Yes, the dumbbell biceps curl is the go-to for most guys when they step to the rack looking for a pump—but it's not the end-all, be-all. That’s because your quest for size is also about more than one muscle. To really round out your arms, you'll need to train your brachialis muscle.
To train your brachialis muscle, you'll need the dumbbell hammer curl. The dumbbell hammer curl looks similar to the standard curl at first glance. You grab a dumbbell, raise it up to your shoulder, then lower it back down—but there are some very important nuances between the two exercises.
One is fairly obvious: You’ll grip the weights differently, which shifts the focus to that brachialis muscle. Let Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and Brett Williams, NASM guide you through the move's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential. Want to level up your arm training more comprehensively?
Once you're ready, check out the holistic Ultimate Arms Recomp program, which provides the plan to build up your biceps (and your whole body) with dedicated workouts and diet tips. Use this extra insight from Samuel for even more effective reps. Eb says: This is a curl, but that doesn't mean your body gets to be in anything close to a lazy position.
In order to get the most out of this (or any) curl, you need to make sure you're moving only at the elbow joint. To insure that, we need to tighten any point where we might cheat. So tighten your glutes and abs, then squeeze your shoulder blades tight, too.
That'll help you erase most of your possible swinging points. Eb says: Don't just hold the dumbbells during this curl; actively grip them. Think about really tightening your hands around each dumbbell, holding it tightly.
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