Arms · Barbell
Olympic Barbell Hammer Curl
How to do the olympic barbell hammer curl, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hold an Olympic barbell at shoulder-width with a neutral, palms-facing grip on the bar or a parallel attachment. Curl the bar up by bending your elbows while keeping them pinned at your sides, then lower under control.
- 1Your biceps and forearms driving the bar up
- 2Your elbows fixed at your sides through the whole curl
- 3A squeeze at the top before a controlled lower
Common mistakes
- Avoid swinging your torso or using your back to lift
- Do not let your wrists bend back under the load
- Avoid letting your elbows drift forward as you curl
Muscles worked
The olympic barbell hammer curl mainly works the biceps and forearms.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsPrimary
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the olympic barbell 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 June 2026.