The Spider Curl is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the biceps, with the forearms working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesBiceps
Secondary musclesForearms
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Spider Curl
Set an incline bench to roughly fifty degrees and stand behind the high end.
Lie chest-down on the pad so your torso is supported from sternum to hips.
Plant your feet on the floor behind the bench for a stable base.
Let your arms hang straight down with a dumbbell in each hand, palms forward.
Curl both dumbbells up while keeping your upper arms vertical and still.
Lower under control until the elbows are straight, then repeat.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Chest support removes body English, so the biceps do the work.
Keeps tension on the biceps at the bottom of the range.
Makes uneven left and right effort obvious because nothing can compensate.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the chest lift off the pad, which brings back the swing the bench removes.
Resting the weights at the bottom, which drops the tension the position is built for.
Swinging the upper arms forward, which turns the curl into a partial row.
Setting the bench too flat, so the arms cannot hang clear of the pad.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Spider Curl, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
