How to do the dumbbell curl
A biceps builder that needs only a pair of dumbbells. Turning your palms up as you curl works the biceps fully, and each arm has to pull its own weight.
The Helthy team · Updated · 5 min read
- Works
- Biceps
- Also works
- Forearms
- Equipment
- Dumbbells
- Level
- Beginner
The dumbbell curl is the most flexible way to train your biceps. You can do it standing or seated, both arms at once or one at a time, and in any gym or living room with a pair of dumbbells. It has one real advantage over the barbell curl: your wrists are free to rotate. Your biceps don't only bend the elbow, they also turn your palm up, so a curl that finishes with the palm facing the ceiling works them through both jobs. A barbell locks your hands in place; dumbbells let you use the full motion.
How to do a dumbbell curl
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand. Feet about hip width apart, arms straight at your sides, palms facing your thighs.
- Set your shoulders and elbows. Pull your shoulders back slightly, tuck your elbows against your sides and tighten your abs so your torso stays still.
- Curl the dumbbells up, turning your palms toward the ceiling as they rise. The turn happens gradually. By the time your forearms are parallel to the floor, your palms should be facing up.
- Finish with the dumbbells at shoulder height. Your forearms are close to vertical and your elbows are still at your sides. Turn your pinky a touch higher than your thumb and squeeze for a second.
- Lower over two or three seconds. Rotate your palms back to face your thighs on the way down, and stop only when your arms are completely straight.
To alternate, curl one arm at a time and keep the other hanging straight at your side until it's its turn. Each full cycle of left and right counts as one rep per arm.
You should feel the work in the front of your upper arm, strongest around the middle of the curl, with a hard squeeze at the top. If you feel it more in your forearms or the front of your shoulders, check that your palms are turning up and your elbows aren't drifting forward.
Cues that help mid-set
"Turn a doorknob as you curl." The same twisting motion you'd use to open a door, spread across the whole rep. It makes the palm rotation happen without thinking about it.
"Pinky to the ceiling at the top." A small extra rotation at the top gives the biceps a stronger contraction. If that feels awkward on your wrist, stop at palms up.
"Elbows in your pockets." Keep your elbows close to your sides, as if they're resting against your pockets. It stops the front delts from taking over.
Common mistakes
Swinging the weights up. A little dip at the knees, a lean back, and the dumbbells fly up on momentum. It lets you use heavier dumbbells while your biceps do less. Drop to a weight you can curl with your body still, starting each rep from a dead hang.
Not turning your palms up. If your palms stay facing each other or only half rotate, it becomes more of a hammer curl, which is a good exercise but works the brachialis and forearms more than the biceps. Rotate fully so your palms face the ceiling at the top.
Cutting the range short. Stopping at the bottom with your elbows still bent, or at the top before your forearms reach vertical, skips a big chunk of the work, especially the stretched bottom half. Go all the way down to straight arms and all the way up to your shoulders.
Twisting your torso when alternating. When you curl one arm at a time, it's easy to rotate your upper body toward the working arm to help it up. Keep your chest facing forward. If you can't, curl both arms together.
Letting the elbows drift forward. Near the top, the elbow slides forward so the shoulder helps lift the dumbbell. It takes the tension off your biceps and turns the top of the rep into a rest. Keep your elbows by your sides and stop when your forearms are near vertical.
Sets, reps and how much weight to use
For most people, 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps per arm works well. Use a weight you could still curl 1 or 2 more times with good form, and rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Dumbbell curls fit at the end of a back or upper-body session, after your rows and pulldowns, or on an arms day after a heavier barbell curl.
Most beginners start with 10 to 20 lb (5 to 9 kg) dumbbells per hand. Progress by adding reps first, then move up to the next pair of dumbbells once you can do the top of your rep range on every set. The jumps are big relative to the weight (going from 20 lb to 25 lb is a 25% increase), so expect to lose a few reps each time you move up. Our progressive overload guide covers how to keep progressing when the jumps are awkward.
Here's roughly what people use for their normal working sets, per dumbbell:
| Bodyweight | beginner | intermediate | advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | 10 lb (5 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 25 lb (11 kg) |
| 160 lb (73 kg) | 10 lb (5 kg) | 20 lb (9 kg) | 30 lb (14 kg) |
| 190 lb (86 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 25 lb (11 kg) | 40 lb (18 kg) |
| 220 lb (100 kg) | 15 lb (7 kg) | 30 lb (14 kg) | 45 lb (20 kg) |
| 250 lb (113 kg) | 20 lb (9 kg) | 35 lb (16 kg) | 50 lb (23 kg) |
Should you alternate or curl both arms together? We'd curl both together for most sets. It takes half the time and it's harder to cheat by twisting your body. Alternating makes sense when you want to focus on one arm at a time, or when heavier dumbbells get hard to control with both hands moving at once.
Variations and alternatives
- Seated dumbbell curl: the same exercise sitting on the end of a bench. It takes your legs and hips out of it, so swinging is much harder.
- Incline dumbbell curl: lie back on a bench set to about 45 to 60 degrees and let your arms hang straight down. It puts your biceps in a longer stretch at the bottom, and we think it's one of the most underrated curl variations. There's a reasonable case that training muscles hard at long lengths helps them grow, though the research on it is still young. Go lighter than you would standing.
- Concentration curl: sit down, brace one elbow against the inside of your thigh and curl one dumbbell at a time. Good for a strict, high-rep finisher.
- Hammer curl: palms facing each other the whole way. It works the brachialis and forearms more, and it's often the kindest option for sore elbows.
- Barbell curl: both arms on one bar, so you can load heavier and progress in smaller steps.
Dumbbell curl questions
Are dumbbell curls better than barbell curls?
Neither is better; both build the biceps well. Dumbbells let your wrists rotate and show up any difference between your arms. The barbell lets you use more weight and add it in smaller steps. Many people do one of each in a week.
Why is one arm weaker than the other?
It's normal for your dominant arm to be a little stronger. Start each set with your weaker arm, do the same number of reps with both, and the gap usually narrows over a few months.
Should I feel dumbbell curls in my forearms?
A bit, since you're gripping the dumbbells. But if your forearms give out before your biceps do, check that your palms are turning up fully and your wrists aren't curling in at the top. If your elbow or forearm hurts rather than just feeling tired, try hammer curls for a couple of weeks, and if that doesn't settle it, get it checked by a physical therapist.