How To: Dumbbell Hammer Curl

To build thicker, more defined upper arms, incorporate dumbbell hammer curls into your routine.

This powerful exercise not only targets your biceps but also emphasizes the brachialis and brachioradialis, creating a balanced & robust arm workout!

However, there’s a bit more to it than just curling with a neutral grip, or your palms facing in.

So let’s go over the 3 golden rules to a perfect DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL!

GOLDEN RULE #1: Elbow Position

If your elbows drift back behind your waist during curls, you're likely using too much weight. For optimal muscle engagement, similar to a standard dumbbell curl, keep your elbows aligned with your hips or slightly forward throughout the full range of motion.

GOLDEN RULE #2: (How To) Target The Brachialis

If your goal is to target the brachialis as much as possible, you want to make sure you’re performing the movement by curling the dumbbells out and away from your body. 

Also, you don't need to curl both arms simultaneously. I prefer alternating curls, as it allows me to use slightly heavier weights with controlled momentum on the way up, while focusing on a slow eccentric phase for maximum muscle engagement.

Then once I finish my reps for both arms, I drop the weight and curl both up at the same time for 12 – 15 reps for a nice biceps pump!

Now before we get to the final Golden Rule, be sure to checkout my exercise database if you need more help with exercise form.  Finding new exercises is as easy as clicking the muscle groups you want to train!

You can also make your way to my programs section and try any of my muscle building or fat loss routines for 7 days free when you sign up!

GOLDEN RULE #3: (How to) Target The Long Head

When training your biceps you should know that whenever you’re using a wide-grip on a barbell, you’re placing more emphasis on the short-head (inner) of your biceps.

When using a close-grip, you’re placing more emphasis on the long-head (outer) of the biceps.

However, when it comes to the hammer curl we can change the form to a “cross body” variation if we want to place more emphasis on the biceps long head or "peak" of your biceps.

So if your goal is to target the brachialis, but you’ve been training with the “cross-body” variation because you can “go heavier”, then you need to lower the weight and change your form to “out and away”.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel ScottHermanFitness for more tips and as always, more good stuff coming soon!