Exercises · Biceps · Dumbbell

Dumbbell curl

How to do it

1. Stand with the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing forward.
2. Curl them up while keeping your elbows still.
3. Lower slowly until your arms are straight again.

Form cues that help

• Keep your elbows by your sides and let only your forearms move.
• Stand tall with your chest up and your knees slightly soft.
• Squeeze at the top, then take a couple of seconds to lower the weight.
• You can curl both arms together or alternate sides, whichever lets you keep your form.

Common mistakes

• Swinging the weight up. If you need to lean back or heave, the dumbbells are too heavy.
• Letting the elbows drift forward. This moves the work to your shoulders. Keep them at your sides.
• Dropping the weight on the way down. The lowering part builds strength too, so control it.
• Stopping short at the bottom. Straighten your arms fully at the start of every rep.

Alternatives and variations

• The hammer curl holds the dumbbells with palms facing each other and works the forearms more.
• The barbell curl uses a bar, which lets you load both arms with one fixed weight.
• The seated curl takes your legs and back out of the movement, which helps if you tend to swing.
• Pulling exercises such as the lat pulldown and pull-up also train your biceps, just not in isolation.

How to progress it

Add reps with the same dumbbells until you can finish a clean set at the top of your range, then move up to the next weight. Log your weight and reps each session. See progressive overload.

See it moving in FollowSet

FollowSet has a 3D demo for the dumbbell curl with the working muscles highlighted, and it logs every rep. Download it on the App Store.

General information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel sharp pain in your elbows or wrists, and ask a qualified coach or clinician if you have an injury.