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Exercises

Dumbbell bicep exercises: curls for the stretch, the squeeze and arm thickness

Published October 19, 2026

The best dumbbell bicep exercises are the standard curl, the incline curl, the hammer curl and the concentration or spider curl. The incline curl works the biceps hardest when stretched, the spider and concentration curls when fully shortened, and the hammer curl builds the brachialis underneath, which adds thickness. A good biceps session uses one curl from each of two of those groups, 3 to 4 sets each, ending 0 to 1 reps short of failure.

  1. Dumbbell Curl Biceps
  2. Incline Dumbbell Curl Biceps
  3. Hammer Curl Biceps, Forearms
  4. Concentration Curl Biceps
  5. Spider Curl Biceps
  6. Dumbbell Drag Curl Biceps
  7. Waiter Curl Biceps

Palms-up dumbbell curls for the biceps

With your palms turned up, the biceps is the main muscle bending your elbow. These four change where the curl is hardest: the incline curl starts with the biceps stretched, the drag curl keeps the shoulder out of it, and the waiter curl lets one dumbbell work both arms at once.

Biceps, standard supinated curl

Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

The plain dumbbell curl, palms up and one arm at a time, is the baseline every other curl is a variation of. Alternating sides gives each arm a short rest and lets you focus on one biceps per rep.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with the dumbbells hanging at your sides and your palms turned forward.
  2. Pin your upper arm to your ribs and curl one dumbbell up toward your shoulder, turning the pinky slightly upward as it rises.
  3. Stop when your forearm is vertical and the biceps is fully shortened, then lower it all the way until the elbow is straight.
  4. Curl the other arm, and keep alternating for the set.

Cues

  • Elbow stays by your side
  • Pinky up at the top
  • Straight arm every rep

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the torso to start the rep: stand against a wall if you cannot stay still.
  • Stopping halfway down: the bottom of the curl, with a straight elbow, is where the biceps is stretched.

Swap for: EZ-Bar Curl, Cable Curl, Incline Dumbbell Curl

Build a session with Dumbbell Curl

Biceps, long head in a stretch

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Reclining puts your arms behind your body, which stretches the long head of the biceps before every rep. It is the curl that loads the biceps hardest at long muscle length, and a lighter dumbbell is enough.

How to do it

  1. Tilt an adjustable bench to about 45 degrees and lie back with your head on the pad.
  2. Let both arms drop straight down behind your torso, palms forward.
  3. Curl both dumbbells up without letting your elbows travel forward.
  4. Lower slowly until your arms hang straight again, and feel the stretch before the next rep.

Cues

  • Arms hang behind you
  • Elbows stay back
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Bringing the elbows forward as you curl: that removes the stretch the bench is there for.
  • Using the same weight as standing curls: most people need one or two sizes lighter here.

Swap for: Dumbbell Curl, Cable Curl, Spider Curl

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps, elbows back

Dumbbell Drag Curl

Biceps

Dragging the dumbbells up your torso while your elbows travel back keeps the front of the shoulder out of the curl, so the biceps works without help.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the dumbbells against the front of your thighs, palms forward.
  2. Pull your elbows back behind you as you curl, so the dumbbells slide up along your body.
  3. Stop when the dumbbells reach your lower chest and your elbows point behind you.
  4. Reverse the path, keeping the dumbbells close to your body, until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Dumbbells brush your shirt
  • Elbows travel back
  • Shoulders stay down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging to lift the dumbbells higher: the top is lower chest, not chin height.
  • Letting the dumbbells drift away from your body: that makes it a regular curl with worse form.

Swap for: Dumbbell Curl, Barbell Drag Curl

Build a session with Dumbbell Drag Curl

Biceps, one dumbbell in both hands

Waiter Curl

Biceps

Holding a single dumbbell upright by its top plate keeps your palms flat and up, so the biceps does the work and grip never limits the set. It is a good use of one heavier dumbbell when you own only a few.

How to do it

  1. Hold one dumbbell vertically, with both palms flat under its top plate like a tray.
  2. Pin your elbows to your sides with your arms straight.
  3. Curl the dumbbell up toward your upper chest, keeping it upright.
  4. Lower it until your elbows are straight and repeat.

Cues

  • Flat palms under the plate
  • Dumbbell stays upright
  • Full lockout at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Tipping the dumbbell toward you: keep it vertical so the load stays in your palms.
  • Leaning back to finish the rep: choose a lighter dumbbell.

Swap for: Dumbbell Curl, Hammer Curl

Build a session with Waiter Curl

Curls that are hardest at the top

Bracing your arm against a thigh or a bench pad changes the angle so the biceps works hardest with your elbow fully bent. Use one of these after a standing or incline curl.

Biceps, fully shortened

Concentration Curl

Biceps

Bracing your elbow against your thigh stops all cheating and makes the top of the curl the hardest part, so it is the curl for squeezing out a strong finish on each rep.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a bench, feet wide, and hold one dumbbell.
  2. Wedge the back of your upper arm against the inside of the same-side thigh, arm straight.
  3. Curl the dumbbell up toward your shoulder without lifting your elbow off the thigh, and squeeze for a second.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight. Do all reps, then switch arms.

Cues

  • Elbow locked to the thigh
  • One-second squeeze
  • Straight arm at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the elbow off the leg to finish: that turns it into a front raise.
  • Cutting the bottom short: lower all the way, even if it means fewer reps.

Swap for: Spider Curl, Preacher Curl

Build a session with Concentration Curl

Biceps, short position, chest supported

Spider Curl

Biceps

Lying face down on an incline bench lets your arms dangle straight down in front of you, so the curl gets harder the higher it goes. It pairs well with the incline curl, which does the opposite.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 45 degrees and lie chest-down on it, your chin just over the top.
  2. Let the dumbbells hang straight below your shoulders, palms forward.
  3. Curl them up as high as you can without your elbows moving forward, and hold a beat.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight and hanging again.

Cues

  • Arms vertical below you
  • Hold the top
  • No rocking on the pad

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the elbows forward to complete the rep: keep the upper arms vertical.
  • Going too heavy: with no help from the body, light dumbbells are enough.

Swap for: Concentration Curl, Preacher Curl

Build a session with Spider Curl

Hammer curls for arm thickness

Turning your palms in moves work to the brachialis, a muscle under the biceps that pushes it up and out, and to the brachioradialis on top of the forearm. Pick one hammer curl per session alongside a palms-up curl.

Brachialis and brachioradialis, neutral grip

Hammer Curl

Biceps, Forearms

Turning your palms in shifts work to the brachialis under the biceps and to the forearm, which makes the upper arm look thicker from the front. You can usually curl more weight this way than with palms up.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the dumbbells at your sides, palms turned toward your legs.
  2. Curl both dumbbells up, thumbs leading, until your forearms are vertical.
  3. Keep your upper arms still against your sides the whole time.
  4. Lower under control to straight arms and repeat.

Cues

  • Thumbs lead
  • Upper arms still
  • Wrists straight

Common mistakes

  • Rocking the hips to swing heavier weight: pick the load you can curl with a still torso.
  • Bending the wrist at the top: keep the knuckles in line with the forearm.

Swap for: Alternating Hammer Curl, Cable Rope Hammer Curl

Build a session with Hammer Curl

Brachialis, one arm at a time

Alternating Hammer Curl

Biceps

Curling one side at a time lets you watch each arm and keeps your torso still with heavier dumbbells, which helps when the two-arm hammer curl starts to turn into a swing.

How to do it

  1. Stand with the dumbbells at your sides, palms in.
  2. Bring the right dumbbell up with the thumb leading while the left stays down.
  3. Lower it all the way, then curl the left.
  4. Keep alternating, counting one rep per arm.

Cues

  • One side moves, the other rests
  • Thumbs up
  • Full lowering

Common mistakes

  • Starting the next rep before the last one is down: finish each lowering first.
  • Turning your torso toward the working arm: square your shoulders to the front.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Build a session with Alternating Hammer Curl

Brachialis, no swing

Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Biceps

Sitting on a bench takes your legs and hips out of the curl, so a hammer curl stays strict as the weight goes up.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a bench, feet flat and back tall, with the dumbbells hanging beside you, palms in.
  2. Curl both dumbbells up, thumbs leading, until your forearms are upright.
  3. Pause briefly, then lower them until your arms are straight beside the bench.
  4. Repeat without leaning back.

Cues

  • Sit tall
  • Thumbs to shoulders
  • Arms straight at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbells hit the bench on the way down: shift slightly forward so they clear it.
  • Leaning back as the set gets hard: end the set instead.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Alternating Hammer Curl

Build a session with Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Rows that train the biceps too

Every row bends the elbow against load, so your biceps works on back day. Count each hard set of rows as about half a biceps set when you add up your week.

Back with heavy biceps work

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Rows load the biceps as an elbow flexor while your back does most of the lift. In a short pull session, a hard set of rows means the curls that follow need fewer sets.

How to do it

  1. Support your free hand and knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat, with your back flat.
  2. Hang the dumbbell under your shoulder with your arm straight.
  3. Pull your elbow up and back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your side.
  4. Lower until your arm is straight. Finish all reps, then switch.

Cues

  • Elbow to the hip
  • Flat back
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Rotating your chest to the ceiling to lift more: keep your shoulders level.
  • Rushing the lowering: control it for two seconds.

Swap for: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Incline Dumbbell Row

Build a session with One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

One pair of dumbbells, standing only

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You have a pair of dumbbells and no bench, and train in a spare room or garage.

Without a bench, every curl here is done standing. The alternating curl is the main lift, the drag curl takes the shoulder out of the same movement, the alternating hammer curl adds brachialis work, and the waiter curl uses one dumbbell held in both hands when the pair feels light. A pair that never gets heavier calls for high reps, so isolation sets end 0 to 1 short of failure. Each session is 9 sets, 18 per week.

Biceps A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell CurlAlternate arms. Straight arm each rep. 3 × 8–15 1 75 s
Alternating Hammer CurlThumbs up. Count each arm. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
Waiter CurlOne dumbbell, palms under the plate. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Biceps A in the session builder

Biceps B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Drag CurlDumbbells slide up your body. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Dumbbell Curl3 s down. 3 × 10–20 0 1 min
Alternating Hammer CurlNo swing. 3 × 10–20 0 1 min

Open Biceps B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Biceps A and Biceps B on different days, two or more days apart. Either fits at the end of an upper-body or pull workout.
How to progress
Add reps until all sets reach the top of the range at the target RIR. Then lower every rep over three seconds. When that also tops out, buy the next pair up.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Adjustable bench, dumbbells you can load

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench

You have an incline bench and a range of dumbbells, at home or in a gym, and want the most out of biceps sessions.

The bench opens up the two curls that load the extremes of the range: the incline curl, which stretches the biceps, and the spider curl, which is hardest at the top. Each session uses one of each kind plus a seated hammer curl or concentration curl. The incline curl stops at 1 RIR since it pulls on the front of the shoulder at the bottom; the rest can go to 0. Ten sets per session gives about 20 per week, enough for most people who want their arms to be the priority.

Biceps Stretch
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Curl1 warm-up set firstBench at 45°. Elbows back. 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Seated Dumbbell Hammer CurlSit tall. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Spider CurlHold the top 1 s. 3 × 12–20 0 1 min

Open Biceps Stretch in the session builder

Biceps Squeeze
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Spider CurlChest on the pad. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Concentration CurlPer arm. Elbow on the thigh. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min
Incline Dumbbell Curl3 s down. 4 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Biceps Squeeze in the session builder

How to run it
Run Biceps Stretch and Biceps Squeeze on two different days, ideally not the day after a heavy pull session.
How to progress
Use double progression: once every set reaches the top of its range, go up the smallest dumbbell step and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Biceps inside one pull workout a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets10 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train full-body or upper/lower, have about 30 minutes for pulling, and want your biceps to grow without a separate arm day.

Rows already give the biceps work, so this session starts with heavy one-arm rows and adds only two curls: the hammer curl for size from the brachialis and the concentration curl for the top of the range. The rows stop at 1 to 2 RIR so your back has something left; the curls go close to failure because they are last. Counting rows at half, that is about 9 biceps sets in one session.

Pull and Biceps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
One-Arm Dumbbell Row1 warm-up set firstPer arm. Free hand on a bench. 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Hammer CurlBoth arms together. 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Concentration CurlPer arm. 1 s squeeze. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min
How to run it
Use it as your one pull day per week, or swap it in for the pull session of a program you already follow.
How to progress
Add weight to the row when every set reaches 12 reps at 1 RIR. Add reps to the curls first, then weight.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best dumbbell bicep workout?

One that pairs a curl in the stretched position, like the incline curl, with one that is hardest at the top, like the spider or concentration curl, plus a hammer curl. Do 3 to 4 sets of each, close to failure, twice a week. The bench plan on this page is built that way.

Which 3 exercises are best for biceps?

The incline dumbbell curl, the hammer curl and the concentration curl. Together they load the biceps when stretched, train the brachialis underneath for thickness, and finish the biceps fully shortened. Without a bench, use the standard alternating curl instead of the incline curl and do the concentration curl on a chair.

Are 25 lb dumbbells enough to build biceps?

Yes for most people for a long time. A 25 lb dumbbell is heavy for incline, spider and concentration curls. If 25 lb gets easy for 20 reps, slow the lowering or use single-arm curls before you buy heavier.

How many sets of biceps per week?

About 8 to 16 hard sets per week grows the biceps for most people, split over two sessions. If you also row and do chin-ups, count those sets at about half.

Should I do hammer curls or regular curls?

Both. Regular palms-up curls train the biceps most, and hammer curls shift work to the brachialis and forearm. One of each per session covers all three elbow flexors.