Arms · Dumbbell
Incline Curl
How to do the incline 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
See it in motion
How to do it
Sit on an incline bench holding dumbbells with palms facing up. Curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders, keeping elbows fixed. Lower slowly.
- 1Sit on an incline bench with arms hanging and curl the dumbbells, feeling a deep stretch at the bottom and strong contraction at the top
- 2Keep your elbows back and your palms facing up, engaging the long head of your biceps
- 3Lower slowly to feel the eccentric work through your arms
Common mistakes
- Don't swing the dumbbells or allow your elbows to drift forward
- Avoid using your shoulders or chest to help lift the weight
- Don't roll your wrists inward or outward during the curl
Muscles worked
The incline curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the incline curl for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More biceps exercises
- How to do the barbell bicep curl
- How to do the cable bicep curl
- How to do the concentration curl
- How to do the dumbbell bicep curl
- How to do the ez bar bicep curl
- How to do the ez bar preacher curl
Last reviewed April 2026.