Arms · Dumbbell
Zottman Curl
How to do the zottman curl, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Curl
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hold dumbbells with palms up and curl them towards your shoulders. At the top, rotate your wrists to palms-down and lower the weights slowly.
- 1Feel your biceps curl the weights up and your forearms controlling the rotation on the way down
- 2Pause at the top and rotate palms down to feel your brachioradialis engage
- 3Maintain a neutral wrist and keep elbows pinned to your sides
Common mistakes
- Avoid swinging your torso or leaning back
- Don't rush through the rotation; control the supination and pronation
- Avoid dropping the weights quickly; control the eccentric
Muscles worked
The zottman curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Front DeltsMinor
Zottman Curl strength standards
See how your zottman curl ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM17.5 lb
Silvere1RM32.5 lb
Golde1RM57.5 lb
Platinume1RM82.5 lb
Diamonde1RM100 lb
Champione1RM112.5 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 zottman 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.