Preacher hammer curl

Also called hammer preacher curl, dumbbell preacher hammer curl.

What is a preacher hammer curl?

A preacher hammer curl is a dumbbell curl with a neutral grip and the back of the upper arm resting on a preacher pad. The palm faces inward as you bend the elbow. It trains the biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis. This guide teaches one arm at a time.

Side-view illustration of a seated one-arm preacher hammer curl, with the elbow nearly straight on the left and bent on the right, and the front upper arm highlighted.

How do you perform a preacher hammer curl?

Set up

Adjust the seat so the back of your working upper arm rests on the sloping pad, then plant both feet.
Sit with one dumbbell in your working hand, palm facing inward, and steady yourself with your other hand on the bench.

Execution

Lower the dumbbell until the elbow is nearly straight, keeping your upper arm against the pad.
Bend the elbow to bring the dumbbell toward the same shoulder without turning your palm upward.
Reverse smoothly and lower to the same starting position without lifting your upper arm.
Finish the set, put the dumbbell down under control and repeat with the other arm.

Common mistakes

Pulling the shoulder back to finish
Keep the upper arm resting on the pad. End the curl before you need to lift or slide it.
Turning the palm upward
That changes the chosen hammer grip. Keep the palm facing inward on the way up and down.
Dropping into the bottom
Use a weight you can lower smoothly and stop at a repeatable position before starting the next rep.

Where it fits in a session

Use it for arm work after your main pulling exercises or in a separate arm session.

Start with the arm you find harder to control and match its repetitions on the other side. Compare sets with the same pad adjustment, grip and lowering range.

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Primary

Secondary

None listed in this guide

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

These muscles bend the elbow. The list does not rank their contribution to this curl.

Variations

Hammer curlThe upper arms hang beside the torso instead of resting on a preacher pad.
Preacher curlThe linked version uses an underhand EZ-bar grip with both upper arms on the pad.
Cable hammer curlUses cable resistance and a rope attachment rather than a dumbbell and preacher pad.

Frequently asked questions

What muscles do preacher hammer curls work?

The biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis all help bend the elbow. This muscle list does not establish which contributes most in a preacher hammer curl.

How is this different from a regular preacher curl?

The hammer version keeps the palm facing inward. A dumbbell preacher curl uses a palm-up grip; both keep the upper arm supported on the pad.

Can I use two dumbbells at once?

Yes, if the pad has room for both upper arms. The illustration and steps here use one arm at a time; working both together is another way to perform the movement.

Should I straighten my elbow at the bottom?

Lower toward a nearly straight elbow while keeping control of the dumbbell. Do not bounce out of the bottom or force the joint past straight.

Do I turn my hand as I lift?

No. Hold the same neutral grip throughout the rep. Turning the palm upward makes it a supinated preacher curl instead.

Sources

Tiwana MS, Charlick M, Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Biceps Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK519538/
Plantz MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Brachialis Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK551630/
Lung BE, Ekblad J, Bisogno M. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Forearm Brachioradialis Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK526110/