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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Explore/Biceps

Incline Dumbbell Curl

DumbbellIsolationEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Biceps

Also forearms

You need

Dumbbells, Bench

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Top
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Bench at 45–60°, arms hanging behind you
  2. 2Keep elbows back as you curl
  3. 3Feel the stretch at the bottom

Most common mistake

Letting the elbows swing forward to finish the rep.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #3 for biceps
  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched

Compare with

vs Cable Curlvs EZ-Bar Curlvs Dumbbell Curl
S
For biceps
#3 of 19
See the full list →
Research
85
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 85
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchExcellent
ProgressionGood
Low costStrong

The incline stretches the long head at the bottom of every 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
  • ADumbbell CurlDumbbell

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