Concentration Curl

beginner · isolation

Setup

Sit on the edge of a flat bench with your feet wider than your hips and knees bent. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and rest the back of your upper arm against your inner right thigh with the arm nearly straight.

Execution

Brace your belly lightly and rest the free hand on your left thigh for balance.
Exhale and curl the weight up over 1-2 seconds, moving only the forearm around the braced elbow.
Stop as the weight nears your shoulder, turning the wrist slightly so the little finger finishes higher than the thumb.
Squeeze the biceps for one beat, then inhale and lower over 3 seconds until the arm is nearly straight.
Finish the reps on one side, then switch hands, without lunging the torso or swinging on the way down.

Breathing

Exhale as you curl, inhale as you lower. Bracing the elbow on your thigh means you never need to hold your breath for balance.

Quick cues

Elbow braced firm on the inner thigh.
Little finger finishes above the thumb.
Only the forearm swings the elbow.
Do not lunge the body to help.
Light and clean beats heavy and jerky.

Common faults

Fault: Lunging the whole torso forward to drag the weight up
Fix: Drop one weight increment and keep the working shoulder locked directly above the hip.
Fault: The elbow sliding off the thigh mid-set
Fix: Sit lower so the thigh sits flatter and press the elbow down firmly on every rep.
Fault: Letting the weight drop fast at the bottom
Fix: Count to three on the way down and stop just before the elbow locks out hard.
Fault: Rotating the wrist right from the start instead of at the top
Fix: Keep the palm facing in until halfway, and only rotate through the last third of the range.

Equipment

dumbbell, bench

Muscle groups

arms