Arms · Dumbbell
Cross Body Hammer Curl
How to do the cross body hammer curl, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Curl
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other. Curl one dumbbell across your body towards the opposite shoulder, keeping your elbow tight to your torso. Lower and repeat on the other side.
- 1Feel your biceps and brachialis as you curl the dumbbell across your body
- 2Keep your upper arm close to your torso and wrist neutral
- 3Squeeze at the top and lower under control
Common mistakes
- Avoid swinging your torso or using momentum
- Don't let your elbow drift away from your side
- Avoid bending your wrist; keep it aligned with your forearm
Muscles worked
The cross body hammer curl mainly works the biceps and forearms.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsPrimary
- Front DeltsMinor
Cross Body Hammer Curl strength standards
See how your cross body hammer curl ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM20 lb
Silvere1RM35 lb
Golde1RM55 lb
Platinume1RM77.5 lb
Diamonde1RM90 lb
Champione1RM102.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the cross body hammer curl for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More biceps exercises
- How to do the resistance band bicep curl
- How to do the resistance band hammer curl
- How to do the barbell bicep curl
- How to do the cable bicep curl
- How to do the cable hammer curl
- How to do the overhead bicep curl
Last reviewed April 2026.