
PrimaryBiceps
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
How to do it
- Set an adjustable bench to a moderate incline, roughly 45 to 60 degrees, and sit back holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders with palms facing forward, and keep your head and back on the pad.
- Curl both dumbbells up while your upper arms keep pointing at the floor.
- Squeeze at the top for a moment without letting your elbows swing forward.
- Lower slowly until your arms are straight and you feel the stretch in the front of your upper arm.
Form tips
- Keep your shoulders back against the pad; rolling them forward shortens the stretch that makes this variation worth doing.
- Go lighter than you would on standing curls, since the stretched start makes the bottom of the rep much harder.
- Control the way down rather than dropping into the stretch.
Why it made the list
No. 5 of 12
Best Bicep Exercises
Puts the bicep in a stretched position at the bottom. Greater long-head activation. Science-backed for stretch-mediated hypertrophy.
More bicep exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Incline Dumbbell Curl sets in KasMaker and watch your biceps fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
