Dumbbell curls seated/standing

There are different variations. When you rotate the dumbbells at the top, it engages the outer head of the biceps more. Without rotation (hammer curl), it primarily works the inner head. You can also perform it with support on a bench at different angles; the lower the angle, the harder the exercise becomes.

Nuances and mistakes

1. When sitting with support on the backrest, the ability to sway your body is reduced. On one hand, this prevents you from slacking off and lifting dumbbells through inertia. On the other hand, it makes cheating harder when you really need to.

2. Do not excessively tilt the dumbbells back at the top or lift them too high. In the top position, your wrist should be slightly in front of your elbow. With this position, your biceps will be maximally tense. If you tilt the dumbbell back, the effectiveness of the exercise will decrease, as the load on the biceps will be reduced at the top.

3. If at the top position you rotate your wrist outward so that your pinky is slightly higher than your thumb, it will shift the load to the inner head of the biceps. This can be easier to achieve by holding the dumbbell not in the middle but closer to the inner edge of the handle.

4. If you curl the weights alternately instead of simultaneously, you can work with 10% more weight. However, keep an eye on your body to avoid swaying.

5. The higher you raise your elbow at the top of the range, the more your biceps will contract. But the load on it at the top will be less. Therefore, I advise against overdoing this method and to raise your elbows about 10 cm forward.