Alternating Dumbbell Seated Hammer Curl

How to do the Alternating Dumbbell Seated Hammer Curl

1. 1Sit on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your torso and arms extended down.
2. 2Keep your back straight and your elbows close to your torso.
3. 3Exhale and curl the dumbbell in your right hand towards your shoulder, keeping your upper arm stationary.
4. 4Continue to raise the dumbbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level.
5. 5Pause for a brief moment, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
6. 6Repeat the movement with your left arm.
7. 7Continue alternating arms for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Lower for three seconds and stop just short of locking out the elbow to keep the muscle under tension.

Muscles worked

Common mistakes

• Elbows drifting forward — as the elbows come up the front delt starts to lift the weight; pin the elbows to your sides and let only the forearm move.
• Swinging from the hips — a small rock backward on each rep means the weight is too heavy; drop it and curl from a dead stop.
• Cutting the bottom short — stopping with the elbow bent shortens the range where the biceps are stretched; lower until the arm is nearly straight.
• Wrists curling at the top — flexing the wrist toward you brings the forearm flexors in; keep the wrist neutral or slightly extended.

Where it fits in a workout

Curls go at the end of a pull session or arm day, after the rows and pulldowns that also load the biceps. Superset them with a triceps pushdown or extension.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

When to talk to someone

• Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
• Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
• Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

More exercises

• All arms exercises
• All biceps exercises
• All dumbbell exercises
• Dumbbell biceps exercises
• Alternating Banded Biceps Curl
• Seated Banded Biceps Curl
• Banded Concentration Curl
• Single Arm Banded High Curl
• Seated Close Grip Barbell Concentration Curl
• Standing Barbell Concentration Curl

Sources

1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.