The Dumbbell Hammer Curl is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the biceps. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesBiceps
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides, and palms facing your thighs.
Keep the elbows pinned to the ribs and the shoulders pulled back and down throughout the set.
Curl both dumbbells up by bending only at the elbow, keeping palms facing each other the whole time.
Squeeze hard at the top with the dumbbells just below shoulder height and the wrists locked straight.
Lower the weights under control over 2 to 3 seconds back to a fully straight-arm position.
Pause briefly at the bottom with the elbows extended, then curl back up for the next rep.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds upper-arm thickness through the brachialis underneath the biceps.
Develops forearm size and grip strength through the neutral grip.
Wrist-friendly curl option for users who feel strain with palms-up curls.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Swinging the torso to throw the weight up instead of curling cleanly with the arms.
Letting the elbows drift forward at the top, which turns the curl into a half front raise.
Rotating the wrists at the top and rushing the lower, missing the brachialis-building tension.
Using too heavy a weight, which forces partial reps and short-changes the muscle stretch.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Hammer Curl, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
