Are hammer curls better than bicep curls?

Author: Jake Medhurst  |  Last update: Monday, June 30, 2025

So, which is better? It really depends on your goals. If you're looking to build bigger biceps, then you should focus on bicep curls a bit more than hammer curls. However, if you're just looking to tone your arms and don't really care about building bigger biceps, then either exercise will work just fine.

Are bicep curls more effective than hammer curls?

Bicep curl vs hammer curl – is one best for massive arms? Any curl variation will build muscle and strength (That's just a side effect of weight training). The bicep curl will maximize bicep size while the hammer curl will make your brachialis and brachioradialis muscles larger and stronger as well. Read the full comp.

Can you build biceps with just hammer curls?

Yes, hammer curls are effective for building biceps, not just forearms. Hammer curls primarily target the brachialis muscle, which is located underneath the biceps and contributes to overall arm thickness. However, hammer curls also engage the bic...

Can I replace bicep curls with hammer curls?

Hammer curls are great for developing parts of your bicep as well as targeting your forearms and wrists. On the other hand, the bicep curl is better at targeting your entire bicep as a whole. There's a reason why this exercise is used by so many to build their arms.

Do hammer curls make biceps look bigger?

Hammer curl more exercises the brachioradialis which helps to push the biceps out and make it look larger as the brachioradialis grows larger. Biceps has a role in the hammer curl but that's not the primary muscle being exercised. But still useful in making the biceps at least appear larger.

Which Biceps Curl is Best For Your Biceps (IT MATTERS!!)

Is hammer curling 50 pounds good?

The average Hammer Curl weight for a male lifter is 51 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Hammer Curl? Male beginners should aim to lift 18 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.

Which bicep curl is most effective?

Arguably the most efficient exercise in yielding maximum bicep growth, a recent study by the American Council on Exercise found that the seated concentration curl yielded 97% bicep activity in contrast to EZ-bar curls (wide grip 75%; narrow grip, 71%), incline curls (70%), and preacher curls (69%).

Should I go heavy on hammer curls?

One potential downside to hammer curls is that they can place stress on the elbow joints if performed with too much weight or using improper form. To avoid this, be sure to use a light weight and focus on using good form throughout the entire movement.

How to get a wider bicep?

The best exercise for growing the bicep muscle is any variation of the curl. Curls are best done using a barbell and weights or a set of dumbbells. If you're training in the gym, sitting at a bench or using the preacher curl machine can help to further concentrate tension on the bicep muscle, leading to bigger gains.

Why can I lift more on hammer curls than bicep curls?

Standard curls also train biceps supination (rotating the forearm outward), another function of the muscle. Since you're not including that rotation with the hammer curl, you'll have an easier time working with more weight. And as Samuel says: "Bigger weight equals bigger muscles."

Do hammer curls build a bicep peak?

The incline hammer curl is a great exercise to target the long head of the bicep, which will contribute to building a bigger peak. The incline bench will place the elbow back more to expose the long head and train the fullest range of motion, and the neutral hammer grip will emphasize the long head as well.

How long should I rest between sets?

Rest between set durations should be based on sets/exercise (volume), and not load or training goal. General recommendations include moderate (2 min) rest between sets if performing 2 sets/exercise, long rest (3 min) if performing 3 sets/exercise, and very long rest (> 4 min) if performing 4 sets or more/exercise.

Why don't I feel hammer curls in my biceps?

If you don't feel it much in your biceps on hammer curls you're actually doing nothing wrong. The hammer curls bias your brachialis + brachioradialis — not your biceps brachii.

Do hammer curls hit a long head?

While hammer curls activate mostly the long head of the bicep, a traditional bicep curl activates the shorter head of the bicep. The shorter bicep head is what produces more of the muscle peak you might be looking for when trying to fill out those t-shirts.

Do pull ups work biceps?

The next muscle that gets worked out when you do a pull-up is your bicep. Although many people might think that doing bicep curls is the only way to train your biceps, this isn't true. Any type of pulling motion, such as a pull-down, a pull-up, or rowing, utilizes your upper arms, engaging your biceps.

How many sets of biceps per week?

Volume and Frequency

Research suggests that hitting a muscle group 2-3 times per week yields the best results for muscle growth. Therefore, you should aim for 12-20 sets per week for optimal biceps development.

What exercise gives you the biggest biceps?

Studies have proven that bicep curls, performed with the EZ bar, are one of the best exercises for big biceps [3]. Unlike a straight bar, the EZ bar only requires a semi-supinated grip due to the angle of the bar.

Do pushups work the biceps?

Do Push Ups Work Biceps? Whilst the biceps help to stabilize the shoulder and elbow joints during the lowering phase of a push up, they don't directly work the biceps. If your goal is to build your biceps, you'd be better off focusing on bicep isolation exercises such as bicep curls, hammer curls, or chin ups.

Are biceps hard to grow?

The biceps muscle is a small muscle group and limited to elbow flexion only. Clients can experience issues when trying to build bigger biceps because they simply do too much. This happens as a result of adding too many isolation exercises on top of the main compound exercises of each workout.

Do hammer curls make arms look bigger?

Want thick, juicy biceps that pop out of your T-shirt? Then you should probably be doing more hammer curls. This curl variation shoots a powerful pump through your biceps and forearms that lead to big gains in a different way than traditional bicep curls.

Can you do 5x5 for biceps?

Stronglifts 5×5 is high volume for your shoulders, triceps and legs. It's medium volume for your chest, back and biceps. A common beginner mistake is to misinterpret this to mean that medium volume does nothing. Beginners often jump to high volume from day one because they want results fast.

Is it better to curl heavy or light?

Not necessarily. Whether you choose to lift light weights or heavy weights is often a matter of personal preference. Both will achieve the goal of making your muscles stronger, assuming you work out to the point of muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue means you can no longer do more reps in proper form.

Is a straight or curved bar better for bicep curls?

The straight bar promotes a supinated/underhand grip — when your palms face you — which results in better bicep activation during curls. You can use the Olympic straight barbell for squats, bench presses, and bent-over rows.

How to get biceps wider?

Here are three of the best compound moves that will treat all your arm muscles equally.
  1. Try These: Military Press.
  2. Dips.
  3. Close-grip bench press.
  4. Try this: Reverse-grip bicep curl.
  5. Try this: Cable bicep curl.
  6. Try this: Barbell bicep curl.
  7. Diamond push up.

Is 5 bicep exercises too much?

Within a single week (microcycle) of training, we recommend between 2 and 5 different biceps exercises. For example, if you train biceps 3x a week, you can do a heavy barbell curl on one day, a lighter barbell curl on the next day, and a machine one-arm curl on the last day for 2 total exercises in the week.

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