Like the regular curl shown previously, the hammer curl targets the biceps muscles. But, because the hands are rotated in, the forearms also get a bit more attention in this exercise. Changing the hand position can also make the exercise challenging in a different way, so you can do these in combination with regular curls or barbell curls to target the full range of the biceps and the forearms.
- Stand with feet about hip-width apart, abs engaged as you hold medium-heavy dumbbells in front of the thighs.
- Turn the hands so that the palms face each other and squeeze the biceps to curl the weights towards the shoulders.
- Keep the elbows stationary and only bring the weight as high as you can without moving the elbows.
- Slowly lower the weights, keeping a slight bend in the elbows at the bottom (e.g., don't lock the joints and try to keep tension on the muscle)
- Repeat for 1-3 sets of 8-15 reps.