Building biceps, forearm and wrist strength

Biceps are the large upper arm muscles, located at the front of your arms. As a mobile personal trainer I use resistance bands to utilise this exercise. A typical bicep curl has the wrists facing up, whereas the hammer curl (in the video) has the wrists turned inwards.

The action is the same as a regular barbell or bicep curl, but the hammer curl has added benefits. This curl also builds forearm and wrist strength due to the way the wrists are aligned.

Your feet are typically shoulder width apart whilst performing this exercise, and as with most exercises always breathe out on the exertion. In this case, the exertion phase is the upward curl bringing the wrists to your shoulders.

So, why breathe out on the exertion phase? Simply, this is a more natural action to do and assists with giving you more power performing the exercise.

So how could you structure the hammer curl in a workout? I personally do these in sets and reps and a lot depends whether you are going for hypertrophy (bigger muscle, lower rep, higher resistance) or muscular strength endurance (stamina).

The hammer curl is a great exercise, and not one to overlook!