Dumbbell Spider Curls Exercise How-To

Dumbbell Spider Curls

Like their sibling, the concentration curl, spider curls do a perfect job of placing maximum tension on the biceps in the fully contracted position. As an alternate, spider curls can be done with a barbell instead of dumbbells.

Starting Position

After grabbing a dumbbell in one hand, position your arm on the vertical side of a preacher bench pad with the top of the pad close to, or in, your armpit. As an alternate, you can hang your arm off the back of an incline bench or something similar. The point is to offer support and stability to your upper body while allowing your arm to hang straight down.

Execution

Begin the exercise by contracting the working biceps and curling the weight up to the fully contracted position. Your upper body and upper arm should stay stationary, no rocking backward to generated momentum! After pausing in the fully contracted position for a full second, slowly return the dumbbell to the starting position. Make sure to go all the way down, just a smidge short of full elbow extension.

Sets and Reps

Perform three sets of between 10 and 12 repetitions each.