Dumbbell Biceps Exercises:

Alternating Hammer Curls

Exercise Advice: With a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your arms hanging at your sides, with your palms facing in toward your body. Keeping your palms facing inward, curl the weight in your left hand directly up toward your left shoulder. Squeeze the biceps hard at the top for a one-count and then slowly return to the start position. Repeat this movement with your right arm. Be sure to keep your wrists locked throughout the movement, facing in toward your body the whole time!

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Sit on an incline bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms hanging down at your sides and your palms facing in toward your body. Slowly curl the dumbbell in your left hand up to shoulder level, while rotating (i.e., supinating) your wrist so that your thumb ends up pointing away from your body at the top of the movement. Squeeze your bicep at the top for a one-count and then slowly lower the weight back down to the start position.

Dumbbell Concentration Curls

Exercise Advice: Sit on the end of a flat bench with your legs apart and lean forward slightly. Grab a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing upward and rest your elbow on the inside of your thigh letting the dumbbell hang. Slowly curl the weight up while keeping your elbow locked in place against your thigh. As you are curling, twist your wrist to the outside (i.e., supinate). Squeeze the muscle at the top of the movement for a one-count and then slowly return to the start position and repeat.

Alternating Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: You can perform this exercise by either standing or sitting on a bench, whichever you prefer. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let arm each hang at your sides. Slowly curl the dumbbell in your left hand trying to touch it to your left shoulder. While you are performing the movement, turn (i.e., supinate) your palm outward and squeeze your bicep for a one-count at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the dumbbell to the start position and repeat with your right arm.

Two Arm Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: You can perform this exercise by either standing or sitting on a bench, whichever you prefer. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang at your sides. Slowly curl both dumbbells up and try to touch them to your shoulders. While you are performing the movement, turn (i.e., supinate) your palm outward and squeeze your biceps for a one-count at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position and repeat.

Hammer Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: This is virtually the same exercise as the dumbbell biceps curls except that you keep your wrists in a locked position throughout the movement with no supination. You can perform this exercise by either standing or sitting on a bench, whichever you prefer. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let arm each hang at your sides. Slowly curl the dumbbells simultaneously trying to touch them to your shoulders. While you are performing the movement, keep your wrists locked. Be sure to squeeze your biceps for a one-count at the top of the movement. Slowly lower the dumbbell to the start position and repeat.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Lie back on an incline bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang straight down on both sides with your palms facing in toward each other. Slowly curl the weight in your left hand as if to touch it to your left shoulder. While you are curling the dumbbell, slowly turn (i.e., supinate) your wrist outward so that your thumb points away from your body. Squeeze your bicep at the top of the movement for a one-count and then slowly return to the start position and repeat with your right arm.

Incline Angled Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Lie back on an incline bench and hold a dumbell in each hand. Simultaneously, curl the dumbbells up and out with both hands, slowly turning (i.e., supinating) your wrists outward as you raise the dumbbells. Slowly return to the start position and repeat.

Lying Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Lie on your back on a flat bench while holding dumbbells in each hand. Allow each hand to hang as low as possible, with both palms facing inward toward the bench. As you begin the movement, slowly turn (i.e., supinate) your wrists outward, pointing your thumbs away from the bench as you raise the dumbbells. Slowly return to the start position and repeat.

Single Arm Preacher Curls

Exercise Advice: Using a regular preacher bench, hold a dumbbell in your left hand with an underhand grip. Lock your elbow firmly in place against the preacher pad and keep set throughout the movement. Slowly curl the dumbbell up so as to try and touch it to your left shoulder. Slowly return to the start position and repeat with the right arm.

Preacher Hammer Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Using a regular preacher bench, grab a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing inward toward one another. Simultaneously curl the dumbbells upward as if trying to touch each shoulder with the tip of each dumbbell. Slowly return to the start position allowing some resistance (i.e., negative) on the way back down. Repeat the movement until failure.

Seated Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Sit at the end of a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor and your back upright and straight. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang at your sides with both palms facing inward toward the bench. Simultaneously curl the dumbbells up while twisting (i.e., supinating) your wrists outward on the way up. Be sure to squeeze your biceps at the top for a one-count and then slowly return to the start position and repeat.

Seated Dumbbell Angled Curls

Exercise Advice: This exercise is very similar to the Incline Angled Dumbbell Curls, except that you will be using a flat bench instead of an incline bench. Grasping a dumbbell in each hand, sit at the end of a flat bench with your feet on the floor. Simultaneously, curl the dumbbells up and out with both hands, slowly turning (i.e., supinating) your wrists outward as you raise the dumbbells. Slowly return to the start position and repeat.

Standing Angled Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Using a dumbbell in each hand, start with your arms straight down at your sides with your palms facing in toward your body. Simultaneously curl the dumbbells up and out, slowly turning (i.e., supinating) your wrists/thumbs outward. Slowly return the dumbbells to the start position and repeat.

Single Arm Dumbbell Incline Curls

Exercise Advice: You can perform this exercise using an incline bench or regular preacher bench. Stand behind the bench with a dumbbell in your left hand using an underhand grip. Let your arm hang down the bench, with the back of your upper arm lying flat on the bench. Slowly curl dumbbell up so as to try and touch it to your shoulder. Slowly return to the start position and repeat with your right arm.

Two Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls

Exercise Advice: Using a regular preacher bench, grab a dumbbell in each hand with an underhand grip. Hang both arms over the preacher pad, with the back of your upper arms lying flat on the pad. Simultaneously curl the dumbbells up so as to try and touch them to each shoulder. Remember to really squeeze each biceps at the peak of the movement for a one-count. Return to the start position and repeat.

Standing Zottman Dumbbell Curls

Exercise Advice: Standing up with your back straight, grab a dumbbell in each hand. As you simultaneously begin to curl the dumbbells upward, rotate your hands to be in an underhanded grip position. When you reach the top of the movement and are ready to return to the start position, slowly rotate your wrists prior to descending so that your palms now are facing outward. Return to the start position and repeat.

Zottman Dumbbell Preacher Curls

Exercise Advice: This exercise is very similar to the alternating one arm dumbbell preacher curl and the regular Zottman Curl. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and position your upper arm on a preacher bench. Turn your palm up and curl the dumbbell up so as to try and touch it to your shoulder. Keep the back of your upper arm flat against the bench throughout the entire movement. When you reach the top of the movement and are ready to return to the start position, slowly rotate your wrists prior to descending so that your palms now are facing outward. Return to the start position and repeat.