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The hammer curls is a variant of the dumbbell curl. The variation between the hammer curls and the dumbbell curl is that you’ve got to keep your thumbs facing towards you. The hammer curl works hard on your bicep muscles and also the forearms at the same time!

There are many reasons to do the hammer curls exercise. The hammer curls benefits from having the neutral wrist position. With a regular dumbbell curls you might feel that weakness in your wrists for the last few repeats; it is not the same with the hammer curls. The hammer curls also restricts your range of motion when your wrists becomes parallel to the floor. This keeps the pressure in your bicep muscles.

There are two main types of hammer curls: one is the standing hammer curl and the other is inclined hammer curls. Basically, both hammer curls do the same thing.

Process

Hammer curl setup: Get hold of two dumbbells and stand up straight. Place your arms by your side and facing towards your body.

Hammer curl exercise: Now squeeze the dumbbells tightly and raise your arms. Keep rising unless your forearm becomes parallel with the floor. At the top of the Hammer Curls remember to pause and press your muscles hard. Finally lower down your arms to the starting position.

Tips for the hammer curls

Throughout the whole hammer curls exercise is to keep your elbows locked to your sides. Incase through the course of your exercise if you find your elbows are moving forward consider lowering your weight.

Do not lean back! The hammer curl is no different when compared with all other exercise. Use the muscles of your biceps to move the weight and not your bodyweight!

You can choose from doing the hammer curl with one arm or two arms at a time. In fact all experts advise on using one arm hammer curl at a time. That way you get to focus your energy!

It is not true that the hammer curls are only for biceps, this exercise in a strange way helps your whole body. The biceps are so designed that when the hand is held with the palm facing up (supine) it automatically puts all the muscles fibers in the strongest of their most natural pulling position, thus allowing employment of the maximal fiber. More the fibers are involved means more development of the muscles is going to take place.

A lot in the same way as with the reverse barbell curl or reverse dumbbell curl is chosen by the bodybuilders the Hammer curls works as an alternative way to work on your biceps. The hammer curl is repetitively chosen for this very purpose also.
Nevertheless, as with the reverse curl, the hammer curls involves the biceps a little less than the regular bicep curls and is more an exercise for the brachialis of the forearm.

If you are firm on making the most out of your exercise for your biceps, then a hammer curls is a  must recommend. The main reason being, that the involvement of the biceps is limited. This keeps the biceps under a lot of tension and pressure working all the times, rather than the alternative methods which makes some time for rest available in between repetitions.

Concentration curls for biceps are usually effective for building up bicep mass and peak. However, this exercise should be done in moderation as too many set repetitions may lead to muscle overtraining. Concentration curls using dumbbells are done in the following method:

Sit at the end of a flat bench. Keep your legs stretched apart, so that your elbows may be firmly placed on your thighs. Hold a medium weight dumbbell with your hands facing upwards. Now lean forward slightly, and plant one of your arms into the inner side of your thigh and just allow the weight to hang. This constitutes one repetition of the concentration curl. Repeat this exercise till the point at which you feel you cannot repeat it anymore.

The main benefit of the concentration curls is that it brings out the detail and height of your biceps. In order to develop your biceps properly, a proper workout routine for mass, strength and height must be followed. While doing the curl, remember that you should be bent over, with the weight hanging all the time. If you’re a beginner when it comes to body building, make sure you start with the concentration curls right away, because it takes a few months to get used to this exercise. If you’re an intermediate or an advanced body builder, you should be performing this exercise at least twice a month.

If you want to do concentration curls on a bench then these are the steps you should follow:
Sit on a bench with your legs spread to at least 90 degrees. Reach down and grab the dumbbell between your feet using an underhand grip, and with your palm facing out. Sit up and place the back of your upper arm against your inner thigh. Make sure that your arm is hanging in a straight line to your shoulder. Lift the dumbbell to the front of your shoulder, at the same time being careful that you don’t lean the curl. Then lower the dumbbell until your arm is extended. Once the desired number of repetitions is finished, switch to the other arm.

The original big bicep building exercise that is used by the bodybuilders since the 70′s is the concentration curl. The concentration curl segregates each bicep muscle, which ensures that your bicep becomes responsible of doing all sorts of work.

Concentration curl is of two different types. The first one is a dumbbell concentration curl and the second one is cable concentration curl.

The first question arises why you should use the concentration curl?

As mentioned earlier, the concentration curl is responsible to fully isolate each of your bicep muscle. As a result no other muscles of yours can help to move the weight. The more bicep work you do the more muscle building and strength you acquire! Again since you get a free arm in the concentration curl, your other arm can be used as a spotter for the arm you are working.

Here is the detail of the steps how to do a concentration curl correctly. Like all the different bicep building exercises following a strict regime is a must.

How is one supposed to do a concentration curl the correct way?

• The correct Concentration curl setup:At first sit yourself at the end of a flat bench. Make sure that your legs are apart and they lean forward slightly. Get hold of a dumbbell in one hand ensure that your palm is facing upward and remember to rest your elbow on the inner side of your thigh, thus letting the dumbbell to hang.
• Concentration curl exercise:  Now slowly pull the dumbbell up, as if curling, at the same time keeping your elbow tightly in place against your thigh. When you do the curling, remember to turn your wrist towards the outside that is to supinate. Now at the top of the movement squeeze your bicep for count one and then slowly come back to the position you have started from and then repeat the whole process.
• Result of Concentration curl!

When working with concentration curl biceps usually become bigger. You can lift as much weight which is your usual. Since your bicep muscles are made to work all 100%.

Always remember to start your concentration curl regime with a little light weight exercise and warm up schedule. Never rock your body too much when doing concentration curl. You should move the weight not with your shifting bodyweight, but with your bicep muscle. Keep your biceps flexible and your body still.

Make it a point not to focus on how much weight you are lifting, but focus on clutching your bicep muscle hard.

What you benefit from Concentration curl?
The benefit of concentration curl exercise is that you gain strength and your biceps gain on muscles.

Variations
The cable concentration curl is almost similar to the dumbbell concentration curl. You have to sit on a bench the same way as you do the dumbbell concentration curl, but in place of the dumbbell hold the cable handle and pull it towards you. Some bodybuilders have a preference for the cable concentration, but you can always go with the original to get the same effect with a dumbbell. Using the dumbbell is much comfortable.

Now that you have a knowledge of concentration curl, use one in your bicep workout regime.

Almost everyone has done the dumbbell curl, but if you really want to isolate the muscles of your biceps without a lot of cheating, then try doing the incline dumbbell curl.
If the incline dumbbell curl is done correctly, in that way you will be giving yourself a much better workout which you deserve.

The incline dumbbell curl exercise is a bicep training exercise. This exercise works at the highest point area of the bicep. The curling motion of this exercise primarily uses the muscle and the strength of the biceps. When lifting a weight upwards in the form of an arc, the muscles of the biceps get contracted to such an extent after which no further movement is possible. It is important that you keep your elbow just next to your body during the process of exercise so as to keep the required amount of stress on the biceps. The biceps are then made to extend, lowering the weight at the back in the course of completing the arc, coming back to the start position.

There is a little difference between an incline dumbbell curl and the usual seated incline dumbbell curl. The difference between the two dumbbell curl is that in an inclined one you are carrying out this exercise at an angle and this allows you to put pressure and give your biceps a constant tension.  This steady continuous pressure will help you to make your biceps much stronger. This is possible since there is less resting time per cycle. Another incline dumbbell curl benefit is that when you are stretching your biceps at the time of the downward movement, this movement allows your biceps to grow a lot faster.

Here is a little knowledge on how the incline dumbbell curl exercise is done:

1. Setting up of the incline dumbbell curl can be done by setting a bench at a position which is 30-45 degree in inclination and sitting a pair of dumbbells at the last part. A trick of this exercise is that the lower is the inclination; the more challenging is it to do the exercise. So it is advisable to keep the inclination at 30 degrees.
2. Now sit on this bench and pick up the dumbbells. You are supposed to lie on your back and remember to keep your back flat on the padding. Now you are suppose to hold the dumbbells with an underhand grip keeping your palms facing up.
3. Take the slack up in your arms, this is done by slightly bending them, this will put enough pressure and tension on your biceps. This should be your starting position for the incline dumbbell curl exercise.
4. Now remember to keep your elbows fixed all the time, slowly curl both the dumbbells up as far as you can. Now squeeze your biceps and slowly lower the back to the position you started with.
5. Complete about 2-3 sets with almost 8-10 repeats

Incline Dumbbell Curl Advice & Tips

For the maximum bicep benefits, always keep the repeating times slow. Control the weight you are carrying. Remember to keep your elbows fixed, do not allow the elbows to come forward when you curl up the weight. This exercise can be done by simultaneous or in simultaneous-alternating manner.

Dumbells are the ideal exercise option for those who are real fitness freaks. Standing dumbell exercises help people who are looking to build up their biceps and triceps. It entails a lot of hard work but the efforts do pay off if it is done regularly and with a good attitude. Serious fitness is something which all people must really aspire towards. However it is not as easy as it sounds. There are different kinds of exercises that one can do with the dumbells. Different exercises have different effects on the body.

• Curl
• Press
• Extension

Doing a dumbell curl:

This exercise is done to target the biceps brachii. There is a certain way to prepare for this exercise as well. You have to posit the dumbells on the sides with facing in palms. Your arms will have to be straight. Lift one dumbell and then rotate the forearm till it is vertical and your palm is in front of your shoulder. Once that is done then you should put your arm back to its original place and repeat the process with your other arm. This exercise will also help to release the tension in your muscles while you are repeating the exercises. This is a standing dumbell curl.

What is a dumbell press?

This is a slightly heavier and difficult exercise. But for those who want to do it, it is always a good idea for a fit body. This is ideal for those who want to go in for body building and things like that. To do this, you have to take a pair of dumbells first. Once you are done with that, slowly lift them above your head. While doing this you back should be straight at all times. Also your legs should be apart the breadth of your shoulder.
You should have the dumbells in both your hands with the palms facing front. Do not lock your elbows when you are lifting them. Lower them slowly. This whole standing dumbell press should be done very slowly. Otherwise you will hurt yourself.

Do a dumbell extension:

Ideally, you should do them single arm. As in, one dumbell at a time. Or this can put too much staring on your body and dumbells are really heavy. When you are on your feet, firstly lean over very slowly. This should be done while you are holding the dumbell in your arms. The arm should be at your side at an angle of ninety degrees. Now, slowly push your arm out with your elbow in. when your arm is fully extend, bend your arm a little. Also put some tension on the triceps. Again slower your arm very slowly. Do this with the other arm now. This is a  standing dumbbell extension.
Do these exercises daily and properly. Soon having the perfect body will not be a dream anymore. It will be reality.

Who wouldn’t want a great body to die for? It is natural for you to lust for those perfectly toned or muscular bodies that you see in the Hollywood films. Everyone wants that. But for those why not do some Seated shoulder press  exercises? Yes, you cannot achieve such perfection by sheer magic. You need to do some exercises and work to get that body. With hard wok and regularity you will be able to work wonders. Shoulder press exercises are really very helpful in that sense of the term.
Doing an orthodox one is really very easy. Take the dumbells and and make sure that they are on side of your shoulders. Your elbows should be positioned below your wrists. Once you are prepared for that, press the dumbells in an upward direction. Do it slowly. Continue till both your arms are stretched above your head. Once you start lowering your arms bring them to the side of your shoulders. Repeat this activity.

Exercises for beginners:

There are certain ways that beginners should use while doing this exercise or they are liable to get hurt. First of all be careful while choosing the dumbell. It should be around 3 pounds for starters. Sit down with your feet firmly planted on the floor. With your palms facing forward, hold the dumbells at shoulder height. They should be stretched out at arms length over your head. Keep the press in front of your body a little bit. This will lead to less arching of the back while doing seated shoulder press exercise.

Welcome to the machine:

Dumbells tend to look really scary and so do barbells. But these are the main equipment needed for the shoulder press exercises. So if you want to do them, what is the solution? Fear not, the machines are here. You can use the shoulder press machine which makes it slightly easier and less strenuous. This is a safer choice because it is less dangerous. Especially if you have an existing injury in your joints, then a machine is easier. It gives much more support and stability. The  seated shoulder press machine has a few advantages:

• Safer and stabler than dumbells or barbells.
• You can concentrate on a particular group of muscles.
• You do not have to constantly bother about lifting the heavy weight while keeping the feet steady. Some exercises become easier and more effective if you know the correct way of doing them. Little tips and tricks really come in handy at that time. Different tricks include:
• Military Press-Your heels should be together.
• Push Press-Use some leg drive.
• Jerk.

Thus there are many seated shoulder press technique. Use them properly and see the results.
It is all a matter of disciple. If you keep going, your body will reap the benefits of what you have done.