A preacher-braced Zottman curl that lifts with a supinated grip and lowers with a pronated grip, training biceps on the way up and forearms on the way down with strict pad support.
ArmsDumbbellElbow flexion
Start
End
Primary
Biceps brachiiBrachioradialis
Secondary
BrachialisForearm extensorsForearm flexors
Equipment
Dumbbell
Pattern
Elbow flexion
Setup
01Stand behind a preacher bench with the upper arms draped over the pad.
02Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing up.
03Let the arms extend nearly straight down the pad.
04Set a stable stance and lean lightly into the bench.
Execution
01Curl the dumbbells up with a supinated grip until the forearms are near vertical.
02At the top, rotate the wrists so the palms face down.
03Lower the dumbbells slowly with the pronated grip.
04Rotate back to palms up at the bottom and repeat.
Checkpoints
-Upper arms stay in contact with the pad through both phases.
-The wrist rotation happens only at the top and bottom, not mid-range.
-The pronated lowering phase takes 3 seconds or more.
-Elbows stop just short of hard lockout at the bottom.
Common mistakes
-Rotating the wrists halfway through the range.
-Dropping through the pronated lowering phase.
-Lifting the elbows off the pad during the twist.
-Loading so heavy the lowering grip fails.
Programming notes
-Use 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps with a load your pronated lowering can control.
-One exercise covers both curl and reverse-curl volume; program it in place of both.
-Best placed at the end of an arm session when strictness matters more than load.
