Strict Curl

Muscles worked by the Strict Curl

Primary

BicepsBiceps Brachii

Secondary

BrachialisForearm FlexorsWrist Flexor Muscles

Also called: bicep, biceps brachii, biceps muscle, guns.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Strict Curl

1. Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides and palms facing forward.
2. Pin your elbows against your sides and brace your core so your torso cannot swing.
3. Curl both dumbbells up by bending only at the elbows.
4. Lower them under control until your arms are straight.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Standing with your back against a wall or post is a useful self-check — if your shoulders or hips leave it, you are using momentum.
• Keep the elbows from drifting forward; the upper arms should stay vertical throughout.
• Lower slower than you lift — the strict version lives in the descent.

At a glance

Strict Curl in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Standing Leg Curl
• Barbell Curl
• Barbell Preacher Curl
• Cable Curl
• Cable Hammer Curl
• Cheat Curl
• Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl
• Concentration Curl

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "strict-curl",
  "name_en": "Strict Curl",
  "name_de": "Strict Curl",
  "name_es": "Curl Estricto",
  "description_en": "A standing curl performed without any body English — the torso stays still and the elbows stay pinned, so the biceps do all the work.",
  "description_de": "Ein stehender Curl ohne jeden Schwung aus dem Körper — der Oberkörper bleibt ruhig und die Ellbogen bleiben fixiert, sodass der Bizeps die gesamte Arbeit übernimmt.",
  "description_es": "Un curl de pie realizado sin ningún impulso corporal — el torso permanece quieto y los codos se mantienen fijos, de modo que el bíceps hace todo el trabajo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "pull",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "upper_arms",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "biceps_brachii"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "brachialis",
    "forearm_flexors"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "bicep-curl",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides and palms facing forward.",
    "Pin your elbows against your sides and brace your core so your torso cannot swing.",
    "Curl both dumbbells up by bending only at the elbows.",
    "Lower them under control until your arms are straight.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe aufrecht mit einer Kurzhantel in jeder Hand, die Arme hängen seitlich herab, Handflächen zeigen nach vorne.",
    "Fixiere die Ellbogen an den Seiten und spanne den Rumpf an, damit der Oberkörper nicht schwingen kann.",
    "Beuge beide Kurzhanteln nach oben, indem du ausschließlich in den Ellbogen beugst.",
    "Senke sie kontrolliert ab, bis die Arme gestreckt sind.",
    "Wiederhole die Bewegung für die gewünschte Wiederholungszahl."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie con una mancuerna en cada mano, los brazos a los costados y las palmas hacia adelante.",
    "Fija los codos a los costados y contrae el core para que el torso no pueda balancearse.",
    "Flexiona ambas mancuernas hacia arriba moviendo solo los codos.",
    "Bájalas de forma controlada hasta que los brazos queden rectos.",
    "Repite las repeticiones deseadas."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Standing with your back against a wall or post is a useful self-check — if your shoulders or hips leave it, you are using momentum.",
    "Keep the elbows from drifting forward; the upper arms should stay vertical throughout.",
    "Lower slower than you lift — the strict version lives in the descent."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Mit dem Rücken an einer Wand oder einem Pfosten zu stehen ist ein guter Eigen-Check — verlassen Schultern oder Hüfte die Wand, nutzt du Schwung.",
    "Achte darauf, dass die Ellbogen nicht nach vorne wandern; die Oberarme sollten während der ganzen Bewegung senkrecht bleiben.",
    "Senke langsamer ab, als du hochziehst — die strikte Ausführung steckt in der Abwärtsbewegung."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Ponerte de pie con la espalda contra una pared o poste es una buena autoevaluación — si los hombros o las caderas se separan de ella, estás usando impulso.",
    "Evita que los codos se adelanten; los brazos superiores deben permanecer verticales durante todo el movimiento.",
    "Baja más lento de lo que subes — la versión estricta vive en el descenso."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/strict-curl-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/strict-curl-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "strict-curl");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.