Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl
How to Do Dumbbell Pronated Grip Bicep Curls Variation | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS]
Proper Form, Common Mistakes, Variations + Easier & Harder | Home Resistance Training
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
QUICK DEMO
QUICK DEMO
MUSCLES THIS WORKS
MUSCLES
MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN Dumbbell Reverse Grip Bicep Curls
brachialis & brachioradialis
STARTING POINTERS
Starting Pointers
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
ALL WE'RE DOING:
This is essentially a different bicep curl, simply with our palms turned down instead of up.
This variation of the bicep curl is done with the forearms pronated - palms facing behind you in the starting position with arms by the sides. The pronated position of the forearm puts the bicep muscle at a mechanical disadvantage (as the bicep muscle is more active when the palm is turned up), the smaller brachialis and brachioradialis muscles will be the primary movers during both the concentric and eccentric phases of the curl. The version targets the smaller elbow flexors because the large biceps brachii will not be able to help. This is important for activities that require a pronated forearm during elbow flexion, ie starting a lawn mower, pulling a lawn mower back, pulling a chair out from the table .
WRIST EXTENSOR MUSCLE ACTIVATION BENEFIT:
This exercise also has the added benefit of working the wrist extensor muscles that cross the elbow joints. The tendon for the muscles that extend the wrist (extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris) attach to the end of the upper arm bone (humerus) and are frequently the source of tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) - most frequently it is the extensor carpi radialis brevis. Strengthening these muscles isometrically can help to prevent and treat tennis elbow.
Everyday examples of when we’d be using these muscles(pronated forearm/palms down position):
- Ironing. Does anyone even do that anymore? Holding the iron above the board with pronated forearm.
- Playing piano
- Pulling the lid off my vacuum sealed glass Tupperware (this is actually quite hard to do lol)
- Turning the lid off an impossibly difficult unopened jar of pickles (not just pickles, other jarred foods apply). ;)- (KEY tip- if you bang the edges of the jar with the end of a knife first, it’s wayyyy easier to open)
- Brushing Hair
- Blow drying hair
- Holding a curling iron or flat iron
HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE
LOOKS
HOW Dumbbell Reverse Grip CurlS SHAPE OUR BODY
Builds size and tones muscles of the upper arm and forearm.
PROPER FORM
PROPER FORM: Dumbbell Reverse Grip Bicep Curls
EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS
EQUIPMENT
SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:
5-8 pounds
SETS & REPS:
2 sets of 8 – must fatigue the muscle
PACE:
Quicker (0.5 sec) up movement (concentric) – increased power will increase the involvement of the brachioradialis. And slow eccentric (lowering) 3-5 seconds.
BODY POSITION
BODY POSITION FOR THE Dumbbell Pronated Grip Bicep Curl
FEET: Shoulder width apart, toes forward
BODY STANCE: Neutral spine position, knees slightly bent, sternum lifted, shoulder blades in and down the back.
ARM: Down by your sides. Elbows straight. Upper arm resting by the body but not squeezed in. This will allow free movement at the elbow joint and facilitate biceps activation because it will have to support the upper arm as opposed to locking it on the body. It also increases core muscle activity because you are not bracing your trunk and arm together.
HAND/GRIP: One dumbbell in each hand. Palms facing behind you (forearm pronation) – when arms are down at sides.
1) You can do the semi hammer curl one (palms are not fully down, more at a 45 degree angle as they come up)- you will still get both muscles, biceps may be contributing.
2) Holding the arms out - you will get some lateral deltoid, I don't think that is bad, just different.
Arms are by your sides, abducted 20-30 degrees, this will activate the lateral deltoid and supraspinatus isometrically to hold the arm out to the side. When you bend the elbows to pull the weight up, your forearm will be angled in (the upper arm should not rotate) and the hands will be in front of the chest/shoulder at the top of the movement.
3) Try externally rotating the upper arms - so the forearms will be angled out but the upper arms will be at your side. That seemed to work well.
NECK: Neutral and relaxed.
HOW TO DO
HOW TO DO Dumbbell Reverse Grip Bicep Curls
CUE: All movement is isolated to the elbow joint.
Bend your elbow to pull the dumbbell up towards your shoulder.
Once you have reached the end of your elbow flexion (fully bent), pause and slowly lower the weights back down to the starting position.
HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE
Straighten your elbows, bend your knees and hips to squat down and set weights on the floor.
COMMON MISTAKES
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT TO AVOID WITH THE Dumbbell Pronated Grip Bicep Curl
KEY TIP:
Guess what? Good news! Many avoids are the same for most movements. Once you learn the basics, there's really only a few extra avoids for each individual movement.
1. Avoid moving through the wrists
AVOID: Avoid bending at the wrists.
WHY NOT?
- Poor alignment (bent forward or backward) or repetitive movement through the wrist can lead to joint and/or soft tissue irritation or injury over time.
WHAT TO DO:
- Your wrists should be in line with your forearm and should be still throughout the exercise.
2. Avoid tensing Neck Muscles
AVOID: Avoid tensing neck muscles.
WHY NOT?
- This can lead to neck strain, injury or damage over time.
- You may feel neck discomfort, find that you are pressing down with your head, or gripping with your neck muscles.
WHAT TO DO:
- Gripping neck muscles in an attempt to stabilize the shoulders: relax the neck and activate the core muscles more, activate the scapular stabilizers in retraction and depression.
3. Avoid Arching Your Low Back
AVOID: Avoid extending low back
WHY NOT?
- This compresses the joints of this area of the spine and can irrirate the tissues or cause muscle strain.
WHAT TO DO:
- Maintain a neutral spine position - keep your abs engaged gently to help keep the spine from arching back.
- Avoid locking the knees - this can cause you to arch your low back.
4. Avoid Locking Knees
AVOID: Avoid straightening or locking the knees of standing legs.
WHY NOT?
- This tends to change the lumbar curve, pull on the hamstrings and decrease the muscle activity of the legs.
- Locking the knees puts stress on the knee joint and can make it more difficult to maintain a neutral spine. The knees should be soft.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep a soft bend in the knees.
5. Avoid Rounding Upper Back
AVOID: Avoid rounding your upper back or shoulders.
WHY NOT?
- This can lead to neck, shoulder injury, or damage over time and can result in using the wrong muscles (upper trap).
WHAT TO DO:
- Pull your shoulders blades back, and in towards each other, thinking about having a broad chest - this will help you keep a healthy position with the shoulders.
6. Avoid Elbows Flaring Out
AVOID: Avoid letting your elbows move out to the sides.
WHY NOT?
- This will change the downward pull of gravity and will increase the activity of the shoulder.
WHAT TO DO:
- The upper arm should be resting at your sides, not moving.
VARIATIONS
VARIATIONS
VARIATIONS OF the Dumbbell Reverse Grip Bicep Curl
Single Arm
One Arm Reverse Grip Bicep Curl
This will change the core muscle activation – the core will not have to stabilize against the weight of two dumbbells, but the core muscles will have to stabilize against a pull to one side – so more of the lateral muscles (obliques and quadratus lumborum). This can be done by doing one set on one side.
ALTERNATING
Alternating Reverse Grip Bicep Curl
Alternating arms is a good choice if you are lifting heavy weights and your arm needs a short break between reps. It will work the core a bit differently - the core muscle activation will need to switch side to side with each rep (so more coordination needed). Avoid rocking the body side to side.
MAKE IT HARDER
HARDER
MAKE THE Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl MORE CHALLENGING
ISO Hold
Isometric Hold Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl
Hold 5-10 seconds. At 90 degrees of flexion to really target the biceps, at 100 degrees to target the brachialis more.
Keep elbow bent
Keep Bend In Elbow Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl
Keep some bend in the elbow for the entire set – this will keep some tension on the muscles at all times. So you will not fully straighten your arms at the bottom.
Slow Eccentric
Slow Eccentric Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl
Take a full 5-10 seconds to lower the weight each rep- this put the muscles under tension for a longer period of time on the eccentric phase, which can really fatigue the muscle and promote muscle growth and strength.
MAKE IT EASIER
EASIER
MAKE THE Dumbbell Reverse Grip Curl MORE DOABLE
Seated
Seated Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curl
Seated so the focus can be on the lower arm movement. Less attention is needed to stabilize the torso.
Stability Ball
Stability Ball Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curl
Seated on ball decreases the core activation - so less than standing but more than sitting on bench or chair.
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
WHAT & WHY
BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE Brachialis & Brachioradialis
WHAT
WHAt's this all about anyway?
Strengthen OTHER Muscles At the Front of Our Arms ASIDE from our Biceps
The Zottman curl exercise will strengthen our biceps too, no doubt about that, but did you know we actually have other muscles in the vicinity of our arm where the biceps muscle is too?
One of them is called the brachialis. This is a smaller muscle that lies beneath the biceps muscle. But it's important too! And it also bends the elbow.
The brachialis muscle is able to "shine" more and be more a part of what we're trying to do when we bend our elbows with our palms facing down or facing each other - things like pulling a chair out from the table, or trying to pull that stinkin' freshly watched fitted sheet over the bed. Or holding a camera for a long time because you just don't want to miss any memories of that family beach gathering.
Because the biceps brachii is the strongest of the muscles that bend the elbow, in order to work the deeper, smaller brachialis muscle more effectively without the biceps taking over, we adjust our forearm position - when we turn our palms downward, this puts the biceps muscle in a stretched position that limits its ability to do the work.
WHY BOTHER DOING IT?
WHY
WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?
Ever Wish You Could Pull Yourself Up Better? Or Just Open Those Darn Vacuum-Seal Tupperware?
Training these muscles can really improve your pulling strength, especially when your palms are facing down - things like when hiking, pulling yourself up a larger rock/boulder, or when I try to get the lid of my vacuum seal glassware ;).
The reason to work the brachialis is because it is able to contribute in positions where the biceps muscle is not as strong. So for instance, typically, you can carry or lift more when your palms are up, but we also need to be able to lift and carry things with our palms in other positions right?
When the forearm is pronated (this is when your palms are facing down) the bicep is weaker but the brachialis is just as strong, regardless of what position the forearm is in.
These elbow flexor exercises involve positioning the forearm in varying degrees of pronation, neutral, and supination in order to target the different muscles.
EVERYDAY LIFE
EVERYDAY LIFE &
MUSCLE FUNCTION
HOW WE USE OUR bICEPS MUSCLES IN EVERYDAY LIFE
1. BENDING THE ELBOW
- Bringing your morning cuppa joe to your lips (I have cuppa black tea - doesn’t sound nearly as romantic)
- Lifting objects where you bend the elbows
- Weeding
- Pulling a door open
- Eating
- Moving furniture with desks & tables with palms underneath the top of the surface
- Hammering
2. ROTATING THE FOREARM SO THE PALM IS UP, ESPECIALLY WITH BENT ARM - SUPINATION (BICEPS BRACHII ONLY):
- Turning a doorknob
- Using a screwdriver
- Picking up your iPhone to look at it
- Knitting/Crocheting - repeatedly turning the palms down & back up
- Turning a can opener
- Hand-quilting
3. ROTATING (PRONATION TO SUPINATION) WHILE BENDING (FLEXING) AND STRAIGHTENING (EXTENDING) THE ELBOW
- Picking items up and putting them in your mouth - like picking and eating raspberries
- Brushing hair
- Treading water
- Playing tennis, golf
4. THE BICEPS BRACHII ALSO FLEXES (MOVES UP IN FRONT OF THE BODY) THE UPPER ARM - BUT THAT FUNCTION IS NOT TARGETED WITH THIS EXERCISE
HOW TO FEEL WHAT MUSCLE IS WORKING
How to Feel What Muscle is Working
Holding a dumbbell, bend the elbow to 90 degrees. You can feel the bulk of the muscles on the upper arm, and the biceps tendon as it crosses the eye of the elbow (where they insert the needle for blood draws) and insert on the forearm.
Rotate the forearm palm up and palm down, you will feel the muscles in the forearm (close to the elbow joint) working. Holding the arm still and placing your non-working arm around the forearm, move the wrist in all directions - you will feel all of the muscles in the forearm working to move the wrist - these are the same muscles that stabilize the wrist so that it does not move during the elbow flexion exercises.
SCIENCY STUFF
SCIENCY STUFF
SPIFFILICIOUS FACTS ABOUT MUSCLES & MOVES
About these muscles: The elbow is formed by three bones (the upper arm bone and two bones in the forearm) and three joints. THE ELBOW JOINT IS LARGELY A HINGE JOINT, where the two bones (ulna and radius) of the forearm form joints with the upper arm bone. The three main muscles that act to bend (flex) the elbow are the biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis. The biceps brachii has two heads that originate on the shoulder blade. The brachialis and brachioradialis muscles originate on the lower part of the upper arm bone (humerus). All three muscles cross the elbow to insert on the bones of the forearm. The biceps brachii and brachialis muscles make up the bulk of the front of the upper arm and when they contract, you can picture the lower arm (the forearm and hand) getting pulled up toward your body as the two muscles pull on the forearm bones they’re attached to.
The biceps brachii flexes the forearm (bends the elbow), supinates the forearm (turns the forearm so the palm is up), flexes the arm (lifts the arm to the front of the body). When the forearm is pronated (palm down), the biceps brachii becomes less capable of flexing the forearm. Attached to radius forearm bone. [does have an attachment to the ulna by the aponeurosis to the fascia].
The brachialis muscle flexes the forearm regardless of whether the forearm is pronated or supinated. When the forearm is pronated the brachialis is more capable of flexing the forearm than the biceps is. The brachialis is attached to MUCH of the upper arm bone, the humerus - about 2/3rds in fact! It’s the prime elbow flexor when the forearm is pronated. Attached to ulna forearm bone.
The brachioradialis is another elbow flexor - the belly of the muscle lies on the forearm-it originates on the bottom of the upper arm bone and attaches to the end of the radius (one of the bones in the forearm). It is most active when the forearm is between pronation or supination, as in hammering. The brachioradialis will contribute to elbow flexion in all forearm positions - the amount of contribution increases when the weight is heavy or the movement is fast (contributes when the biceps and brachialis need help). In the Zottman the brachioradialis will contribute most during the eccentric phase of the movement, when the forearm is pronated. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4526813/
Because the biceps brachii is the strongest of the muscles that bend the elbow, in order to work the deeper, smaller brachialis muscle more effectively without the biceps taking over, we adjust our forearm position - when we turn our palms downward, this puts the biceps muscle in a stretched position that limits its ability to do the work.
The bones of the forearm - the ulna and radius form a joint that rotates one bone across the other bone. The result is the ability to turn your hand over, from a palm up to a palm down position. When the forearm rotates, it changes the way the muscle works. Knowing this, it is possible to exercise the elbow flexors in a variety of different positions of the forearm to target specific muscles.
ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN
ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING THE Dumbbell Pronated Grip Bicep Curl
The shoulder and core stabilizers work throughout the movement to hold the spine in a neutral position, hold the shoulder blade down and back (depression and retraction), and to hold the upper arm still.
The brachialis and brachioradialis will work to bend the elbow. The wrist extensors (extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris) work to hold the wrist in a neutral position as the weight of gravity pulls down on the weight held in the hand.
The brachialis and brachioradialis work eccentrically to straighten the elbow and return to the starting position.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
