Dumbbell Supinated Curl — Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Alternatives

The dumbbell supinated curl is probably one of the first exercises most people learn to perform after joining a gym. Although it is one of the basic exercises, few master the lift. 

Besides helping you build venomous pythons, the dumbbell supinated curl is a functional exercise that can help improve your movement efficiency, muscle coordination, mobility, and day-to-day functioning. 

If you have been curling dumbbells in the gym for a while but have little to no results to show for it, it might be time to unlearn and relearn a few things. 

Muscles Worked

Performing the dumbbell supinated curl trains the following muscles:

1. Primary muscles: Biceps brachii — long and short heads — are the primary target muscles of the dumbbell supinated curl. It helps in building biceps peak and overall size.
2. Secondary muscles: Variations of the dumbbell supinated curl can also train the brachialis and brachioradialis. It can help add size and thickness to your guns. 

How to Perform Dumbbell Supinated Curl

This is how to perform the dumbbell supinated curl with the perfect form:

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a supinated grip (palms facing forward). 
2. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance. 
3. At the starting position, your arms should be extended straight so that they are parallel to the floor. The dumbbells should be at your sides. 
4. While keeping your elbows pinned to the sides, curl the dumbbells until they are at your shoulder height. 
5. Pause and contract your biceps at the top. 
6. Return to the starting position in a slow and controlled motion.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Tips

Below are a few tips to make the most of the dumbbell supinated curl:

1. Make sure you’re not using momentum by swinging back and forth to lift the weight. 
2. Focus on contracting your target muscles during the concentric part of the lift.
3. Keep your shoulders stationary during the exercise. Bending forward or backward too far can take the tension off your biceps and shift it on your deltoids.
4. Since this is an isolation exercise, you should fully extend your arms at the bottom. It also reduces momentum by bringing your biceps to a dead stop before curling the weight back up.

Common Mistakes

Avoid these mistakes while performing the dumbbell supinated curl:

1. Going Too Heavy

The most obvious sign of knowing you are lifting more weight than you can handle on the dumbbell supinated curl is that your elbows will begin to flare out to your sides. 

To get the best bang for your buck, use a weight that’ll allow you to pause and contract your biceps at the top of the movement with every rep. Muscle contraction is the name of the game when it comes to biceps training. 

2. Rounding Your Back

Many lifters bend forward by rounding their backs while doing dumbbell curls. While leaning forward or to your sides can make the exercise a little easier by reducing your range of motion, it puts unnecessary tension on your spine.

To put more emphasis on your biceps, you should keep your back upright and shoulders pinned back throughout the exercise. 

3. Not Following a Full Range of Motion

While some people lift the dumbbell only to their waist height, others make the mistake of not extending their arms at the bottom of the movement.

For optimal biceps recruitment, you should follow a full range of motion. Also, don’t go through the motions just for the sake of it. Focus on establishing a mind-muscle connection and achieving sleeve-ripping muscle pumps.

Dumbbell Supinated Curl Benefits

Adding supinated curls to your training regimen entails the following benefits:

1. Helps Build Size and Strength

It is no secret that the dumbbell curl is one of the most effective exercises to isolate and target your biceps. Progressive overloading your guns will help build arm size and strength. 

Related: Muscle Development With Progressive Overload – The Concept You Must Know To Grow!

2. Requires Minimal Equipment

Since the exercise only requires dumbbells, you could purchase a set of adjustable dumbbells and perform the lift in your garage gym. Furthermore, minimal equipment, relatively easy setup, and training technique shorten the exercise’s learning curve. You could master the lift in a relatively shorter time compared to compound lifts like the deadlift or squat. 

3. Improves Aesthetics 

Buffed-up and chiseled arms can add to your overall physique aesthetics. As a wise man once said, “It doesn’t matter what car you drive, what matters is the size of the arm hanging out of the window.” Okay, it might have been a meme. 

Check Out: The Best Aesthetics Training Program For The Perfect Physique

4. Enhances Functionality 

Since you use your arms throughout the day, adding the dumbbell supinated curl will help you get better at routine tasks. Also, if you’re into sports, you might notice a positive change in your performance after adding the exercise to your training regimen. 

Dumbbell Supinated Curl Variations and Alternatives

Here are some of the most effective dumbbell curl alternatives and variations :

1. Dumbbell Twisting Supinated Curl

The dumbbell twisting supinated curl is similar to the conventional version, with the only difference being that you’ll be twisting your arms during the concentric and eccentric parts of the movement.

How to perform:

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip. 
2. Stand upright with a shoulder-width stance.
3. The dumbbell should be on your sides at the starting position.
4. While maintaining an upright torso and without using momentum by swinging back and forth, curl the dumbbells towards your chest. 
5. Start twisting your arms as you lift the dumbbells so that your palms are supinated (facing the roof) when you reach the top.
6. Pause and contract your guns at the top. 
7. Twist your arms back into the starting position in a slow and controlled motion. 
8. Repeat for recommended reps.

To better isolate your arms, you could also alternate between arms while performing the exercise.

Read our detailed guide on dumbbell twisting supinated curl.

2. Seated Supinated Dumbbell Curl

Performing supinated dumbbell curls while seated on a military bench reduces the chances of using momentum to lift the weight, which puts more focus on your pythons.

How to perform:

1. Sit on a military bench and place your back against the pad. 
2. Plant your feet flat on the floor in front of you and keep them close to each other.
3. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a supinated (palms facing forward) grip and hold them at your sides.
4. Your arms should be extended straight at the start of the exercise so they are perpendicular to the floor. 
5. Lift the dumbbells towards your chest by bending at your elbows. 
6. Pause and contract at the top.
7. Return to the starting position and repeat for reps. 

3. Barbell Curl

How to perform:

1. Grab a straight barbell with a shoulder-width supinated (underhand) grip.
2. Strand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
3. While keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the barbell until it is at your shoulder height.
4. Pause and contract at the top.
5. Return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for reps.

Read our detailed guide on barbell curl.

4. Zottman Curl

The Zottman curl is for advanced lifters and can take some time to get used to. The exercise works the brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. 

How to perform:

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip. 
2. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
3. While keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the dumbbell until it is at shoulder height.
4. As you lift the dumbbell, twist your arm so your palms are turned upward. 
5. Pause and contract at the top. 
6. Without lowering the weights, rotate your forearms so your palms are facing downward. 
7. Lower the weight to the starting position.
8. Repeat for reps.

Read our detailed guide on Zottman curl.

5. Cable Curl

How to perform:

1. Attach a straight bar to a pulley machine set at the lowest setting.
2. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
3. Grab the bar with an underhand grip. 
4. While keeping your elbows pinned to your sides, curl the bar until it is at shoulder height.
5. Pause and contract at the top. 
6. Return to the starting position and repeat for reps.

Read our detailed guide on cable curl.

Wrapping Up

If you want to add slabs of meat on your arms, the dumbbell supinated curl should be a part of your arm training arsenal. Make it a staple in your exercise regimen and watch your guns transform into bazookas. 

If you have been slogging in the gym but are struggling with adding size and definition to your arms, use these eight arm training routines for building sleeve-ripping pythons. 

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