Body Movement
- Lift one dumbbell toward the shoulder, rotating the arm as it moves up so that the palm with dumbbell is now facing upward (supine) and the elbow is pointing to the ground with the forearm almost vertical. One arm at a time is called a unilateral exercise.
- Lower to the side position and perform the same movement with the other arm and continue to alternate until the set is complete.
- A variation is to do the exercise bilaterally, that is with both arms at the same time. Refine the unilateral lift first before moving on to this exercise.
- Try ten exercises with each arm for three sets. If this is too much to start with, don't reduce the weight but do five exercises with each arm.
Check Points
- Don’t pull the dumbbell so far back that the forearm moves beyond a vertical position. That is, don’t have the dumbbell headed over your shoulder.
- Concentrate on good form rather than rapid execution, at least when starting out. Feel the ‘burn’ when doing these exercises.
- Don’t recruit the shoulders and torso when doing the dumbbell curl, which can end up as a twisting and heaving movement. Concentrate on the arms. Choose lighter weights or reduce the repetitions if this occurs.
That's it. Most people, men and women, detect a noticeable increase in strength -- and bulk for some -- with this exercise.
The next exercise is the triceps pushdown.If you need to, check out the the top ten list and the basic training and safety information.
