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Exercises

Exercises for the brachialis: hammer, reverse and neutral-grip work for thicker arms

Published October 29, 2026

The best exercises for the brachialis are the hammer curl, seated hammer curl and band hammer curl with a neutral grip, the reverse curl and Zottman curl with palms down, the preacher curl for strict elbow bending, and neutral-grip pull-ups or pulldowns for heavy loading. The brachialis bends the elbow whichever way your palm faces, but turning the palm in or down takes the biceps' advantage away, so it does more of the work. Do 9 to 16 hard sets a week across one or two sessions, 8 to 15 reps, stopping 1 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Hammer Curl Biceps, Forearms
  2. Reverse Curl Biceps, Forearms
  3. Zottman Curl Biceps, Forearms
  4. Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl Biceps
  5. Preacher Curl Biceps
  6. Neutral-Grip Pull-Up Lats
  7. Band Hammer Curl Biceps

Neutral-grip curls

Palms facing each other is the grip you can load heaviest while the brachialis does a big share of the lifting. Make one of these your main brachialis lift and progress it like any other.

Brachialis, neutral-grip curl

Hammer Curl

Biceps, Forearms

The standard brachialis builder. Palms facing in lets you go heavier than a regular curl while the brachialis and forearm share the load, and dumbbells let you add weight in small jumps.

How to do it

  1. Hold the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing your thighs.
  2. Bend one elbow to bring that dumbbell up, thumb leading.
  3. Keep the dumbbell vertical the whole way, then lower it slowly to the start.
  4. Curl the other arm, and keep alternating until the set is done.

Cues

  • Thumbs lead
  • Dumbbells vertical
  • Elbows by your sides

Common mistakes

  • Swinging heavier weight with your back: keep your torso still.
  • Curling across your body: keep each dumbbell in line with its shoulder.

Swap for: Band Hammer Curl, Alternating Hammer Curl

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Brachialis, strict neutral-grip curl

Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Biceps

Sitting takes your legs and hips out of the lift, so you cannot rock the weight up. Use it when standing hammer curls start to turn into a swing at the end of a set.

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 one dumbbell up, thumb leading, until your forearm is upright.
  3. Pause briefly, then lower it until your arm is straight beside the bench.
  4. Curl the other arm, and keep alternating without leaning back.

Cues

  • Sit tall
  • Thumb to shoulder
  • 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

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Brachialis, band curl at home

Band Hammer Curl

Biceps

A band gets hardest near the top, where the brachialis is shortest, and fits in a drawer. It covers the neutral-grip slot when you train at home or want extra weekly sets without a gym trip.

How to do it

  1. Stand on a light band and hold the ends with palms facing each other.
  2. Curl one hand up toward your shoulder, keeping the elbow beside your ribs.
  3. Lower slowly and alternate sides.

Cues

  • Elbows still
  • Squeeze, then lower slow

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the band up with your hips: use a lighter band.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Bodyweight Bicep Curl, Dumbbell Curl

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Palms-down curls

With your palms down, the biceps is at its weakest, so the brachialis and the forearm muscle beside it carry the weight. Expect to use clearly less than your normal curl weight, and keep the reps strict.

Brachialis and forearms, overhand curl

Reverse Curl

Biceps, Forearms

An overhand grip puts the biceps at a mechanical disadvantage, which leaves the brachialis and the forearm muscle on the thumb side doing most of the lifting. A barbell lets you load it heavier than dumbbells allow.

How to do it

  1. Take the barbell palms down at shoulder-width, bar hanging against your thighs.
  2. Tuck your elbows in and hold your wrists straight.
  3. Curl the bar up toward your shoulders with your knuckles leading.
  4. Lower it under control to straight arms.

Cues

  • Knuckles up all the way
  • Wrists flat
  • Light bar, strict reps

Common mistakes

  • Letting your wrists bend back under the load: lower the weight until they stay straight.
  • Swinging the bar up: overhand curls are easy to cheat, so keep the tempo slow.

Swap for: Zottman Curl, Hammer Curl, EZ-Bar Curl

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Brachialis, palms-up lift and palms-down lower

Zottman Curl

Biceps, Forearms

You lift palms up and lower palms down, so the brachialis takes a slow, heavy lowering phase with a weight you could not curl overhand. It packs both grips into one set.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your palms facing forward and the dumbbells at your sides.
  2. Curl them up to shoulder height.
  3. Rotate your palms to face down at the top.
  4. Lower slowly, palms down, and rotate back at the bottom.

Cues

  • Turn at the top
  • Slow lowering
  • Elbows stay at your sides

Common mistakes

  • Turning the palms on the way down: finish the rotation first.
  • Going too heavy: the palms-down lowering sets the weight.

Swap for: Hammer Curl, Reverse Curl

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Strict curls from a pad

Pinning your upper arm to a pad removes any shoulder swing, so every rep has to come from bending the elbow. These are good second exercises once the heavier curls are done.

Elbow flexors, pad-supported curl

Preacher Curl

Biceps

The pad locks your upper arm in front of you, which keeps tension on the elbow flexors at the bottom where cheating usually starts. It is the strictest way to add a second curl to the session.

How to do it

  1. Sit down at the preacher station, armpits snug against the top of the pad.
  2. Hold an EZ bar on its angled grips, palms up, with your arms almost straight down the pad.
  3. Curl the bar up until your forearms are close to vertical.
  4. Lower slowly until your elbows are almost straight, then curl again.

Cues

  • Armpits on the pad
  • Three-second lowering
  • Stop just short of locking out

Common mistakes

  • Letting the bar drop fast at the bottom: that is where elbows get hurt. Control every inch.
  • Lifting your elbows off the pad at the top: keep the upper arms down and stop the curl earlier.

Swap for: Machine Preacher Curl, Spider Curl, Kettlebell Preacher Curl

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Elbow flexors, single-arm cable curl

Cable Twisting Curl

Biceps

The handle starts palm-in, so the first part of each rep is a neutral-grip pull, and the cable keeps the load steady through the whole range. It is a useful lighter finisher one arm at a time.

How to do it

  1. Attach a single handle to a low pulley and hold it in one hand with your palm facing in.
  2. Stand side-on or facing the pulley, elbow by your side, arm straight.
  3. Curl the handle up and rotate your hand so your palm faces the ceiling as you finish.
  4. Untwist back to a neutral grip as you lower to a straight arm, then repeat and switch sides.

Cues

  • Turn the pinky up at the top
  • Elbow stays put
  • One arm, full focus

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the twist at the very end: start rotating early and finish it as your forearm reaches vertical.
  • Swinging the body to finish reps: a single handle is light work, so pick a stack weight you can control.

Swap for: Cable Curl, Overhead Cable Curl, Incline Dumbbell Curl

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Heavy pulls with palms facing in

Pull-ups and pulldowns on parallel handles load the elbow flexors with far more weight than any curl. If you already train back twice a week, switching one pull to this grip adds brachialis work without adding an exercise.

Lats and elbow flexors, parallel-grip pull

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

Lats

Your whole body weight goes through the elbow flexors on every rep, which is more load than any curl. Palms facing in shifts more of that work onto the brachialis than an overhand pull-up.

How to do it

  1. Take the parallel handles, palms turned in, and hang with your arms straight.
  2. Draw your shoulder blades down, then pull your elbows straight down beside your body.
  3. Rise until your chin passes the handles and your upper chest nearly touches them.
  4. Lower slowly to a full hang and repeat.

Cues

  • Elbows close to your ribs
  • Lead with the chest
  • Full hang at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Pulling your knees up toward your chest to help: keep the legs still and slightly in front of you.
  • Rushing the lowering: take two seconds down so the lats work on every inch of the rep.

Swap for: V-Bar Lat Pulldown, Chin-Up

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Lats and elbow flexors, V-bar pulldown

V-Bar Lat Pulldown

Lats

The V-bar handle puts your palms facing each other, the same grip as the parallel-grip pull-up, but you choose the weight, so you can reach 8 to 12 reps even if body-weight pull-ups are still hard.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the pulldown with your thighs locked under the pads and hold the V-bar handle with both hands, palms facing each other, arms fully straight.
  2. Lean back slightly and pull the handle down to your upper chest, driving your elbows down toward your sides.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment at the bottom.
  4. Let the handle rise under control until your arms are straight again.

Cues

  • Elbows down to your ribs
  • Handle to the top of your chest
  • Two seconds up

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the handle to your stomach: keep the lean small and pull straight down.
  • Bending your wrists as you pull: keep them in line with your forearms and let the elbows do the work.

Swap for: Neutral-Grip Pull-Up, Lat Pulldown, Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

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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.

Session 1

Your biceps have stalled and you train at a gym

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets15 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Preacher Bench +2

You already curl and do pull-ups, but your upper arm looks flat from the side and the numbers on your regular curl have stopped moving.

Two short arm blocks a week give the brachialis 12 direct sets plus 3 sets of neutral-grip pull-ups, 15 hard sets in all, which is enough to grow without crowding your back and chest work. Heavy grips come first while you are fresh, the strict and lighter work comes second.

Session A: Heavy grips
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Neutral-Grip Pull-Up 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Hammer Curl1 warm-up set firstAlternate arms; count one rep per arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Preacher Curl 2 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Session A: Heavy grips in the session builder

Session B: Overhand and strict
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse Curl1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 × 10–12 1 75 s
Cable Twisting CurlPer arm. 2 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Session B: Overhand and strict in the session builder

How to run it
Add Session A to the end of your first pull or upper day of the week and Session B to the second, at least two days apart. Drop any regular curl you were doing on those days so the total arm volume stays similar.
How to progress
Double progression: once every set hits the top of the rep range with 1 rep in reserve, add the smallest weight step and work back up from the bottom of the range. For pull-ups, add reps first, then hang a small plate from a belt.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Dumbbells and a band at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Resistance Bands

You train at home with a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a band, and you want bigger arms without a pull-up bar or a cable machine.

Without heavy pulls, the curls carry all the load, so each session gets 8 direct sets, 16 a week. That is the top of the useful range for one small muscle, so the band sets stay at the end where they cost little recovery.

Day 1: Hammer focus
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hammer Curl1 warm-up set firstAlternate arms; count one rep per arm. 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Zottman Curl 2 × 8–10 2 75 s
Band Hammer Curl 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Day 1: Hammer focus in the session builder

Day 2: Overhand focus
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Zottman Curl1 warm-up set firstLower over 3 seconds. 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3 × 10–12 1 75 s
Band Hammer Curl 2 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Day 2: Overhand focus in the session builder

How to run it
Two arm sessions a week, for example Monday and Thursday, either on their own in 20 minutes or after your other home work. Leave at least two days between them.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of the range with 1 to 2 reps in reserve, then move to the next dumbbell. With adjustable dumbbells that jump 2.5 kg or 5 lb, expect to sit at the bottom of the range for a week or two after each jump. For the band, use a heavier band or stand on it with a wider stance.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Climbing, grappling or rowing on top of lifting

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets9 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLat Pulldown, Barbells, Dumbbells

You climb, grapple or row several times a week and want stronger elbow flexors for pulling with your palms facing in or down, without wrecking your forearms for practice.

Your sport already gives your elbow flexors and grip a lot of work, so one session with 9 hard sets is enough to build strength. Heavy, low-rep pulls and an overhand curl match how you pull in your sport, and stopping 2 reps short keeps your forearms fresh for practice.

Pull and curl
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
V-Bar Lat Pulldown2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Reverse Curl 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Hammer CurlAlternate arms; count one rep per arm. 2 × 8–10 2 90 s
How to run it
Once a week, on a rest day from your sport or at least 48 hours before your hardest session. Skip the reverse curl in a week when your forearms are already sore from practice.
How to progress
Add a rep per set each week on the pulldown or pull-up until you hit the top of the range at 2 reps in reserve, then add weight. Keep the reverse curl at the same rep target and add weight only when all three sets feel the same.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best exercise for the brachialis?

The hammer curl. Palms facing in shifts more work onto the brachialis than a regular curl, you can load it heavy, and you only need dumbbells. The reverse curl comes second; it hits the brachialis even harder but you will use less weight.

Does the brachialis make your arms look bigger?

Yes. It sits under the biceps on the outer side of the upper arm, so a bigger brachialis pushes the biceps up and fills the gap between the biceps and triceps when your arm is seen from the side.

How many sets a week does the brachialis need?

About 9 to 16 hard sets of direct work a week, across one or two sessions, is enough for most lifters, on top of the rows and pull-ups you already do. Past that, extra sets mostly tire your forearms and elbows.

Can I train the brachialis at home?

Yes. Hammer curls, Zottman curls and band hammer curls cover it with a pair of dumbbells and a band. A pull-up bar with parallel handles adds the heavy pulling option.

Is the brachialis worked by regular curls?

It works in every curl, because it bends the elbow whatever your grip. Turning your palm in or down just makes it do a bigger share of the work, which is why the hammer and reverse curls are the go-to choices for it.

What is the 7-7-7 bicep exercise?

It is 21s: 7 reps in the bottom half of a curl, 7 in the top half and 7 full reps in one set. You can do it with hammer curls to bias the brachialis, but tracking normal sets with a rep target is easier to progress.