Bicep Curl: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The bicep curl is a biceps-focused isolation exercise: your biceps flex the elbow to lift the dumbbells while your forearms grip the handles and help keep the wrist steady through the rep. It's one of the simplest ways to add direct arm work to a workout.
- Primary muscle:
- Biceps
- Secondary muscles:
- Forearms
Muscles worked
Your biceps are the prime mover. As you curl the dumbbells up, the biceps brachii shortens to flex the elbow, and holding a brief squeeze at the top keeps tension on the muscle through its shortest range.
Your forearms work throughout the set to grip the dumbbells and keep the wrists from bending under the load. Strong forearms let you focus the curl on the biceps instead of losing the weight out of your hands.
Log Bicep Curl in PR Streak
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How to do it
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand at arm's length. Keep your elbows close to your torso and rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward. This will be your starting position.
- Now, keeping the upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps. Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Then, inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Keep your elbows pinned at your sides. Swinging them forward shifts work to the shoulders.
- Curl the weight up through a full range, then lower it slowly instead of letting it drop.
- Avoid using your hips or back to swing the dumbbells up. Let the biceps do the lifting.
- Rotate your palms fully forward at the bottom to get the biceps working through a complete stretch.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do bicep curls work anything besides the biceps?
Yes. Your forearms grip the dumbbell and stabilize the wrist through every rep, so they get real secondary work. The core also braces lightly to keep your torso still, though the biceps remain the main muscle trained.
How many reps of bicep curls should I do?
For muscle size, 6-12 reps per set with a challenging weight works well. If you want more muscular endurance in the arms, use 12 or more reps at a lighter load. Curls are rarely trained in the low-rep, high-load ranges used for pure strength work.
What pairs well with bicep curls for a full arm day?
Add a reverse curl to shift some of the work onto the forearms and brachialis. Training both grips in the same session covers the arm from a couple of different angles.
More biceps exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
