Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
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Explore/Biceps

Dumbbell Curl

DumbbellIsolationEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Biceps

Also forearms

You need

Dumbbells

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Top
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Turn your palms up as you curl
  2. 2Squeeze at the top
  3. 3Control the lowering

Most common mistake

Swinging the dumbbells with the shoulders.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for biceps
  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Barbell Curlvs Rope Hammer Curlvs Spider Curl
A
For biceps
#9 of 19
See the full list →
Research
76
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 76
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchFair
ProgressionStrong
Low costExcellent

Simple and joint-friendly, though tension fades at the bottom of each rep.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SBayesian Cable CurlCable
  • SMachine Preacher CurlMachine
  • ACable CurlCable
  • SIncline Dumbbell CurlDumbbell

Takes

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280