Incline Dumbbell Curl – The Battle of the Best Bicep Exercise

Summary 

• The incline dumbbell curl exercise helps to stretch and isolate the long head of the biceps to better enable it to contract and develop into a peak.
• Proper form for dumbbell curl include keeping elbows close to the body, curling in a controlled manner, and avoiding tilting of the wrists.
• The incline dumbbell curl primarily targets the biceps brachii with auxiliary support from the brachialis, the brachioradialis, deltoids, and core muscles for balance and stability.
• Sit on an incline bench with arms fully extended. In a stationary position curl the dumbbells toward the upper part of the arm and then slowly back it down. 

Incline dumbbell curls may look easy and laidback, it’s the perfect way to load up your arm-guns, giving you that explosive pump post-workout. Let’s navigate through what exactly an incline dumbbell press is, the muscles worked, and the proper form of incline dumbbell press so you get the gains you dream of!

What Is an Incline Dumbbell Curl?

If your goal is to build strength and mass in your arms, then you need to add the incline dumbbell into your arm workout routine. This workout isolates the long head of your bicep, stretches it, and pushes you to apply more force while contracting. This makes it a great exercise if you are looking to maximize the bicep peak.

How To Do an Incline Dumbbell Curl with Proper Form?

While there are multiple ways of performing this exercise, here’s the conventional method of doing an incline dumbbell curl with proper form:

• Sit on an incline bench or a seat with a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms extended.
• Keep your elbows close to your torso and tucked slightly inward.
• Rotate the palms of your hands, letting them face forward for the perfect incline dumbbell curls angle.
• Keeping your upper arm stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out.
• Make sure that only the forearms are moving.
• Avoid tilting your wrists to prevent injuries – your wrists should be still and aligned with your forearms.
• Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
• Hold the contracted position for a second to feel tension in your muscles.
• Slowly extend your arms outward, bringing the dumbbells back to starting position as you breathe in.
• Repeat 12-15 times for 3-4 sets.

Benefits Of an Incline Dumbbell Curl

According to studies, incline dumbbell curl is the best exercise to work your biceps as your arms move behind your body, which stretches the long head of the biceps. This muscle runs over the shoulder joint so the stretch goes all the way to your shoulder.

When you stretch a muscle before contracting, your muscle is able to contract with more force taking on the majority of the load during an exercise. Since the long head of the biceps make up the mass of the biceps peak, the incline curl is an effective exercise for building the biceps peak.

*Pro Tip: Make sure you're wearing a supportive gym t-shirt that promotes a full range of motion and gives your biceps the compression they need.

Incline Dumbbell Curl Muscles Worked

Top 5 Incline Dumbbell Curl Alternatives

Whether you just can’t seem to get the incline dumbbell curl form right or want to create a proper bicep workout routine, here are a few incline dumbbell curl alternatives you can do:

Hammer Curls

Here’s how you can do hammer curls:

• Stand with your back straight, holding a pair of dumbbells by your sides.
• Keeping your elbows fixed to the sides and slightly tucked into your torso, lift the weights.
• Bring the weights parallel to your arms, contracting your biceps.
• Hold at the contraction then slowly release your arms.

Discover the 5 types of bicep curls.

Twist Curls

Here’s how to do twist curls:

• Stand with your back neutral and your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Place your arms by your sides, letting your arms fully extend.
• Brace your core.
• With dumbbells in each hand and shoulders retracted, lift the dumbbell from one and.
• During the lift, bring your arm up to your shoulder and twist your wrist towards your chin.
• Hold as you bring the weight up, letting your bicep feel the full burn then slowly extend your arm again.

Learn more about how to do twist curls with proper form and angle.

Decline Dumbbell Curls

Here’s the right way of doing a decline dumbbell curl:

• Adjust a bench on 30-45° angle.
• Lay flat on the bench with your chest down and your arms ahead of you.
• Your arms should be fully extended and your palms facing forward.
• With your chin tucked in, lift the weights all the way up to your shoulders.
• Pause when your biceps are fully contracted – then extend your arms again.

Check out the top 10 bicep exercises to do on your next arm day.

Plate Curls

Here’s a step-by-step for plate curls:

• Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
• Hold a plate from the sides and place it against your thighs.
• Brace your core with your shoulders retracted.
• Bend your elbows and lift the plate.
• Your wrists should be higher than your elbows.
• Contract your biceps and hold at the contraction before extending your arms outward again.

Learn how to do plate curls properly.

Preacher Curls

Here’s how you can do preacher curls with correct form:

• Sit on the preacher bench seat with an EZ bar in your hands.
• Press your chest and upper arms against the preacher pad with your arms fully extended.
• Take an inward grip on the EZ bar to maximize your bicep engagement.
• With your upper arms and elbows locked in place, lift the weight all the way up to your shoulders.
• Extend your arms again, letting them fully stretch out before repeating.

Learn how to do preacher curls correctly.

Cable Curls

Here’s a step-by-step for cable curls:

• Attach an EZ or straight bar to the pulley of cable machine.
• Lower the attachment to the bottom.
• Holding the straight bar or EZ bar from the ends, pull it and bring it to the front of your thighs.
• Make sure your arms are fully extended and stretched out.
• Keep your knees slightly bent, your core embraced, your shoulders retracted, and your back neutral.
• Pull the bar into your shoulders, squeezing your biceps as you lift.
• Hold when your bicep contracts, then slowly release your arms.

Ladies, check out the top 10 arm exercises to look toned.

Key Takeaway

There is no one exercise that you can do that will trump the others – you will need multiple exercises to hit every head of your bicep muscles. It is important to incorporate different exercises that target both the long and short head of your biceps, to get the maximum results.

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