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Wondering if biceps curls or hammer curls are better for your biceps workout? To find out, let’s compare both exercises: in this article, you’ll learn what the difference between biceps curls and hammer curls is, as well as what the advantages and disadvantages of both exercises are.
What is the difference between biceps curls and hammer curls?
The main difference between biceps curls and hammer curls is the grip used to curl the weight. With biceps curls, the underhand grip is used (palms facing up), which primarily loads the short head of the biceps. Hammer curls, on the other hand, use the neutral grip (palms facing in), which primarily loads the long head of the biceps and also the forearms. While both exercises work the biceps, depending on the exercise, the biceps heads and also the forearms are stressed differently.
Biceps Curls Advantages & Disadvantages
The advantage of biceps curls is that this exercise allows you to target the short head of the biceps, which is located on the inner side of the biceps. Biceps curls are among the best exercises for biceps training and there are hardly any exercises with so many different variations as biceps curls. The disadvantage of biceps curls is that there are fewer muscles involved in this exercise compared to hammer curls. While you isolate the biceps better in this exercise, you can accordingly use less weight than in hammer curls.
Hammercurls Advantages & Disadvantages
The advantage of hammer curls is that this exercise allows you to target the long head of the biceps, which is located on the outer side of the biceps. In addition, hammer curls involve more muscles with the forearms, which means you can usually handle heavier weights with this exercise than with biceps curls. The disadvantage of hammer curls is that you can train the biceps less isolated with this exercise. If you perform hammer curls with heavy weight and high intensity, your forearms may fail while your biceps would have still had strength.
Conclusion
Which exercise is appropriate for your biceps training depends on your training plan and how your biceps are developing. To train the biceps in isolation, the biceps curls are the most suitable because they put less stress on the forearm and more on the upper arm compared to the hammer curls. If you have a training plan where you do only one exercise for the biceps, it is recommended to prefer the biceps curls to the hammer curls. However, if you do 2-3 or more exercises for the biceps, you can do both biceps curls and hammer curls to train them from different angles.
Did this comparison help you plan your biceps workout? Feel free to share your experience in the comments, I’m happy to share with you. If you have more questions about biceps curls and hammer curls, you can ask me there too, I’ll be happy to help!