Single-Arm Incline-Supported Dumbbell Curl
Trains the Biceps.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set an incline bench to about forty-five degrees and stand behind it.
- Rest the back of your working upper arm along the pad, armpit near the top edge.
- Hold a dumbbell with a straight arm hanging down the far side of the pad, palm forward.
- Curl it up without letting the upper arm lift off the pad.
- Stop when the forearm is roughly vertical.
- Lower under control until the arm is almost straight, then finish the side before swapping.
Common mistakes
- Letting the upper arm come off the pad. The pad is what fixes the shoulder; coming off it is the same cheat as elbows drifting forward on a standing curl.
- Snapping the arm straight at the bottom. With the arm supported and angled, the bottom is the hardest position and the elbow has nowhere to escape to — stop just short.
- Setting the pad too low. If the armpit sits above the top of the pad, the upper arm is unsupported and the exercise drifts back toward a standing curl.
- Choosing your standing curl weight. A supported upper arm removes every way of helping, and the load comes down with it.