Zottman Curl

Grab two dumbbells like a bear holding honey jars. Curl up with palms facing you, then twist your paws over at the top and lower slowly with palms down. Your biceps do the lifting, your forearms do the controlling. Keep elbows tucked, move smoothly, and grow sturdy bear forearms.

Instructions

1. Stand tall holding dumbbells at your sides with palms facing forward (supinated grip).
2. Brace your core and keep elbows close to your torso.
3. Curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders without swinging.
4. At the top, rotate your wrists so palms face down (pronated grip).
5. Lower the dumbbells slowly under control with palms down.
6. At the bottom, rotate back to palms up and repeat.

Benefits

• Builds biceps strength and size through a strong supinated curl
• Trains forearm extensors and brachioradialis during the pronated eccentric
• Improves grip-related endurance and wrist control
• Adds variety and balance to arm training

Key Points

• Curl up with palms up, lower with palms down.
• Keep elbows pinned near your ribs; only the forearms should move.
• Control the lowering phase to get the forearm benefit.
• Use a weight you can rotate smoothly without wrist strain.

Common Mistakes

• Swinging the torso or using momentum to start the curl
• Letting elbows drift forward, turning it into a front-delt movement
• Rushing the lowering phase and losing the forearm emphasis
• Over-rotating the wrist or bending it back under load
• Using too much weight and turning the movement sloppy