Dumbbell curls
A common biceps exercise, dumbbell curls stresses the elbow flexor, bicep brachii, muscles greatly, allowing for a full range of motion and often offering more freedom compared to the barbell curl, beneficial for those who have troublesome wrist joints.
The dumbbell curl also incorporates isolateral training, resulting in each arm working independently of the other, unlike during barbell curls. This results in each arm receiving equal workload, and therefore reducing the chance of imbalances in strength and size. The dumbbell curl would be a great exercise any trainer who has experienced imbalances in strength or size between each arm flexor muscles.
Performing dumbbell curls
When training for muscular size it is often best to train in a rep range of 6-12 repetitions, although there is often much debate on the optimal rep range. It would be advisable to experiment with different ranges to see which suits you.
- Find dumbbells that are of a suitable weight for you to execute the exercise.
- Grasp dumbbells.
- Keep torso erect and back straight, with upper arms and elbows stationary at your sides.
- Start with dumbbells down by your sides, with palms facing towards body.
- Just using flexion of the elbow, curl the dumbbell up, rotating the wrist so that at the top of the movement the palm is facing upwards.
- Keep elbows stationary throughout exercise.
- After peak contraction, slowly lower the dumbbell to the start position, rotating the wrist back the opposite way so it returns to its original position at the beginning.
- Repeat the same movement for the other arm, once completed.
- Repeat for desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell curls courtesy of Fitness Uncovered - Bodybuilding & Fitness
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