Seated Dumbbell Curl

What it is

This is a classic isolation exercise that specifically targets your biceps, the muscles on the front of your upper arm. You perform it seated, using a dumbbell in each hand to flex your elbow joint. The movement helps to build strength and definition by focusing entirely on bicep contraction.

Technique tips

• Keep your upper arms locked against your sides throughout the movement.
• Exhale as you curl the dumbbells up, inhaling as you slowly lower them.
• Twist your wrists during the curl so palms face forward at the top.
• Squeeze your biceps forcefully at the peak of the contraction.
• Control the weight on the descent for increased muscle engagement.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.