Arms · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Seated Drag Curl
How to do the dumbbell seated drag 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
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Curl the weights up while dragging your elbows back behind your body, keeping the dumbbells close to your torso instead of swinging them out front. Squeeze the biceps at the top, then lower under control.
- 1Your biceps contracting as you drag the weights up your torso
- 2Your elbows pulling back behind your body during the curl
- 3A hard squeeze at the top with no momentum
Common mistakes
- Letting the dumbbells swing out away from your body
- Using your shoulders or back to heave the weight
- Dropping the weights quickly on the way down
Muscles worked
The dumbbell seated drag curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Rear DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell seated drag 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 June 2026.