Biceps · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Curl
The dumbbell curl is an isolation movement in which the lifter holds a dumbbell in each hand and bends the elbow to raise the weight toward the shoulder.
How is the dumbbell curl performed?
Standing or seated with a dumbbell in each hand and the arms hanging straight, the lifter bends at the elbow to bring the weight up toward the shoulder, then lowers it back under control until the arm is straight again. The upper arm stays roughly still — the movement happens at the elbow. Arms can be curled together or alternately, and because the dumbbells are not fixed to a bar the wrist is free to rotate through the lift.
What does the dumbbell curl train?
The dumbbell curl isolates the elbow flexors, chiefly the biceps, with almost nothing else contributing. Its value against the barbell curl is that each arm works independently and the wrist can rotate freely, which suits lifters who find a fixed bar position uncomfortable. It is an accessory movement rather than a measure of overall strength.
How does orcatrain score the dumbbell curl?
Log the weight of a single dumbbell, not the pair. Dumbbell curl is scored on its own as an orcatrain strength score, computed with the DOTS coefficient applied to your estimated one-rep max — bear in mind that a coefficient built for a whole-body powerlifting total is a blunt instrument on a single-joint accessory movement, so the number is most useful compared against your own history rather than against anything else.
Every scored set is turned into an estimated one-rep max, and that estimate is scored with the DOTS coefficient against your bodyweight and sex — so a set is comparable with your own past work and with lifters of a different size. Sets above ten repetitions are recorded but not scored: the estimate is a curve fit that stops being honest past that point, so orcatrain returns nothing rather than a confident guess. Weights are stored in kilograms.
Track your progress on Dumbbell Curl.
Movement names and groupings come from Strength Level, where you can also see their strength standards for this movement. DOTS is computed by orcatrain itself.