Incline dumbbell curls can be helpful but you may want something else. Discover alternatives to incline dumbbell curls with similar effects.
By changing the angle of your body you do the bicep curl with your elbow behind your body. This makes it so incline dumbbell curls work your biceps brachii, more specifically the long head (outer part), slightly more.
That means that incline dumbbell curls can help you build muscle mass, burn calories, and offer other typical exercise benefits.
Whether you don’t enjoy incline dumbbell curls, you don’t have an incline weight bench, or you want an alternative for any other reason, these alternatives to incline dumbbell curls can offer you some or all of the same benefits.
1. Drag curls
Take the following steps to do a drag curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Throughout the movement, you move your elbows back. The dumbbells basically follow the same line as your body.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
If you don’t have an incline bench at home or in the gym, drag curls are basically the closest alternative to an incline bench bicep curl.
Your elbows start right next to your sides but as you raise your hands, your elbows get to the same position as during an incline bench bicep curl.
In turn, similar to incline bench bicep curls, drag curls focus slightly more on the biceps brachii and more specifically the long head.
2. Regular bicep curls
Regular standing bicep curls are likely the first exercise that comes to mind if you think about training your biceps. Take the following steps to do a standing bicep curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with a supinated grip which means with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
Standard bicep curls definitely have a different elbow position and thus a slightly different ratio of muscle engagement.
However, it is important to remember that while there is a difference, it is not hundreds of percents. A typical bicep curl is still a great way to target the biceps brachii and the long head of this muscle.
3. Crossbody curls
Take the following steps to do a crossbody curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly bring the dumbbell of one side to the shoulder of the opposite side as far as possible by folding your arms at the elbow. Keep your upper arm as much in the same position as possible but it will inevitably have to move to be able to do the movement.
- Lower the dumbbell back into starting position in a controlled motion.
- Repeat with the dumbbell on the other side.
One way to focus more on the long head of the biceps brachii is by moving your elbows back. Another alternative way is by changing the upward angle of the exercise.
By doing crossbody curls instead of the regular version you can also focus slightly more on the long head.
4. Close-grip underhanded lat pulldowns
For this next incline bicep curl alternative, you need a cable machine and a lat pulldown attachment. Often the lat pulldown has its own cable machine setup in the gym.
This is basically a seat with pads to brace your upper thighs against in front of a cable machine. The pads are there so you don’t pull yourself up during the exercise.
You may also be able to do lat pulldowns with resistance bands at home or in the gym if you have some type of straight bar resistance band attachment.
Take the following steps to do a close-grip underhanded lat pulldown:
- Take place the seat with your legs anchored behind the thigh pads. Select the desired weight.
- Grab the handle with an underhanded grip, this means hand palms facing backward, with your hands close to each other. Lean back slightly with your upper body.
- Slowly pull down the bar by folding your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together until the bar reaches your chest.
- Lower the bar back into the position of step 2 in a controlled motion.
As the name implies the main version of this exercise mainly focuses on your latissimus dorsi also known as your lats. Similar to pull-ups vs chin-ups, by changing your grip this exercise also engages your biceps a nice amount.
Close-grip underhanded lat pulldowns are more of a substitute if you are looking for a bicep compound exercise. To target the long head of the biceps brachii muscle specifically this is not the best exercise choice.
5. Reverse curls
Reverse curls are another alternative with more of a different focus. Take the following steps to do a reverse curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with a pronated grip which means with your hand palms facing backward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
By changing your grip you focus more on the brachialis muscle, a deeper upper arm muscle that helps with volume, and the brachioradialis muscle, a forearm muscle, compared to regular bicep curls.
If this is something that interests you but you still want a bit more biceps brachii muscle engagement, you can take the middle road and do hammer curls.
6. Behind the back cable curl
Take the following steps to do a behind the back cable curl:
- Set the cable machine low to the ground, attach a D-grip handle, and select your desired weight.
- Take the D-grip handle with one hand and take a step or two forward. Stand with your back toward the cable machine, with one leg forward and one leg back to brace yourself against the weight. Keep your arm with the grip in one line with the cable.
- Slowly fold your arm with the handle at the elbow as far as you can. Keep your upper arm in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower your hand with the weight back into the position of step two in a controlled motion.
- Repeat the same number of repetitions with your other arm.
Because of the ability of the cable machine to add resistance at any angle, you can do curls with your upper arms at the same angle as incline bicep curls but while standing up straight. In turn, you target the same upper arm muscles.
One downside of behind the back cable curls is that you are not seated or lying down. You still have the potential to use the rest of your body to move the weights.
7. Waiter curls
Take the following steps to do a waiter curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Hold one dumbbell with both hands. The dumbbell starts vertical and your hands hold it right under the upper of the two weights with hand palms facing upward. Keep the dumbbell as low as possible.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbell back into starting position in a controlled motion.
The main thing that makes waiter curls a good incline cable curl substitute is that it shifts the upward angle slightly more inward. This leads to more focus on the outer of the two brachii muscle heads.
Waiter curls do not change the upward angle as much as crossbody curls. In turn, you can work out two arms at a time.
8. Chin-ups
The pull-up is a classic compound exercise. Chin-ups are the same bodyweight exercise done with a reverse grip. This makes it so you put more focus on your bicep muscles.
It is true that you need something to do the pull-up on but even if you currently don’t have something like this, a doorway pull-up bar is relatively inexpensive.
Take the following steps to do a chin-up:
- Hang from the pull-up bar with your hands at about shoulder-width with your hand palms facing backward.
- Pull your body up slowly until your shoulders are the height of the bar.
- Lower your body again into starting position in a controlled motion.
Chin-ups are another incline bicep curl alternative with a compound focus. This exercise will also help you train a variety of upper back muscles.
If you want to train your biceps at home but you have no free weights available, chin-ups could be an option. In other cases, most of the other options on this list are better for isolating your bicep muscles.
