If you are looking for an effective biceps exercise and are getting slightly bored of barbell curls and dumbbell curls, then why not try incline dumbbell curls? All you need is a bench capable of being set to incline, and a pair of dumbbells.
Before you go loading your dumbbells up with amount you normally lift with, I will save you some time and advise you to take a fair amount of a weight off. You will soon see that the disadvantaged position of the body being an incline and the arms effectively lifting from behind you will put an enormous stretch on your biceps and make lifting even a small amount of weight a challenge.
Here is how to perform incline dumbbell curls…
- Set your bench up to a steep incline position.
- Load your dumbbells up with weight relatively light compared with what you normally would use for regular dumbbell curls.
- Lay back on the bench, allowing the dumbbells to hang straight down below at your sides, palms upward.
- Both together, lift the dumbbells up with the palm remaining upward facing, to keep the tension on the biceps throughout.
Why I advise to do incline curls with the palms facing upward throughout is because this is the most effective way to perform any kind of curling exercise. You can, if you wish, use the twisting method. That’s up to you.
I also advise you to lift both dumbbells together because as the exercise becomes harder and harder, if you were using the alternating method, you would have a tendency to lean over to the side you are lifting and cheat. Doing so also risks injury. Lifting simultaneously not only makes it harder, but keeps you in a safe neutral position throughout.