The Zottman Curl is a intermediate-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
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Zottman Curl
Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet shoulder-width apart.
Let your arms hang at your sides with your palms facing forward.
Curl both dumbbells to your shoulders with your elbows pinned to your ribs.
Rotate your wrists at the top until your palms face the floor.
Lower the dumbbells slowly with the palms-down grip, taking three or four seconds.
Rotate back to palms up at the bottom and repeat.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Trains the biceps and the forearm elbow flexors inside a single repetition.
The slow palms-down lowering builds grip and wrist strength.
Needs only a pair of dumbbells, so it fits home and travel setups.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Rotating halfway down instead of at the top, which loads the wrist rather than the forearm.
Racing the descent, which skips the pronated eccentric that defines the exercise.
Letting the elbows slide behind the body on the way down, which shortens the range.
Using standard curl weights, which makes the palms-down lowering impossible to control.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Zottman Curl, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
