Five dumbbell curls cover the biceps properly: the concentration curl, the incline curl, the standing curl, the hammer curl and the preacher curl. The concentration curl produced significantly higher biceps activation than seven other exercises in the best-known comparison of them. The hammer curl earns its place for a different reason, because it trains the muscle underneath the biceps that gives the upper arm its thickness.
Where an ache in the upper arm is the reason for the search rather than training itself, the causes worth ruling out are set out in PhysioHub's guide to upper arm aching pain.
All five need dumbbells and nothing more elaborate than a bench. They are ranked on measured biceps activation, how well each one loads a different part of the muscle, and how easy each is to perform without swinging.
| Exercise | Best for | What makes it stand out | Dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Concentration curl | Maximum biceps activation | The highest measured biceps activity of eight exercises tested | 3 × 10–12 each side |
| 2. Incline dumbbell curl | The long head, in a stretch | Loads the biceps from a lengthened starting position | 3 × 8–12 |
| 3. Standing dumbbell curl | General strength and load | The version you can add weight to for longest | 3 × 8–12 |
| 4. Hammer curl | Brachialis and forearm | Builds the muscle that pushes the biceps up | 3 × 10–12 |
| 5. Preacher curl | The short head, no swinging | The pad makes cheating impossible | 3 × 10–12 |
This is a documentary review of published exercise science rather than a laboratory test run by us. Around a dozen dumbbell curl variations were considered, including the standing curl, alternating curl, seated curl, incline curl, concentration curl, preacher curl, hammer curl, cross-body hammer curl, Zottman curl, spider curl and the drag curl.
Three criteria decided the order: measured biceps activation where testing exists, which part of the muscle or which neighbouring muscle the position emphasises, and how difficult the exercise is to perform badly.
The main source read was the American Council on Exercise study of biceps exercises carried out at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, which tested 16 volunteers aged 18 to 24 across eight exercises at 70 per cent of one-repetition maximum, measuring the biceps brachii, anterior deltoid and brachioradialis. Evidence checked in August 2026.
What could not be checked: that study measured muscle activation during single sets rather than muscle growth over months, and it tested a young, weight-trained group. No trial has compared these five for size gains over a training block, so the ranking reflects the activation data and the mechanics rather than a measured outcome.
Cover the two heads. The biceps has a long head on the outside and a short head on the inside. Curling with the arm behind the body, as in an incline curl, lengthens the long head. Curling with the arm in front, as on a preacher bench, favours the short head. A session with one of each covers the muscle.
Include something that cannot be swung. The easiest way to make a curl useless is to lean back and heave. Concentration and preacher curls remove that option by design, which is a large part of why they measure so well.
Train the muscle underneath. The brachialis sits beneath the biceps and it responds to neutral-grip work. Building it adds visible thickness to the upper arm that no amount of palm-up curling produces.
Protect the elbow. The elbow tendons take the strain when the load climbs faster than the tissue adapts. Controlling the lowering phase over two to three seconds gives a better training effect at a lower weight, which is the trade worth making.
What it is
Seated with the elbow braced against the inside of the thigh, curling one dumbbell at a time through a full range.
Who it suits
Anyone who wants the most biceps work per set, and anyone whose standing curls have turned into a full-body heave.
How to do it
Sit on a bench, feet wide, and rest the back of the upper arm against the inner thigh with the dumbbell hanging. Curl the weight up without the elbow leaving the thigh, squeeze at the top, and lower over two to three seconds until the arm is straight. Three sets of 10 to 12 each side.
What the evidence supports
This was the clear winner in the American Council on Exercise study run at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Across 16 volunteers testing eight exercises at 70 per cent of one-repetition maximum, the concentration curl produced significantly higher biceps activation than every other exercise, while also producing significantly less anterior deltoid activity than the barbell curl, which means more of the work landed on the target muscle.
Limits and cautions
The load ceiling is low, and that is the point. Anyone using a weight heavy enough to need a shoulder shrug to start the repetition has lost the advantage the exercise offers. One arm at a time doubles the time the exercise takes.
Time and effort
Eight minutes for both arms. It belongs at the end of a session, after the heavier pulling.
Why it made the list
It ranks first because it produced the highest measured biceps activation of the eight exercises tested, and because the bracing position makes it nearly impossible to cheat.
What it is
Seated on a bench inclined to about 45 to 60 degrees with the arms hanging behind the line of the body, curling from a full stretch.
Who it suits
Anyone wanting to develop the outer head of the biceps, and anyone whose arms look flat from the side.
How to do it
Set the bench to 45 to 60 degrees, sit back with the shoulders against the pad, and let the arms hang straight down behind the torso. Curl without letting the elbows drift forward, then lower all the way until the arm is straight and the stretch is felt. Three sets of 8 to 12.
What the evidence supports
Starting the curl with the arm behind the body lengthens the long head of the biceps, because that head crosses the shoulder as well as the elbow. Loading a muscle from a lengthened position is one of the better-supported principles in strength training, and the incline curl is the simplest way to apply it to the biceps. In the ACE testing, the incline curl also produced significantly lower forearm involvement than the EZ bar curl, keeping the work on the target muscle.
Limits and cautions
The stretched position at the bottom is where the biceps tendon at the shoulder is most exposed, so this is the first curl to modify if the front of the shoulder is sore. Letting the elbows swing forward at the start removes the whole advantage of the exercise.
Time and effort
Six minutes. Use a lighter weight than for standing curls, because the starting position is genuinely harder.
Why it made the list
It is the only curl here that loads the biceps in a lengthened position, which is a stimulus the other four do not provide.
What it is
The basic curl, standing, with both dumbbells moving together or alternating.
Who it suits
Everyone, as the exercise that carries most of the load over a training year.
How to do it
Stand tall with the dumbbells at the sides, elbows tucked in. Curl without letting the elbows travel forward or the trunk lean back, then lower under control until the arms are straight. Three sets of 8 to 12. Alternating arms allows slightly more weight and slightly less trunk involvement per repetition.
What the evidence supports
In the ACE testing the standing curl variations sat in a group that were statistically similar to one another and below the concentration curl, which makes them a solid rather than an outstanding choice for activation. Their advantage is progression: this is the version most people can keep adding weight to for months, and adding load over time is what drives adaptation.
Limits and cautions
Leaning back to start the repetition is the near-universal fault, and it turns the exercise into a lower back exercise. Standing with the back against a wall makes it obvious within two repetitions.
Time and effort
Six minutes.
Why it made the list
It is the workhorse. Its measured activation sits mid-table, while it allows more load and clearer week-to-week progression than anything else here.
What it is
A curl performed with the palms facing inwards throughout, thumbs pointing forward.
Who it suits
Anyone whose elbows are sore from palm-up curling, anyone with a weak grip, and anyone wanting a thicker-looking upper arm.
How to do it
Stand with the dumbbells at the sides, palms facing the thighs. Curl straight up keeping that hand position, then lower under control. Three sets of 10 to 12. The cross-body version, curling towards the opposite shoulder, is a useful variation once this becomes routine.
What the evidence supports
The neutral grip shifts work from the biceps brachii to the brachialis underneath it and to the brachioradialis in the forearm. The brachialis is a pure elbow flexor, so it is trained regardless of hand position, and it becomes the primary mover when the forearm is neutral. Developing it adds thickness to the arm and improves elbow flexion strength in the position most daily lifting actually happens in.
Limits and cautions
Very few. It is generally the most elbow-friendly curl, which is why it stays in a programme when others come out. Anyone with pain on the outside of the elbow should keep the weight moderate, and our guide to tennis elbow covers what that pain usually means.
Time and effort
Five minutes.
Why it made the list
It trains the muscle underneath the biceps and the forearm at the same time, and it is the variation most people can keep doing when the elbows are irritable.
What it is
A curl performed with the back of the upper arms flat against an angled pad.
Who it suits
Anyone who cannot stop swinging, and anyone wanting to emphasise the inner head of the biceps.
How to do it
Set the pad so the armpits rest at the top of it and the upper arms lie flat. Curl from a nearly straight arm to about three quarters of the way up, then lower slowly to full extension. Three sets of 10 to 12 with a moderate weight. A single dumbbell one arm at a time works as well as a bar.
What the evidence supports
With the arm resting in front of the body, the long head of the biceps is shortened at the shoulder, which shifts more of the work onto the short head. The pad also removes momentum entirely. In the ACE testing the preacher curl grouped with the other non-winning exercises for overall biceps activity while producing significantly lower forearm involvement, so the work stays on the biceps.
Limits and cautions
The bottom position places the most stress on the elbow tendons of any curl here, so lowering to a locked-out arm under a heavy weight is a reliable way to develop elbow pain. Stop just short of full lockout at the bottom if the elbow complains.
Time and effort
Six minutes, and it needs a preacher bench or an inclined bench to lean over.
Why it made the list
It is the best available option for anyone whose curls have become a whole-body movement, and it covers the short head that the incline curl does not.
| Exercise | Emphasis | Cheating possible | Elbow stress | Equipment | Load ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concentration curl | Whole biceps, highest activation | Almost none | Low | One dumbbell, a bench | Low |
| Incline dumbbell curl | Long head, stretched | Some, if elbows drift | Moderate | Dumbbells, incline bench | Moderate |
| Standing dumbbell curl | Whole biceps | Easy, by leaning back | Low | Dumbbells only | High |
| Hammer curl | Brachialis and forearm | Some | Lowest | Dumbbells only | High |
| Preacher curl | Short head | None | Highest at the bottom | Preacher or incline bench | Moderate |
The third and fourth columns explain the ranking. The exercises that are hardest to cheat on are the ones that produce the most biceps work per repetition, and the one with the highest elbow stress is the one to modify first if the elbow complains.
If you have time for two curls a session, do an incline curl and a hammer curl. Between them they cover the long head, the short head and the brachialis.
If your arms are already trained by rows and pull-ups, three or four direct sets a week is plenty. Pulling exercises train the biceps hard, as the measured activation during pull-ups shows.
If your elbows are sore, drop to hammer curls only for three to four weeks, cut the weight by a third, and lower over three seconds. Most early elbow irritation settles on that alone.
If you keep swinging the weight, use concentration or preacher curls exclusively for a month. The position solves the problem without anybody having to nag you about it.
If you train at home with one pair of dumbbells, standing curls, hammer curls and concentration curls need nothing else, and the bodyweight options cover the rest of the session.
The belief that arrives with sore elbows is that curling has damaged something, and that the answer is to stop. What testing usually shows is a tendon that has been asked to do more than it was ready for, in a fortnight where the weight went up, the sets went up, and a few sets of pull-ups were added at the same time.
The distinction that matters in the room is between pain that warms up and pain that builds. An elbow that aches for the first few repetitions, settles during the set and is stiff the following morning is the picture of a tendon adapting behind the load, and it responds to lowering the weight rather than resting completely. An elbow that gets progressively worse through a set, or that hurts when you pick up a kettle the next day, needs the load taken off for a period and then rebuilt deliberately. Complete rest tends to make the first type worse, because tendons lose capacity quickly and the same weight is waiting when you come back.
Where an elbow has been grumbling for more than a few weeks, our 1:1 rehab and strength training sessions are built around loading it back up in a way it will tolerate.
What is the best bicep exercise with dumbbells?
The concentration curl. In a study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise and run at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, 16 volunteers were tested across eight biceps exercises at 70 per cent of their one-repetition maximum, and the concentration curl produced significantly higher biceps activation than any other exercise tested, including the barbell curl, cable curl, chin-up, EZ bar curl, incline curl and preacher curl.
How many sets of curls should I do?
Six to twelve hard sets a week across one or two sessions suits most people. The biceps are a small muscle group that also works during every pulling exercise, so someone already doing rows and pull-ups needs fewer direct sets than they think. More than about twelve weekly sets rarely adds anything except elbow soreness.
Do I need to lift heavy to grow my biceps?
No. Muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads as long as sets are taken close to failure, so 8 to 15 repetitions with a weight you can control is as effective as heavier work and much kinder to the elbow. The concentration curl in particular works best at a moderate weight because the position removes any chance of swinging.
What is the difference between a hammer curl and a normal curl?
Hand position, and what it emphasises. A normal curl with the palm up loads the biceps brachii directly. A hammer curl with the palm facing in shifts work to the brachialis, which lies underneath the biceps, and to the brachioradialis in the forearm. Building the brachialis pushes the biceps up and makes the upper arm look thicker from the side.
Why do my elbows hurt when I curl?
Usually load and volume rather than technique. Pain on the inside of the elbow after curling is often an early tendon irritation, and it responds to reducing the weight, slowing the lowering phase and cutting the number of sets for a few weeks rather than stopping altogether. Pain on the outside of the elbow is more often related to gripping and is covered in our guide to tennis elbow.
Should I do curls standing or seated?
Both have a place. Standing lets you use more weight and involves the trunk, which is why it is the better choice for general strength. Seated and supported versions remove the ability to swing, which is why they produce higher measured biceps activity per repetition. A session with one of each covers both.
How long until my biceps get bigger?
Measurable strength gains appear within four to six weeks and visible size changes usually take three to six months of consistent training with progressive loading. The biceps is a small muscle, so a change that looks dramatic in the mirror represents a fairly small absolute gain in muscle.
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