Exercise library

How to do the Standing Dumbbell Reverse Curl

A intermediate isolation exercise using dumbbell, working the biceps.

Primary musclesBiceps
Secondary musclesForearms
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeIsolation
ForcePull

Steps

  1. To begin, stand straight with a dumbbell in each hand using a pronated grip (palms facing down). Your arms should be fully extended while your feet are shoulder width apart from each other. This is the starting position.
  2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the muscle.
  3. Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back to starting position as your breathe in.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Tracking it in OneRep

Add the standing dumbbell reverse curl to a routine and your previous weight and reps sit beside every set, so the decision to add load is made by what is already on the screen rather than by memory. Exercise history and volume trends are one tap away, and logging works offline for the gyms where signal does not reach.

Because OneRep tracks food on the same timeline, a stall on this lift can be read against what you were actually eating that month — which is the difference between a programming problem and an eating one. More on that in tracking progressive overload without a spreadsheet.

Where the instructions come from

The steps above come from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. They are general guidance, not coaching for your body: if a movement hurts, stop and get someone qualified to look at it.