Seated Dumbbell Curl

Muscle Targeted: Biceps

Starting position:

Select the appropriate dumbbell weight matching your type of training. Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand and lean against the backrest. Hold the dumbbell at arm’s length along the bench and rotate your palms so that they are facing your torso (inwards).

Exercise:

As you flex your elbows, curl the weights and start twisting your wrists so that in the upper position your palms are facing your shoulders. Go back to the starting position in the same way. Breathe in as you go up and breathe out when coming back to the starting position.

Note:

Select the appropriate weight matching your condition, type of training and your fitness level. Start with lighter weight to master the technique well. Focus on abdominal breathing. Lock your elbows in one position. Avoid fast and uncontrolled motion as you are coming back to the starting position as a result of relaxation of the muscle contraction.

Recommendation:

Choose the number of repetitions to match your training type. Watch yourself in the mirror to make sure you eliminate use of the trapezius muscles and maintain the correct shoulder position.

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Seated dumbbell curls are a variation of dumbbell curls. Sitting position will prevent cheating and emphasize correct movement.

Dumbbell biceps curl is a basic biceps exercise and it offers several advantages over barbell biceps curls:

  1. Less isolation (or more correctly less limited movement). Additional muscles are involved by balancing the arm.
  2. Equal weight on both arms. This is especially important for the beginners who tend to have their dominant arm better developed.
  3. Less stress on the wrists. While holding the barbell (and to some extent also EZ-bar) forces the hand into unnatural position that can lead to wrist injury. In biceps curl you start the motion from a position where the palms are facing each other.
  4. Additional movement – rotating the forearm from the position where the palms are facing each other to the position where palms are facing upwards. This is the second most important function of the biceps muscle (after elbow flexing).
  5. Better brachioradialis development. In the first phase of the movement, the brachioradialis muscle is directly involved.