Dumbbell Supination Curls
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides and your hands turned out as far as they go. Keeping that position, slowly curl both dumbbells up and lower them slowly. Your hands stay turned out the whole time.
In supination curls your hands stay turned out the whole time, with your palms facing forward and up. In that position the biceps bends the elbow, with the brachialis and brachioradialis helping. Because your hands stay in the same position, there is just one movement: curl up and lower.
All you need is two dumbbells. It complements Dumbbell Rotation Curls, where your hands turn as you curl, and Dumbbell Hammer Curls, where your thumbs stay up.
From the studio: For me, this is the most isolated biceps exercise you can do standing with dumbbells. That is what I see in the studio.
Starting position
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand. Let your arms hang by your sides with your hands turned out as far as they go: thumbs pointing out, palms facing forward.
Now slowly curl both dumbbells up together. Your elbows stay under your shoulders for most of the way and only come slightly forward at the very end.
At the top, lower slowly and with control until your arms are straight again. Keep your hands turned out throughout.
The three cues
- Thumbs turned out as far as they go
- Curl slowly, lower slowly
- Elbows stay under your shoulders for most of the way
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your hands turn in as you curl | Keep your thumbs out the whole time, palms facing forward and up. |
| Your elbows drift forward right from the start | Keep your elbows under your shoulders for most of the way and let them come slightly forward only at the end. |
| You swing the dumbbells up | Go lighter and move slowly, keeping your upper body upright. |
| You let the dumbbells drop | Lower slowly and with control until your arms are straight. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Light dumbbells | Curl slowly and lower slowly with your hands turned out. Move on when every rep looks the same. |
| Full range, hands turned out | From straight arms to the top, elbows under your shoulders for most of the way, lower slowly. |
| Heavier dumbbells | Once tempo and hand position stay clean on every rep, add weight in small steps. |
Reps and load
Curl slowly and lower slowly through the full range. Choose a weight that lets your hands stay turned out on every rep.
The exercise fits well at the end of an upper-body session, for example alongside Dumbbell Hammer Curls.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Biceps, long head M. biceps brachii, caput longum | Prime mover | Bends the elbow and keeps the palm turned up |
| Biceps, short head M. biceps brachii, caput breve | Prime mover | Bends the elbow and keeps the palm turned up |
| Brachialis M. brachialis | Synergist | Lies beneath the biceps and bends the elbow whatever the hand position |
| Brachioradialis M. brachioradialis | Synergist | Runs along the thumb side of the forearm and helps bend the elbow |
| Front delts M. deltoideus, pars clavicularis | Stabiliser | Keep the upper arm under the shoulder and lift it slightly forward at the end |
| Forearms Mm. antebrachii | Stabiliser | Grip the dumbbells and keep the wrists straight |
| Core M. rectus abdominis, M. erector spinae | Stabiliser | Keeps the upper body upright and still |
With your palms turned up, both heads of the biceps bend your elbow, helped by the brachialis and brachioradialis. Your shoulders, forearms and core keep your upper arms, wrists and upper body steady.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the turned-out hand position and the slow curl from the side and from behind, and which muscles do the work. · 1:15
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
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Sources
Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, Toninelli N, Padovan R, Esposito F, Cè E. (2023). Biceps brachii and brachioradialis excitation in biceps curl exercise: different handgrips, different synergy. Sports (Basel) 11(3):64. DOI: 10.3390/sports11030064 — Measures muscle activity in 10 competitive bodybuilders during two-arm biceps curls (8-RM load, 6 reps) with a supinated, neutral and pronated grip. On the way up, biceps activity was higher with the supinated grip than with the neutral (+12%) and pronated (+19%) grips; the brachioradialis was also slightly higher supinated. The basis for saying the turned-out hand position works the biceps hard and the brachioradialis helps, measured with exactly the fixed supinated grip of this exercise. It does not support the idea that turning the hands out targets the short head. A very small, highly trained sample; there is no measurement specific to the Academy's target group (aged 40 to 60, training two to four hours a week). (Evidence type: EMG)
Pérot C, André L, Dupont L, Vanhoutte C. (1996). Relative contributions of the long and short heads of the biceps brachii during single or dual isometric tasks. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 6(1):3–11. DOI: 10.1016/1050-6411(95)00016-x — Compares long- and short-head biceps activity during isometric elbow flexion, supination, and both at once. Both heads were more active during supination than during flexion alone, and most active when flexion and supination were combined, with an even distribution in every participant. The basis for listing both heads as prime movers and for saying the turned-out position works both heads alike. It shows no preference for the short head. Isometric, no dumbbells, sample size not given in the abstract. (Evidence type: EMG)
Jamison JC, Caldwell GE. (1993). Muscle synergies and isometric torque production: influence of supination and pronation level on elbow flexion. J Neurophysiol 70(3):947–960. DOI: 10.1152/jn.1993.70.3.947 — Measures the biceps (short and long heads) and brachioradialis in 20 healthy people during maximal isometric elbow flexion while they also produced a supination or pronation effort. Flexion plus supination increased biceps activity, flexion plus pronation reduced it; the brachioradialis showed the opposite. The basis for the biceps' double job in the muscle table. Isometric, no dumbbells. (Evidence type: EMG)
Boland MR, Spigelman T, Uhl TL. (2008). The function of brachioradialis. J Hand Surg Am 33(10):1853–1859. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2008.07.019 — Uses fine-wire electrodes in 10 people (9 men, 1 woman, aged 34 ± 10) to measure the brachioradialis during elbow flexion in three forearm positions with loads of 0 to 67 N. Activity did not differ between positions (23 ± 5% of maximum when bending, 11 ± 5% when lowering); the authors describe it as an elbow stabiliser regardless of forearm position. The basis for listing the brachioradialis as a synergist not tied to the hammer grip. A small sample, and the closest in age to the target group. (Evidence type: EMG)
Mannarino P, Matta T, Lima J, Simão R, Freitas de Salles B. (2021). Single-joint exercise results in higher hypertrophy of elbow flexors than multijoint exercise. J Strength Cond Res 35(10):2677–2681. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003234 — An 8-week study in 10 untrained men: one arm trained single-arm dumbbell curls, the other single-arm dumbbell rows (4–6 sets of 8–12 reps, twice a week). Elbow flexor thickness rose by 11.06% with curls and 5.16% with rows. The basis for presenting the exercise as direct training for the elbow flexors. A very small, young sample; it compared curls instead of rows, not curls on top of rows — in other studies (Gentil 2013, de França 2015), adding curls to multi-joint exercises brought no measurable extra gain. (Evidence type: Intervention study)
Augustin F, Piñero A, Enes A, et al. (2025). Do cheaters prosper? Effect of externally supplied momentum during resistance training on measures of upper body muscle hypertrophy. Int J Exerc Sci 18(3):329–342. DOI: 10.70252/GDBL2230 — An 8-week study in 30 young adults: one arm did biceps curls and triceps extensions strictly, the other with momentum (4 sets of 8–12 reps to failure, twice a week). Muscle thickness and arm circumference increased similarly in both. So the page justifies working without swing by control over the movement and the weight, not by more muscle growth. There is no study on injury risk from swinging, which Andreas mentions in the explainer video. (Evidence type: Intervention study)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.