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How Dumbbell Hammer Curls Can Help You Build Even Bigger Arms
Staring at your throbbing bicep muscles as you push out another curl is a right of passage for most gym goers, but eventually everyone has to move on. But what to move on to? Well, it's quite simple. Turn your hands 90 degrees and take on the bicep curl's bigger and badder brother – the dumbbell hammer curl.
Of course, there are many exercises to build bigger arms – take this 5-move bicep workout, for example – but in order to build that thicker look, that will really make your guns pop, there are few exercises more effective than the dumbbell hammer curl.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: a curl is a curl, right? Wrong, because while bicep curls and hammer curls can complement each other, they also target different parts of the arm. While supinated (underhand) bicep curls will help you improve the peak of your bicep, hammer curls will improve the thickness and overall strength of the arm and the forearm.
Luckily for you, hammer curls aren't difficult to master, which is why you should accept nothing less than perfect form. So you know exactly what you're doing, we sought the expertise of Gymbox PT and director of FITWORKS, Ray Buckton, who was only too happy to hammer on about hammer curls.
Do Bicep Curls or Hammer Curls Build Bigger Arms?
Hammer curls are a variation on traditional, supinated bicep curls and while the two exercises complement each other, they also target different parts of the arm. When you’re doing a hammer curl you’ll predominantly be working the long head of the bicep brachii as well as the brachialis.
“A conventional, supinated bicep curl, will improve the peak of your bicep, because of the increased activation of the short head of the bicep brachii,” says Buckton, “but a hammer curl is more about increasing the thickness and the overall development and strength of the arm and the forearm, which is going to assist more with bigger compound exercises where there's a more of a pronated grip like pull-ups or wide grip pull-downs.”
Anatomy of the Bicep
Biceps brachii
A double-headed muscle that sits just in front of the triceps. Normally referred to as the biceps.
Long Head of the Bicep Brachii
A muscle that stretches from just above the shoulder joint to the elbow and helps to control the motion of both. Hammer curls are particularly effective at isolating this muscle.
Short Head of the Bicep Brachii
The second part of the biceps brachii, the short head originates at the top of the scapula and joins with the long head at the elbow. Exercises like concentration curls will work this muscle.
Brachialis
A small muscle that sits just underneath the long and short head of your bicep brachii.
How to Do Hammer Curls
While they may be relatively simple, mastering a hammer curl is about more than just turning your hand 90 degrees. To help you get to grips with proper form, we got Buckton to break the movement down into its individual components.
Start by sitting on a bench with the back setup in the upright position and two dumbbells at your sides. You can choose to do hammer curls standing, but you’re only going to increase the chance of performing the exercise with a swinging movement, which is best avoided.
While sitting, keep your elbows tight to your sides and pull your shoulders back so that you’re less tempted to use your deltoids.
Pick up the dumbbells and hold them at them top end of the dumbbell, rather than gripping them in them middle. “This will isolate those muscles a little bit more,” says Buckton.
With your arms fully extended and in a neutral position (so your hands are facing each other) curl the dumbbells until your thumbs are near your shoulders.
While there are benefits to both fast and slow reps, beginners are going to benefit most from spending time under tension, so try counting to two during the concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lengthening) part of the movement.
Pause at the top of the movement, before lowering the dumbbell under control. That’s one rep
How Not to Do Hammer Curls
Commonly, people are usually either using their momentum to lift the dumbbells
or they’re shortening the reps and not working all the muscle fibres they could. Swinging isn't winning.
“I would say swinging the dumbbell is probably the most common error you see with hammer curls,” says Buckton. “Trying to use momentum to lift is normally caused by people choosing weights that are too heavy for them. By choosing a weight that's too heavy, naturally, you want to start using your torso and your shoulders, so you start swinging your elbows around.
“The other one is not getting a full range of movement, so not stretching the arm out at the bottom and not getting that full extension and stretching the muscle before curling it back up. A lot of people shorten the rep, so they're not using those extra few muscle fibres at the bottom of the rep. Ideally you want to try and keep your elbows locked into position as well.”
Hammer Curls: Should You Use Cables or Dumbbells?
Of course, when you’re doing hammer curls, dumbbells aren’t your only option. You can also perform the exercise using a cable machine, and there are benefits to be had from doing that.
If you’re struggling to stop yourself from swinging the dumbbells, you may find that using cables can help you to control the weight and engage your brachialis and long head more.
Performing hammer curls with dumbbells is definitely going to help you to build some of those stabilising muscles that come in handy when you’re working on other compound exercises.
Hammer Curls: The Best Variations
So you’ve mastered the 'simple', seated hammer curl and now you’re looking for a way to make the exercise more challenging. Don’t worry, we have you covered with these two variations that will both isolate the brachialis and long head and give you a deeper and more intense workout.
Incline Hammer Curls
Perform these exactly as you would a normal seated hammer curl, but instead of sitting in an upright position, take the bench back about 45 degrees to an incline, just as if you were doing an incline bench press. “This position is going to increase the stretch and the range of movement,” says Bukton. “Being in that position will also minimise the amount of deltoid involvement you're going to get as well, so you're getting a real isolation on the brachialis and the long head.”
Kettlebell Hammer Curls
Another variation, which is a little more challenging and a little bit more advanced is a kettlebell hammer curl. Again, perform these in the same way you would a standard, hammer curl, but, as Buckton says, by using a kettlebell you’ll increase the strength of the muscles and improve your grip strength. It's also a great variation for improving your shoulder stability.
Best Hammer Curls Workouts to Build Bigger Biceps
Now you know how to do hammer curls, you’ll want a workout to put them into, so Buckton has come up with three superset workouts that'll help you build bulging biceps and improve your pulling strength at the same time.
For Buckton’s post-exhaustion supersets you’ll need to perform a compound exercise and then follow these up with a variation of hammer curls, which will serve to isolate and target the bicep brachii.
“Post exhaustion supersets are tough, and your muscles will be angry with you for inflicting so much pain on them,” says Buckton, “but they’re perfect for bringing up lagging muscle groups and breaking through plateaus”
Post-Exhaustion Superset #1
Perform the following superset three times in total. Take 90 seconds rest between each superset.
8 x Wide-grip pull-ups (tempo: 1 second concentric / 3 seconds eccentric)
12 x Seated hammer curls (tempo: 2 seconds concentric / 1 second pause / 2 seconds eccentric)
Why?
Pull-Ups: The king of the pulling exercises and a great test of strength-to-bodyweight ratio. Fire-up the lats, biceps, infraspinatus (part of the scapula) and traps.
Seated Hammer Curls: Doing seated curls will ensure you do not swing or use momentum, allowing you to increase your mind-to-muscle connection.
Post-exhaustion Superset #2
Perform the following superset three times in total. Take 90 seconds rest between each superset.
8 x Wide overhand bent-over barbell row (tempo: 1 second concentric / 3 seconds eccentric)
12 x Kettlebell hammer curls (tempo: 2 seconds concentric / 1 second pause / 2 seconds eccentric)
Why?
Wide-overhand bent-0ver barbell row: The perfect compound exercise to strengthen the entire posterior chain. Stimulates the lats, traps, rhomboids, rear delts and of course the biceps and forearms.
Kettlebell hammer curls: The uneven strength curve of these curls will prove a real test for your grip strength and shoulder stability.
Post-exhaustion Superset #3
Perform the following superset three times in total. Take 90 seconds rest between each superset.
8 x Close neutral-grip seated cable row (tempo: 1 second concentric / 3 second eccentric)
12 x Rope cable hammer curls (tempo: 2 seconds concentric / 1 second pause / 2 seconds eccentric)
Why?
Close neutral-grip seated cable row: A compound exercise that shifts the focus to your middle back, allowing you to focus more on scapular retraction and building a ‘thicker’ back.
Rope cable hammer curls: Using the cable will ensure constant tension throughout the strength curve during the entire motion, stimulating the last of any fibres you have left.
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