Zottman Curl: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The zottman curl works your biceps on the curl up with a palms up grip, then rotates to a palms down grip for the lowering phase, which shifts the work onto your forearms. That single rotation lets one exercise train both your biceps and forearms in a single rep.
- Primary muscle:
- Biceps
- Secondary muscles:
- Forearms
Muscles worked
Your biceps curl the dumbbells up with a supinated, palms up grip, just like a standard bicep curl. At the top of the rep, you rotate your wrists to a pronated, palms down grip before lowering.
Your forearms take over for the lowering phase, since controlling a dumbbell down with a palms down grip demands far more from your wrist and forearm muscles than a normal curl does. That rotation is what makes the zottman curl train two muscle groups in one movement.
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How to do it
- Stand up with your torso upright and a dumbbell in each hand being held at arms length. The elbows should be close to the torso.
- Make sure the palms of the hands are facing each other. This will be your starting position.
- While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weights while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Your wrist should rotate so that you have a supinated (palms up) grip. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps.
- Now during the contracted position, rotate your wrist until you now have a pronated (palms facing down) grip with the thumb at a higher position than the pinky.
- Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back down using the pronated grip.
- As the dumbbells close your thighs, start rotating the wrist so that you go back to a neutral (palms facing your body) grip.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Curl up with a supinated grip, just like a standard dumbbell curl.
- Rotate your wrists to a pronated grip only once you reach the top.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly with the pronated grip, since that's where your forearms do the work.
- Use a lighter weight than your usual curl until your forearms adapt.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the point of rotating your grip mid-rep?
Curling up with a palms up grip trains your biceps, then rotating to a palms down grip for the lowering phase shifts the load onto your forearms. It's a way to train both muscle groups without adding a separate forearm exercise.
How many reps should I do for zottman curls?
Since the lowering phase is the demanding part, 6-12 controlled reps works well for building both bicep and forearm size. Pair it with a hammer curl if you want more forearm work in the same session.
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.
