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Exercise guide
Zottman Curl
A standing dumbbell curl that lifts with a supinated grip, rotates to palms-down at the top, and lowers in pronation to combine biceps work with a forearm-heavy eccentric.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- biceps brachii · brachialis · brachioradialis · forearm extensors
- Goals
- hypertrophy
- Equipment
- Dumbbells
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, arms extended at your sides, and a dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing forward.
- Keep your upper arms beside your ribs and curl both dumbbells toward your shoulders without swinging the torso.
- At the top, keep the elbows bent and rotate the forearms until the palms face down.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly with the pronated grip until the arms are straight.
- Turn the palms forward again at the bottom and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Use less weight than for a standard dumbbell curl; the palms-down lowering phase is usually the limiting part.
- Rotate through the forearms while keeping the wrists straight rather than bending them around the handles.
- Keep the elbows close to the ribs and avoid turning the curl into a shoulder swing.