Cross Body Hammer Curl
Also works: Forearms
A neutral-grip curl that travels diagonally across the chest towards the opposite shoulder instead of straight up. The palms-in position and the cross-body path load the brachialis and brachioradialis harder than any supinated curl, which is what actually adds width to the upper arm from the front.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand hanging at your sides, palms turned towards your thighs.
- Tuck your elbows against your ribs and keep them there — this movement has no elbow travel.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades down and back so the traps cannot take over at the top.
- Pick a weight 2-4 kg heavier than your strict supinated dumbbell curl; the neutral grip is stronger.
- Set your feet hip-width and brace your abs so the torso stays vertical through the set.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down. One second up, one second squeezed at the top, three seconds lowering. Do not rush the diagonal — the descent is the half people skip.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Start at 8-12 kg — the neutral grip usually lets you handle a little more than a supinated dumbbell curl. Good looks like the elbow never leaving the ribs and the torso never moving. Add 2 kg only when you get all reps of all sets with a one-second pause at the shoulder.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Fix your eyes on your thumbnail and keep it pointing at the ceiling for the whole rep. If the wrist rotates, you have made this an ordinary curl and lost the brachialis emphasis.
Press the upper arm into your ribs and stop the rep at the point where the elbow wants to travel. That short range is the real range.
Pull the shoulder blades down before the first rep and keep the collarbone flat. Lighten the load until the shoulder stays quiet for all reps.
Stand with your back flat against a wall for a set. Any rep you cannot complete without leaving the wall is not a rep; end the set there.
Why bother
With the palm facing in, the biceps loses much of its mechanical advantage and the brachialis underneath it takes a bigger share of the work. The brachialis sits between the biceps and the humerus, so building it pushes the biceps up and outward — a thicker-looking arm from a muscle you never see directly.
The cross-body path is not decoration. Bringing the dumbbell towards the opposite shoulder keeps the forearm working against gravity through more of the range than a straight-up hammer curl, and the slight adduction stops the elbow drifting out to the side, which is the usual way hammer curls turn into a shrug.
Where it fits
Pair it with a supinated curl rather than replacing one — you want both grips across the week. Three sets after your main biceps movement, one or two arm sessions a week. It is also a sensible first choice if straight-bar curls give you elbow or wrist pain, since the neutral grip loads the joint far more kindly.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
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When this gets easy
Asked and answered
What is the difference between this and a normal hammer curl?
The path. A standard hammer curl travels straight up in the sagittal plane; this one crosses towards the opposite shoulder. The cross-body version keeps the elbow tucked and holds tension deeper into the top of the range. Effect on the muscles is similar, with slightly more brachialis and less room to cheat here.
Does this build forearms?
It builds the brachioradialis, which is the thick muscle running from the elbow along the thumb side of the forearm, so yes — the upper forearm. It does nothing for the wrist flexors or grip endurance. If you want those, add wrist work or loaded carries.
Why can I lift more with palms in than palms up?
In a neutral grip the brachialis and brachioradialis contribute more, and both are strong at that angle, while the biceps in a supinated grip is doing more of the work alone. It is normal to be 10-20% stronger hammer curling. Log the two separately.
My elbows hurt on barbell curls. Will this help?
Usually yes. A straight bar forces full supination and locks the forearm into a fixed position, which many people cannot hold without wrist and inner-elbow strain. The neutral grip lets the forearm sit where it likes. Swap for a few weeks and see if the pain settles.