How to do the Incline Dumbbell Curl
- Sit on an inclined bench, ensuring your back and shoulders are supported.
- Let dumbbells hang with palms facing forward, elbows slightly behind your torso.
- Curl the weights up, bending your elbows; avoid rolling your shoulders forward.
- Lower the weights slowly back to the starting position, arms fully extended.
Full technique — 6 steps
- Set a bench to a moderate incline and sit back with your head and shoulders supported.
- Let the dumbbells hang straight down with palms facing forward and elbows slightly behind your torso.
- Keep your upper arms fixed against the bench angle and start with elbows fully extended.
- Curl the dumbbells upward by bending your elbows without letting your shoulders roll forward.
- Raise until your forearms approach vertical and your biceps are fully shortened.
- Lower the dumbbells back along the same path until your elbows reach full extension again.
Common mistakes
- Elbows sliding forward during curl
- Cutting off the bottom range
- Swinging dumbbells off the bench
- Shoulders rolling forward at top
- Turning it into a hammer curl
Form cues
- Let arms hang fully
- Keep shoulders back
- Palms stay up
- Reach full elbow extension
- Don't drift elbows forward