Hammer Curl (Dumbbell)
The dumbbell hammer curl is a bicep isolation exercise performed with a neutral grip to target the brachialis and forearms. This movement is essential for building arm thickness and improving overall grip strength.
Your AI coach utilizes recovery tracking to prevent overuse injuries common in the elbow joint by analyzing your lifting volume and intensity. Because the brachialis and forearms are smaller muscle groups that fatigue quickly, the app monitors your RPE and daily readiness—derived from sleep and HRV data—to adjust set volume in real-time. If you have a history of wrist or elbow discomfort, the system leverages this data to suggest this neutral-grip variation over supinated curls to maintain training consistency.
Form Cues
- Hold dumbbells with palms facing your torso (neutral grip)
- Pin your elbows tightly against your ribcage
- Squeeze the biceps and forearms firmly at the top
- Lower the weights slowly and under control
- Keep your wrists straight and locked throughout
- Don't swing your torso to generate momentum
- Don't let your elbows flare out or drift forward
- Don't curl your wrists inward at the peak of the movement
- Don't drop the weight quickly during the lowering phase
Common Mistakes
- Using excessive momentum to lift the weight
- Allowing elbows to drift forward
- Shortening the range of motion
- Curling the wrist rather than the elbow
Muscles Worked
This exercise places significant emphasis on the brachialis, a muscle located beneath the biceps, which pushes the biceps up to create more peak and thickness. It also heavily recruits the brachioradialis in the forearm, making it superior to standard curls for overall arm width and grip development.
Primary
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