Hammer Curl

How to Perform

1. Stand with dumbbells at your sides, palms facing your body (neutral grip)
2. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides
3. Curl the weights up while keeping your palms facing each other throughout
4. Squeeze at the top for 1 second
5. Lower with control over 2-3 seconds

Tips

• Keep palms facing each other the entire time — rotating your wrists turns it into a standard curl and changes the target muscles
• No dumbbells? A rope attachment on a low cable in a hammer grip works perfectly
• Use a 2 second curl and 3 second descent — the brachialis responds especially well to slow negatives
• Swinging the dumbbells and flaring your elbows forward is the most common mistake — keep your upper arms completely still
• Feel the contraction on the outside of your upper arm (brachialis) and the top of your forearm (brachioradialis), not just the bicep peak

Essential Equipment

Equipment	Why You Need It	Our Pick	Review
Adjustable Dumbbells	Neutral grip curls need a range of weights for progression	Bowflex SelectTech 552	Read Review