How to do it
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Curl the weights up by bending only at the elbow, keeping the upper arms pinned to your sides.
- Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly until the arms are fully straight.
Cues that matter
- Supinate hard — turn the pinky towards the ceiling at the top.
- Elbows stay glued to your ribs.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the torso to launch each rep.
- Letting the elbows drift forward, which brings the front delts in.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Biceps
- Short head
- Long head
Also works
- Forearms
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Dumbbell Curl in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the biceps with different equipment — for a day the dumbbell is taken, or a gym that does not have one.