Alternating Incline Dumbbell Curl

How to do it

1. Set an incline bench to about forty-five degrees and sit back against it.
2. Let both arms hang straight down at your sides, palms facing forward.
3. Curl one dumbbell up without letting the upper arm drift forward.
4. Stop at roughly vertical forearm, then squeeze briefly.
5. Lower all the way to a straight arm before starting the other side.
6. Keep the shoulder blades against the pad throughout.

Common mistakes

• Letting the upper arms swing forward at the bottom. Sitting back puts the arms behind the body, and bringing them forward removes the stretched start the incline was for.
• Setting the bench nearly upright. Past about sixty degrees the arms hang almost vertically and it becomes a seated curl.
• Shrugging the working shoulder off the pad as it gets hard. The blades stay against the bench; when one lifts, the set is done.
• Using your standing curl weight. Arms behind the body makes the bottom of the range much harder, and the load has to come down to match it.

Muscles worked

Primary

• Biceps

Secondary

• Forearm Flexors
• Forearm Extensors