Reverse Biceps Curl
A curl with an overhand grip: palms facing down or back, you curl a bar, dumbbells or a cable bar toward your shoulders, working your biceps along with your forearm extensors.
Equipment
- Primary muscles
- Biceps
- Secondary
- Forearm extensors
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Biceps
- Secondary
- Forearm extensors
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Biceps, Forearm extensors
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Biceps
- Secondary
- Forearm extensors
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
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Why do it
Reverse curls build the top of the forearm and the brachioradialis along with the biceps, so they suit anyone who wants bigger forearms or a stronger grip for pulling. The overhand grip makes the forearms the limiting factor, so expect to use noticeably less weight than on a normal curl. The EZ bar is usually the most comfortable on the wrists, a straight barbell or cable bar works if your wrists don't mind, and dumbbells let each hand find its own angle.
How to do it (Cable)
Attach a straight bar to the low pulley and stand facing the machine, feet shoulder-width apart.
Grip the bar overhand at about shoulder width, arms straight and elbows at your sides.
Curl the bar up toward your chest without moving your upper arms.
Lower it slowly to full extension. Expect to use noticeably less weight than on an underhand curl.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing back.
Curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders without moving your upper arms.
Lower them slowly to full extension.
The overhand grip loads the brachioradialis and wrist extensors, so you'll use noticeably less weight than on a standard curl.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the EZ bar overhand on the angled sections, hands about shoulder-width apart.
Hold the bar in front of your thighs with your arms straight and your elbows at your sides.
Curl the bar up to shoulder height without moving your upper arms.
Lower it slowly to full extension. The overhand grip shifts work from the biceps to the brachialis and forearms, so use less weight than on a normal curl.
Stand tall holding a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
Curl the bar up toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows fixed at your sides.
Squeeze at the top with your wrists straight.
Lower slowly until your arms are straight. Use less weight than for a normal curl; the forearms are the limiting factor.
Common mistakes
Letting the wrists sag
The overhand grip pulls your knuckles down, and many people let their wrists bend. Keep your wrists straight in line with your forearms from bottom to top.
Loading it like a normal curl
Your forearms give out well before your biceps here. Start with clearly less weight than you curl underhand and build up from there.
Swinging the elbows forward
Bringing your elbows forward at the top lets your front delts finish the rep. Keep them pinned at your sides through the whole curl.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
