Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl
A preacher curl with a neutral hammer grip, so the brachialis and brachioradialis share the elbow flexion.
How to do it
- Set the preacher seat so the upper arms lie flat on the pad from armpit to elbow.
- Sit with the chest against the support and a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
- Let the arms extend until the elbows are almost straight, wrists neutral.
- Curl both dumbbells toward the shoulders by bending only at the elbows.
- Squeeze at the top without lifting the upper arms off the pad.
- Lower under control to the stretch and repeat.
Key technique cue
Keep your upper arms on the pad and don't lock out the elbows at the bottom.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Letting the elbows slide up the pad, which shortens the range the arms actually work.
- ✕ Locking the elbows hard at the bottom, which dumps load onto the joint.
- ✕ Twisting the dumbbells into a supinated curl mid-rep, which drops the hammer bias.
- ✕ Heaving the torso off the pad to start the weight, which turns an isolation into a cheat curl.
Benefits
- ✓ The pad removes momentum so the elbow flexors take the load at every speed.
- ✓ A hammer grip trains the brachialis and brachioradialis that a palms-up curl under-hits.
- ✓ Two dumbbells let each arm work without a barbell or an EZ-bar.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl
- Dumbbell Incline Hammer Curl
About the exercise
The dumbbell hammer preacher curl is elbow flexion on an angled pad with the palms facing each other. The pad takes the shoulders and hips out of the lift, so the arms cannot swing the bells up. A hammer grip shifts more of the work onto the brachialis and brachioradialis than a supinated preacher curl, while the biceps still flex the elbow. Both arms work at once, with a dumbbell in each hand and the upper arms flat on the pad.
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