Beginner exercise

Dumbbell Twist Curl

  • Muscle Growth
  • Bodybuilding

Technique

How to perform Dumbbell Twist Curl

  1. Stand with your feet hip‑width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand near the *inner* end of the handle (right next to the inside plate), letting your arms hang at your sides with palms facing in toward your thighs.
  2. Brace your core, pull your shoulders gently back, and keep a slight bend in your knees.
  3. This is your starting position.
  4. Exhale as you begin curling the dumbbells upward.
  5. At the same time, actively twist (supinate) your wrists so your palms rotate from neutral to fully facing the ceiling by the time your forearms reach roughly parallel to the floor.
  6. Continue lifting until the dumbbells approach shoulder height, squeezing your biceps and maintaining the fully supinated wrist position to maximize peak contraction.
  7. Pause briefly, then inhale as you lower the dumbbells under control, *reversing* the twist so your palms rotate back to neutral just before your arms are straight again.
  8. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions, keeping your elbows pinned at your sides and avoiding any momentum or swinging throughout the set.

GymDaze demonstration

Watch Dumbbell Twist Curl

Programming relevance

Muscles involved

Primary targets: Biceps Brachii Short Head, Biceps Brachii Long Head.

MuscleScoreRole
Biceps Brachii Long Head0.9Target, Mover
Brachialis0.5Mover
Brachioradialis0.5Mover, Stabilizer