Intermediate

Seated Incline Hammer Curl

Combining the incline bench's behind-the-body arm position with a neutral hammer grip stretches the biceps long head while shifting a big share of the work onto the brachioradialis for real arm thickness. The reclined setup pins your shoulders back and strips out momentum, making every rep strict. It is an excellent accessory for lifters chasing fuller forearms and a taller biceps peak.

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set an adjustable bench to about a 45 to 60 degree incline and sit back against it.

  2. 2

    Let your arms hang straight down with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.

  3. 3

    Keep your shoulders pressed into the pad and your upper arms roughly vertical.

  4. 4

    Curl the dumbbells up while keeping the neutral, thumbs-up grip.

  5. 5

    Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly to the full stretch below.

  6. 6

    Exhale as you curl, inhale as you lower.

Tips

  • Let the arms hang behind your torso at the bottom to load the long head stretch.
  • Do not rotate the wrists; the neutral grip is what recruits the brachioradialis.
  • Keep your shoulders back on the pad rather than rolling them forward to cheat.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Setting the bench too upright brings the arms back under your body and removes the long-head stretch that makes this version worth doing. Somewhere between 45 and 60 degrees keeps the hang.
  • Bouncing out of the stretched bottom position loads the elbow at its longest point with nothing holding it. Pause for a count down there and start the curl from a dead stop.
  • Bringing your standing hammer curl dumbbells to the incline bench usually ends with the elbows dragging forward by the third rep. Expect to use noticeably less here.
  • Pushing through your feet to slide your back up the pad shortens the range without it showing on the rep count. Plant the feet wide and leave the hips where they started.
  • Cutting the lowering phase short because the stretch feels intense skips the exact part of the range this exercise exists to train.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the seated incline hammer curl should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Two or three sets of 8 to 10, treating the stretched bottom as part of the work: a one-second pause there is worth more than two extra reps. Start about a third lighter than your standing hammer curl. Do not open a session with it; put it after rows or after a standing curl. Progress by adding reps to 10, then lengthening the pause, then adding load. Once a week is enough at first, because work in a long position leaves the arms sore for a couple of days.
What can I do instead of the seated incline hammer curl with no adjustable bench?
Any surface that lets the upper arms hang behind you does the job: sit on the floor leaning back against a couch, or straddle a decline sit-up bench facing backwards. In a gym, a single handle on a low cable set behind you puts the arm in a similar position while you stand. Failing that, a standing hammer curl with a hard pause at full extension trains the same muscles, though you lose the stretch that defines this variation.
What is the seated incline hammer curl for and who should avoid it?
It is a hypertrophy accessory for the biceps long head and the brachioradialis, and its value is the loaded stretch at the bottom that a standing curl never reaches. Lifters who already curl plenty and want a different stimulus get the most from it. Avoid it if your elbows or the front of your shoulder complain when the arm hangs behind your body, and pick the standing or cross-body version instead. It is also a poor first exercise of a session and a poor way to chase top-end curl load.

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