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Exercise library · Biceps

Band hammer curl

Curl for the biceps with a resistance band.

How to do it

1 of 3

Palms facing each other

  1. Starting position

    Stand on the middle of the band with your feet hip-width apart and hold one end in each hand with your palms facing each other.

  2. The movement

    Bend your elbows and bring your hands toward your shoulders with the same grip, then lower until your arms are almost straight.

Most common mistake

Don't turn your palms upward, keep them facing each other throughout the movement.

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Muscle group
Biceps
Equipment
Resistance band
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

With your palms facing each other, your biceps share the work with two other elbow flexors: the brachialis underneath and the brachioradialis on the thumb side of the forearm. The grip gives the brachioradialis good leverage, so your forearm does more than in a band curl with palms up. Holding the band tightly for the whole set also trains your grip a little. The resistance rises the higher you go, so the top half is the hardest.

Common mistakes

  • The band rolls in your hand. Held loosely in your fingers, the band twists and digs in. Lay it across your palm and close your whole hand around it, or use a band with handles.
  • Your hands drift towards the middle. As the band stretches it pulls your hands towards your feet, and many people let their forearms slide in front of the body. Keep your hands in line with your shoulders, and set your feet a little wider if the band still pulls inwards.
  • Only doing the hard half. It is tempting to stop partway up, where the band is already taut, and pump out reps at the top. Lower until your arms are almost straight on every rep.

Variations and alternatives

  • The hammer curl is the main exercise, with dumbbells and the same grip, when you have weights to hand.
  • The band curl turns your palms up with the same band and puts more of the work on your biceps.
  • The reverse curl is done with a barbell and palms down, when you are at the gym and want to train your forearms even more.

Sets and reps

Most people do well with two or three sets of 12 to 20 reps, and with a heavy band 10 to 12 can be enough. It pairs nicely with the band curl: one set of each back to back with the same band, resting only after both. For which rep range fits your goal, see the guide to sets and reps.

Once 20 reps feel easy, make each rep harder rather than adding more: hold the top for a second, lower over three seconds or use two bands. Log what you did so you know what to beat next time. Harder reps over time are progressive overload too.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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