Many of you may be aware of what bicep curls are and have already done them many times in your fitness journey. While these type of curls can often make your arms a little more prominent you may be unfamiliar with the rest. In this guide, we'll break down two of the most popular forms of curls-bicep curls and hammer curls. While there appears to be only a minute difference, the two exercises target entirely different muscles in your arms. We hope you will like this guide, as you will come to know about the hammer curl vs bicep curl.
What is a bicep curl?
The bicep curl works the biceps brachii muscle on the front of the upper arm. Stand and hold dumbbells with palms facing upward and then curl the weight toward your shoulders. Your elbows must stay beside the torso while you are lifting the dumbbells up.
Bicep curl muscles worked
As we discussed earlier, bicep curls are helpful in targeting the biceps brachii, especially the long head that is responsible for creating bicep muscle shape.
Dumbbell bicep curl form
Follow the steps given below to perform bicep curls with dumbbells:
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Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing straight with palms facing forward.
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Your elbows should be near your body and curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders.
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Squeeze your biceps at the top, and then gradually lower the dumbbells back down to the actual position.
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Your back should be straight and don’t swing your body.
What are hammer curls?
Hammer curls are another kind of bicep curl that focuses on working the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles, in addition to the biceps. Hammer curls are different from regular bicep curls, and are usually done by holding the dumbbells using a neutral grip, which means your palms will face each other throughout the exercise. This hand position puts more pressure on the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles, making your arms look fuller, thicker, and more defined.
What do hammer curls work?
We have listed the following muscles that are targeted by the hammer curl:
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Biceps brachii: It is the front of the upper arm.
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Brachialis: It is located under the biceps.
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Brachioradialis: It is a forearm muscle.
Hammer curl vs bicep curl
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Difference |
Bicep Curl |
Hammer Curl |
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Type of grip |
For a bicep curl, your palms are facing away from your body in the beginning, and in the top position, they face you. For this reason, you can use a pair of rubber hex dumbbell set, a barbell, or a set of kettlebells to perform bicep curls. |
When it comes to hammer curl, you use a neutral grip, which means your palms face each other throughout the exercise. Therefore, you can do it using dumbbells. |
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Starting position pressure |
In a bicep curl exercise, your elbows are fully extended, which means your bicep muscles are a little bit contracted even in the bottom position. |
Hammer curl uses a neutral grip that puts less pressure on the joints of your elbows, which means that, at the start, it will feel easier. |
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Muscle worked |
Biceps brachii |
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Bicep curl vs hammer curl: Which is right for you?
After looking at the strengths of the bicep curl and the hammer curl, what's going to be best to include for your arm workout? This answer really comes down to three things:
Your Goals: Hammer curls will help target those other two muscles in your arm and build a more balanced looking arm. If your main focus is developing the actual biceps and achieving that "peak", you'll want to incorporate bicep curls into your routine more heavily.
Variety and Progression: Introducing bicep curls and hammer curls together can provide for a good change to your workout to keep you from plateauing in the arms. Alternating between the two exercise or including different styles of the two can help make your arm workouts unique and keep you pushing your muscles differently. Pushing past where you've gone before weight and intensity-wise, will provide a chance for the arms to continue growing.
Personal Preference: This is going to factor heavily into the workout routine you choose. Some of you might be saying that bicep curls simply feel better or help hit a part of the arm they are looking for. Both are completely fine to do and the best way to discover which one is for you is to try out the arms.
Conclusion
In terms of hammer curl versus bicep curl, both exercises have the ability to strengthen and grow your arms. There is also no need to stick to only one exercise, because, in fact, supplementing bicep curls with hammer curls can work and strengthen both muscles. However, you can choose whether to perform the other movement depending on your primary fitness goals and ensure you work out both lifts, focusing on form as well as increasing the weight as you progress. You can get in touch with True Iron Fitness if you are looking to buy machines to target your upper body and lower body. Apart from dumbbells, we also supply Atlantis Strength machines, including the Atlantis Strength Shoulder Press, incline press, and other models are also available, and Hammer Strength machines as well.
