Do you know how to do an incline dumbbell curl? If not, you’re in luck. In this video, I am going to show you exactly how to perform an incline db curl so that you can perform the exercise every time without making a mistake. Remember, it’s not just what exercise you do, but how you do them that matters the most and I want to make sure that you get your incline db curl form right every time you do them.
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Step 1 of this incline dumbbell curl form tutorial is getting the setup right:
When doing a dumbbell incline curl, you are going to need a pair of dumbbells and an adjustable bench. I would say the biggest problem I see with this the incline db curl is the height of the incline on the adjustable bench. Too often, the incline isn’t steep enough and your arms don’t hang straight up and down, but instead drift forward a little bit. You want the incline to be high enough that when you lean back, your arms can hang straight without putting stress on shoulder mobility in order to get into extension of the arms behind the body.
Step 2 of this incline dumbbell curl how-to is elbow positioning when you curl the dumbbells:
When performing the db incline curl, you don’t want to curl the dumbbells out in front of you. If you allow your elbows to drift forward while you curl, you will be engaging the front delt more than it needs to be, taking the work away from the biceps long head. Instead, lock your elbows into place and simply curl from there. If you want to give a small amount of lift from the front delt at the top of the curl (shoulder flexion is a key function of the biceps), that is okay.
Step 3 of this incline dumbbell curl guide is forearm pronation when curling:
At the bottom of each rep with the dumbbells just hanging down, you don’t want to remain in supination with your palms facing forward. Why? To get extra stretch on the long head of the biceps, the head of biceps we are trying to influence. Instead, pronate you hands so your knuckles are facing forward and this will put a greater stretch on the long head of the biceps. When you curl the dumbbells, then you want to supinate and curl as you normally would with your palms up.
Step 4 of this incline db curl how-to is the stretch reflex:
When you are performing the incline dumbbell curl, at the bottom of each rep, once you rotate the dumbbells into pronation, you will then want to flex your triceps forcefully before returning to the curl. This will create a stretch reflex that will create a stronger contraction for the biceps once the weight is curled again.
Step 5 is the target point of the dumbbells while you perform an incline dumbbell curl:
Instead of curling outward, like you might on a no-money curl, you will want to curl towards the midline of your body. Remember, when it comes to the biceps, what you see is what you train. If you were looking in a mirror while you curled and you saw the inside of your biceps, you would be preferentially influencing the short head of the biceps. Since we are looking to train the long, outer head of the biceps, we will want the outside of our biceps to be facing forward. To do this, curl the dumbbells, in towards midline with the inner portion of the dumbbells targeting your chest.
Step 6 of how to do incline dumbbell curls is your head position:
Some might say you have to keep your head back on the bench to prevent strain on the neck when performing the incline curl. However, that’s just not true. If you find your neck to be more comfortable with your head off the bench and that leaning your head back causes more strain, then keep your head off the bench.
Now that you know how to properly perform an incline dumbbell curl, you will not only be able to set a good example for other gym-goers, but you will eliminate any risks that comes along with the traditionally performed version of this exercise. When it comes to form on an incline dumbbell curl, how you do it is going to determine whether you are setting yourself up for injury of if you are going to build bigger biceps without that risk.
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Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
