Seated Dumbbell Curl
Trains the Biceps.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Sit on the end of a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging at your sides.
- Sit tall with your feet flat on the floor.
- Curl both dumbbells up, palms facing upward, without letting the upper arms move.
- Stop when the forearms are roughly vertical.
- Lower under control to straight arms.
- Keep the torso still throughout — seated, there is nothing to swing with.
Common mistakes
- Rocking backward from the hips. Sitting removes the leg drive but not the ability to lean, and leaning back is the last remaining way to cheat a curl.
- Sitting on a bench high enough that the dumbbells hit it. The arm needs room to straighten at the bottom, and a bench that stops the range short at every repetition removes the part being trained.
- Choosing the same weight as standing. Seated is a deliberately harder version because the body cannot help; the load usually has to come down a little.
- Letting the shoulders round forward as the set gets hard. Sitting tall keeps the upper arm hanging vertically, which is what fixes where the movement happens.