10 Hammer Curls Benefits You Need To Know About 2025

The dumbbell hammer curl is a powerful variation of the standard dumbbell curl, designed to work your arms in a more functional way.

By using a neutral grip, where your palms face your body throughout the movement, you engage not just the biceps but also the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.

That said, hammer curls benefits include building biceps thickness, enhancing forearm strength, and developing balanced arm size by targeting muscles often overlooked in traditional curls.

10 Hammer Curls Benefits

Hammer curls aren’t meant to replace standard curls, but to complement them. Including both in your routine helps target all the major arm muscles.

Targets The Brachialis And Brachioradialis Muscles

The neutral grip of the hammer curl shifts the focus away from the biceps brachii and places greater load on the brachialis and brachioradialis. The brachioradialis originates on the upper arm bone, crosses the elbow joint, and attaches to the forearm. It plays a big role in developing the size and strength.

The hammer curl also provides a great brachialis workout, especially when performed with proper form. If you’re wondering how to do hammer curls correctly, start with moderate weights, focus on controlled reps, and avoid swinging. This ensures you’re isolating the target muscles effectively. A well-developed brachialis can visibly push the biceps brachii upward, helping your arms look bigger from all angles.

Improves Grip Strength

The brachioradialis is one of the most powerful muscles involved in forearm gripping. Hammer curls activate this muscle directly, helping to build grip strength and improve functional arm strength. So, a stronger grip isn’t just useful in the gym. It’s essential for everyday tasks like carrying bags, opening jars, or holding onto objects securely.

Reduces Wrist Strain

The neutral grip of the hammer curl means you don’t need to rotate your wrist into a supinated or pronated position. Your wrist stays neutral throughout the movement, which reduces unnecessary joint stress. That’s why neutral grip curls are often recommended for minimizing wrist discomfort.

This makes hammer curls a smart option for anyone focused on preventing wrist strain with hammer curls, especially those managing past injuries. Considering that wrist issues account for around 25% of all sports-related injuries, choosing low-strain movements like this one may help keep you training consistently and safely.

Supports Elbow Stability

Hammer curls also help stabilize the elbow joint by strengthening the muscles that surround it. This added strength improves joint support and reduces the likelihood of injury during upper body training or day-to-day tasks.

The improved control from hammer curls can help reduce strain on the tendons. This is particularly useful for minimizing overuse injuries such as tennis elbow, which affects the outer part of the elbow and is common in repetitive functional arm strength movements.

Helps Correct Muscle Imbalances

The hammer curl is typically performed with dumbbells, making it a unilateral training exercise. This allows you to work each arm independently, which helps balance strength and muscle growth between your right and left sides. It’s one of the key benefits of hammer curls, especially for those looking to correct imbalances caused by barbell lifts.

This makes hammer curls a valuable addition to your lineup of upper arm workouts. Research also shows that unilateral training may lead to greater strength gains than bilateral movements. To maximize results, you can also explore the best variations of hammer curls that target each arm from different angles.

Boosts Muscle Endurance

Hammer curls also help improve muscle endurance in the arms. By consistently performing high-rep sets with proper form, you challenge the brachialis and brachioradialis to resist fatigue. This leads to better performance in extended workouts and daily tasks that require repeated arm use, such as lifting or carrying objects over time.

Enhances Mobility And Flexibility

Hammer curls can support better mobility and flexibility in the elbow and forearm. The controlled curling and lowering motion reinforces a full range of movement, especially when performed with proper form. Over time, this may help improve joint function and reduce stiffness, making it easier to perform both workouts and everyday tasks that involve bending and rotating the arm.

Increases Bicep Size And Strength

The hammer curl builds size and strength in the brachialis muscle, which lies beneath the biceps brachii. As this muscle grows, it may push the biceps up slightly, contributing to a more pronounced shape. This visual effect is often referred to as biceps peak enhancement.

Because of this, the hammer curl is frequently labeled a bicep peak exercise. While genetics play a major role in your ability to develop a peak, exercises that emphasize the brachialis can help accentuate whatever shape you’re naturally predisposed to.

Builds Full Forearm Size

The hammer curl is a valuable addition to your upper arm exercises, helping you develop the entire arm, not just the biceps. One of the key hammer curl benefits is its strong focus on the brachioradialis, which builds the top and outer portion of the forearm. This muscle, located between the elbow and mid-forearm, is often undertrained.

By emphasizing this area, the hammer curl improves both size and definition in the forearms. Combined with other biceps and triceps movements, it contributes to well-rounded arm development.

Adds Versatility To Your Workouts

The hammer curl can be done with a variety of tools. While most commonly performed with dumbbells, you can also use a cable machine, barbell, or resistance bands. This versatility makes it one of the more adaptable upper arm exercises, especially in crowded gyms or home setups with limited equipment.

How To Do The Dumbbell Hammer Curl

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides and palms facing your body.
3. Keep your elbows tucked in and your upper arms still as you curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders.
4. Maintain a neutral grip, palms facing each other, throughout the movement.
5. Lift until the weights reach shoulder height.
6. Pause briefly at the top and squeeze your biceps.
7. Lower the dumbbells slowly back down with control, keeping the same grip, until your arms are fully extended.

Tips For Doing Hammer Curls 

• Keep your elbows tucked in at your sides to avoid momentum and ensure proper muscle engagement.
• Use a full range of motion by curling up to shoulder height and lowering until your arms are fully extended.
• Move with a slow, controlled tempo to maximize tension, especially during the lowering phase.
• Engage your core by bracing your abs and keeping your spine neutral throughout the movement.
• At the top of the curl, squeeze your biceps to enhance muscle activation and improve results.

What Muscles Do Hammer Curls Work?

Hammer curls may look simple, but they activate more than just your biceps. Thanks to the neutral grip and controlled motion, this exercise hits multiple upper arm and forearm muscles at once. Here’s a closer look at the primary and supporting muscles involved.

Brachioradialis

Muscle located between outside portion of your forearm from the elbow to the wrist.

Biceps Long Head

Most outside part of your bicep.The front of your upper arm.

Brachialis

Muscle which starts at the middle of your upper arm and connects just below the elbow.

Brachioradialis

The brachioradialis is a long, thin muscle located on the top of the forearm. It runs from the lower portion of the upper arm bone to the radius, one of the forearm bones. This muscle plays a key role in bending and rotating the forearm.

Because of the neutral arm position used in hammer curls, this exercise strongly activates the brachioradialis. Regularly training it can help boost forearm strength, making daily tasks like lifting and gripping easier.

Biceps Long Head

Hammer curls also engage the long head of the biceps brachii. The outer portion of the biceps that starts at the scapula. This head plays a major role in elbow flexion and helps stabilize the shoulder during upper arm movements.

Although hammer curls do activate this area, exercises like incline curls or preacher curls may target it more directly. Still, including hammer curls in your upper arm workouts adds variety and supports overall balance, which is key for muscular development.

Brachialis

The brachialis is a thick, deep muscle that lies beneath the biceps brachii. It becomes highly active during elbow flexion, especially when using a neutral grip, as in hammer curls.

Targeting this muscle can enhance biceps thickness by pushing the biceps upward and outward. It also improves grip strength and stability during pulling movements, making it one of the key hammer curls benefits for a more powerful and balanced upper body.

Variations And Modifications

There are several variations of the hammer curl, each one emphasizing a different area of your arm muscles.

Dumbbell Cross-Body Hammer Curl

A popular variation of the hammer curl is the dumbbell cross-body hammer curl. Instead of curling straight up, you bring the dumbbell across your torso toward the opposite shoulder. This diagonal movement shifts more emphasis to the forearm and introduces slight shoulder involvement, adding variety and challenge to the exercise.

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. Keep a neutral grip with your palms facing your thighs.
3. Lift the right dumbbell across your body toward your left shoulder, keeping the movement controlled.
4. Slowly lower it back to the starting position.
5. Repeat the same motion with your left arm.

Tips

• Keep your elbow tucked at your side throughout the movement.
• Guide the dumbbell close to your body as you lift.
• At the top, squeeze your bicep for maximum contraction.
• Lower your arm with control back to the starting position.

Cable Hammer Curl

The hammer curl can also be performed using a cable machine. This cable hammer curl variation provides constant tension on the biceps and brachialis throughout the entire range of motion, especially during the lowering phase. Using cables also minimizes momentum, forcing your arms to do all the work and making the movement more controlled.

How To Do

1. Stand facing a cable machine with a rope attachment, and choose a weight that matches your strength level.
2. Position your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your hips squared forward.
3. Grab each end of the rope with a neutral grip, palms facing each other.
4. Brace your core as you inhale.
5. Exhale and curl the rope upward toward shoulder height, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Maintain control and avoid swinging.
6. Pause briefly at the top, focusing on squeezing your biceps.
7. Inhale as you slowly lower the rope until your arms are fully extended, keeping tension on the muscles.

Tips

• Keep a neutral grip throughout the curl, with your palms facing each other as you lift the rope.
• Move in a steady, controlled manner and avoid using momentum or swinging the cable.
• Always warm up beforehand to increase blood flow and prepare your muscles for the workout.
• Stop immediately and consult a fitness professional before continuing if you feel wrist pain.

Zottman Curl

The Zottman curl is a powerful variation of the hammer curl. You start with a neutral grip as you curl the weights upward. At the top of the movement, rotate your palms to a palms-down position, then lower the dumbbells slowly. This shift places extra emphasis on the forearms during the eccentric phase of the exercise.

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides using a neutral grip.
2. Curl your right arm up to shoulder level.
3. At the top, rotate your wrist so your palm faces downward.
4. Lower the dumbbell slowly and with control back to the starting position.
5. Repeat the same steps with your left arm, alternating sides until you complete your reps.

Tips

• Keep your elbow tucked at your side the entire time.
• At the top of the curl, squeeze your bicep to maximize engagement.
• Lower the weight slowly and with control to emphasize the eccentric phase.

Conclusion

The hammer curl helps build the thicker, more muscular part of the forearm while also activating the biceps. Including it in your bicep workouts with dumbbells can support upper arm development, improve elbow stability, and enhance functional arm strength. Among the most notable hammer curl benefits are its ability to promote size, symmetry, and reduce injury risk, making it a smart addition to any training routine.

Frequently Asked Questions