Beginner

Cross-Body Hammer Curl

By curling the dumbbell across your body instead of straight up, you change the line of pull to bias the brachialis and brachioradialis even harder while the biceps long head assists. It builds arm thickness and is easy on cranky elbows. Use it as an accessory after your main curling work.

Equipment
Dumbbell
Body part
Biceps, Forearms
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Elbow Flexion
Muscles worked
Target
Brachioradialis, Biceps Brachii Long Head
Secondary
Biceps Brachii Short Head

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand holding dumbbells at your sides with a neutral, palms-in grip.

  2. 2

    Keep one arm resting and brace your core.

  3. 3

    Curl the working dumbbell diagonally across your torso toward the opposite pec.

  4. 4

    Squeeze at the top, keeping the upper arm still against your side.

  5. 5

    Lower under control back to the start, then work the other arm.

  6. 6

    Exhale as you curl across, inhale as you return.

Tips

  • Aim the dumbbell toward the opposite shoulder, not straight up, to keep the cross-body angle.
  • Keep your elbow pinned to your ribs so the shoulder does not take over.
  • Move slowly; this is a shaping accessory, not a max-load lift.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Turning your shoulders toward the working arm shortens the path and hides the range you gave away. Keep your chest square to the front and let the dumbbell travel across a still torso.
  • Parking the dumbbell against the opposite pec and resting it there kills the tension the diagonal line exists to create. Touch, squeeze, and start the descent.
  • Carrying over the weight you use on a straight hammer curl usually forces the elbow off the ribs on the last reps. Go one size lighter so the upper arm can stay put.
  • Letting the idle dumbbell hang heavy at your side drags your torso that way rep after rep. Rest it against your thigh or set it down while the other arm works.
  • Switching arms without resetting your posture means the second arm starts from a rolled-forward shoulder and the delt joins the curl. Pull the shoulder blades back before each side.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the cross-body hammer curl should a beginner do?
Two or three sets of 8 to 12 per arm, placed after your main curl rather than first. Count the set by the arm, not by the pair, and give each side the same number even when the second one feels weaker. Progress with reps before load: get all sets to 12 with a motionless elbow, then take the next dumbbell up. One session a week is plenty alongside other curling.
What can I do instead of the cross-body hammer curl without dumbbells?
Loop a band under one foot and curl the handle diagonally toward the opposite shoulder; the band's rising tension suits the short cross-body path well. On a cable, clip a single D-handle to a low pulley and stand slightly offset so the line of pull runs across your body. A kettlebell held by the handle also works, though the weight hanging forward makes the neutral wrist harder to keep. Travelling, a heavy duffel handle curled across the chest gets the same angle.
What is the cross-body hammer curl for and who should skip it?
It is a shaping accessory. The diagonal path keeps the brachialis and brachioradialis loaded through a range the straight hammer curl rushes past, which builds thickness on the outer arm, and it tends to suit elbows that dislike palms-up curls. Skip it when you want a strength lift, because light loads and one arm at a time make it slow, and skip it if you only have room for a single curl in your program. In that case the standing hammer curl gives you more per set.

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