Zottman Curl

What is the Zottman Curl?

The Zottman curl is a two-in-one dumbbell curl: you curl up with a supinated (palms-up) grip to hit the biceps, rotate to a pronated (palms-down) grip at the top, then lower under that reverse grip to load the forearm. One rep trains both the biceps and the forearm through their strong and weak phases.

Muscles worked

Primary: Biceps

The biceps drives the supinated lift while the brachialis and brachioradialis take over on the pronated lowering, so the movement loads elbow flexion through both a palms-up and a palms-down phase.

Secondary: Forearms

The forearm muscles work especially hard eccentrically, controlling the descent under the weaker pronated grip.

How to perform the Zottman Curl

1. Stand holding dumbbells at your sides with a supinated grip, elbows tucked and the palms facing forward.
2. Curl the dumbbells up with the underhand grip exactly like a standard dumbbell curl, biasing the biceps on the way up.
3. At the top, rotate the wrists so the palms face down, switching to a pronated grip before you begin to lower.
4. Lower the dumbbells slowly in that pronated position, which loads the brachioradialis and forearm extensors on the eccentric.
5. The whole point is training the biceps concentrically and the forearm on the strong eccentric within one rep.
6. At the bottom, rotate back to the supinated grip and repeat the curl-up, pronate-down sequence.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation with a grip switch at the top: elbow flexion supinated on the way up, then a pronated eccentric on the way down, upper arms fixed at the sides. Curling up strong and lowering under the weaker reverse grip is what trains both the biceps and the forearm in one rep.

Form cues

• •Curl up with the palms turning up to load the biceps as in a normal curl.
• •At the top, rotate the wrists to palms-down before you begin lowering.
• •Lower slowly under the pronated grip: this reverse phase builds the forearm.
• •Rotate back to palms-up at the bottom to start the next rep.

Common mistakes

• •Forgetting to rotate to a pronated grip at the top, which skips the forearm-building eccentric.
• •Rushing the pronated descent, which is the entire point of the exercise.
• •Swinging the torso to heave the weight up on the concentric.
• •Going too heavy so the pronated lowering cannot be controlled.

Variations & alternatives

• •Dumbbell curl, a straight supinated curl without the reverse-grip lowering.
• •Reverse curl: trains the pronated phase on its own with a bar.
• •Hammer curl, a neutral grip biasing the brachialis and forearm.
• •Wrist curl, direct forearm-flexor work to complement the forearm loading here.

Barbell Curl

Biceps · Barbell

Dumbbell Curl

Biceps · Dumbbell

Hammer Curl

Biceps · Dumbbell

Cable Curl

Biceps · Cable

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps · Dumbbell

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the Zottman curl in the library’s 10–15 rep range as an efficient biceps-and-forearm accessory. Because the pronated lowering is the weak link, keep the load light enough to control the descent, which is where the forearm stimulus lives. A couple of sets rounds out arm training after your pulling work.

Frequently asked questions