A proper biceps curl will have you bend the arms at the elbows with either the elbows being kept down by your sides (in line with the body) or in front of your torso.
The proper way to do a basic curl, as with most exercises, is to extend the arm fully. People often do not fully extend the arm either because they want to have more time under tension (to get a quicker pump) or they find it easier, especially while cheating (this is useful for negatives).
With your elbows close to your sides just in front of your ribcage, rotate your palms up as you curl the weights towards your shoulders. Fully contract your biceps at the top of the curl. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Avoid unnecessary rotation of the shoulders or wrists during curls. Keep the movement slow and controlled, focusing on elbow flexion to lift the weight. Rotation can shift the emphasis away from the biceps brachii and involve other muscles like the pronator muscles, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise.
Leaning Forward During the Curl
Most lifters will produce a forward lean during the curl either at the start of the movement or when the weight gets challenging, as this shortens the range of motion that the bicep needs to perform work.
Campbell: To do a biceps curl with a dumbbell, hold a dumbbell with your palm facing upward. Slowly curl the weight up by bending your elbow, keeping your elbow close to your body. Then slowly lower the weight to the starting position. You'll feel tension in the muscles in the front of your upper arm.
If your goal is endurance and lean muscle, use a lighter weight and perform one to three sets of 12 to 16 reps with at least one day of rest in between. For maximum results, switch up your workouts. Don't do the exact same routines every session.
Ensure your elbows are close to your torso and your shoulders are unshrugged. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale as you curl the weights up to shoulder level, rotating your wrists outwards, while contracting your biceps.
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.
The average Barbell Curl weight for a male lifter is 103 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Barbell Curl? Male beginners should aim to lift 38 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.
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.
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.
With your elbows close to your sides just in front of your rib cage, rotate your palms up as you curl the weights toward your shoulders. Fully contract your biceps at the top of the curl. Reverse the movement to return to the start. That's 1 rep.
Start that rotation early, before your forearm is parallel to the ground. By doing that, you insure that you're keeping the curl focused on your biceps and not the brachialis. And keep attacking that rotation for the life of the curl: You should finish each curl by twisting as aggressively as you can at the very top.
However, exercises such as curls and deadlifts can increase the risk of a biceps tendon injury if not performed correctly. Overexertion or excessive weight during a set of curls is a leading cause for biceps tears and it is one of the primary ways this type of injury can occur.
Natural History. Partial tears may heal and may need protection during healing. Complete tears of the biceps tendon do not heal naturally as the tendon is pulled up into the arm by the biceps muscle.