The dumbbell lying wide curl is an isolation exercise targeting the bicep, performed while lying flat on a bench with dumbbells. It emphasizes the outer portion of the bicep and also engages the forearms.
Also Works
Forearms
How to Perform
1
Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing up and arms fully extended.
2
Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
3
Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
4
Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
5
Inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
6
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Start with your arms extended out wider than shoulder width, angled slightly outward from the bench.
•Curl the dumbbells in a wide arc toward your shoulders, keeping the elbows fixed in the wide position.
•Focus on squeezing the inner (short) head of the biceps at the top since the wide angle emphasizes this portion.
Common Mistakes
•Bringing the elbows in toward the body during the curl, which narrows the grip and changes the muscle emphasis.
•Using too much weight, which causes the arms to collapse inward and turns this into a standard curl.
•Not extending fully at the bottom, missing the unique stretched position this exercise provides.