Hammer Curl
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
Neutral grip = brachialis = the muscle that makes arms look thick.
Coaching profile
brachialis option. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeHow to do it
Setup
- Neutral grip (palms facing in), elbows at the sides, stand tall.
Execution
- Curl with a neutral grip, keep the elbows still, squeeze, control down; no swinging.
Common Errors
- Swinging the torso
- Elbows drifting forward
- Half reps
- Rotating the wrist and losing the neutral grip
Cues That Work
- Keep the elbows quiet; curl the thumbs toward the shoulders; own the lowering phase
No-Fly Zone
under 5 reps
Programming
Sequence priority
Late
Low fatigue isolation — a finisher; trains the arm muscles supinated curls miss.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — Triple
Double progression: 8→12, then the next dumbbells, reset.
Best program fit
Pull, Upper
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Standing vs incline; cross-body vs straight; grip.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Pause and squeeze; slow eccentric; full stretch.
Step 3
Implement swap
Cable rope hammer curl, cross-body curl, or reverse curl.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Cable rope hammer curl, cross-body curl, or reverse curl.
Compare all biceps optionsThe Evidence
Builds the brachialis and forearms for arm thickness. Does NOT bias the biceps peak — supinated curls do.
SFR — 4
Put the exercise inside a system.
Get the companion workbook, trackers, program files, and community support.