Zottman Curl
A biceps curl that flips grip halfway through, curling up with palms facing up and lowering with palms facing down. It suits intermediate lifters wanting to train both the biceps and forearms.
How to do the zottman curl
- Stand tall holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing each other.
- Keep your upper arms close to your torso as your starting position.
- Curl both dumbbells up while rotating your wrists so your palms face up at the top.
- Pause at the top, squeezing your biceps hard for a moment.
- Rotate your wrists so your palms face down, then lower the dumbbells slowly using that grip.
- As the dumbbells near your thighs, rotate your wrists back to the starting neutral grip.
- Repeat the full sequence for the rest of your set.
Original library instructions (8 steps)
- Stand up with your torso upright and a dumbbell in each hand being held at arms length. The elbows should be close to the torso.
- Make sure the palms of the hands are facing each other. This will be your starting position.
- While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weights while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Your wrist should rotate so that you have a supinated (palms up) grip. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the biceps.
- Now during the contracted position, rotate your wrist until you now have a pronated (palms facing down) grip with the thumb at a higher position than the pinky.
- Slowly begin to bring the dumbbells back down using the pronated grip.
- As the dumbbells close your thighs, start rotating the wrist so that you go back to a neutral (palms facing your body) grip.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Common mistakes
- Rotating the wrists too early or too late; time the rotation right at the top and bottom.
- Swinging the torso to help curl the weight up; keep your body still throughout.
- Rushing the palms down lowering phase; that portion should be slow and controlled on purpose.
- Letting the elbows drift forward; keep them close to your sides for the whole movement.
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Sets, reps and rest |
|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps, 90 seconds rest |
| Muscle | 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, 60 to 90 seconds rest |
| Endurance | 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, 45 to 60 seconds rest |
Ranges, not prescriptions. Start at the low end and add a set or a rep when every set feels controlled.
Tips
- Use a lighter dumbbell than your normal curl weight, since the palms down lowering phase is more demanding.
In the app: this exercise is one of 873 in GymPilot's library, with the same photos, form cues and a link back to the moment in an imported video it came from.
Questions
Is the zottman curl good for beginners?
It works better once a standard dumbbell curl feels easy, since coordinating the wrist rotation at the top and bottom takes some practice to time well.
What muscles does the zottman curl work?
It mainly trains the biceps on the way up, with the forearms getting extra work during the palms down lowering phase.
