Incline dumbbell curl
The incline curl puts the arm behind the body, stretching the long head of the biceps. A 2026 MRI trial found slightly more biceps growth than with preacher curls, but preacher curls grew the brachialis and brachioradialis more, so total arm-flexor growth was the same. Two other trials found that shoulder angle alone made no meaningful difference.
What the science says
- Slightly more biceps, same total arm growth Moderate evidence
Kobayashi et al. (2026) trained one arm with incline and the other with preacher dumbbell curls for 12 weeks (MRI, 21 untrained adults): biceps grew 22.1% vs 18.9%, but the brachialis and brachioradialis grew more with preacher curls, and total elbow flexor growth did not differ (17.6% vs 19.2%).
- Shoulder angle alone matters little Moderate evidence
When resistance profiles were matched, Attarieh et al. (2025) found similar biceps and brachialis growth and strength with shoulder-flexed and shoulder-extended cable curls, and Larsen et al. (2026) found no meaningful difference between neutral and fully extended shoulder positions in cable curls.
- "Stretching the long head" is not a big advantage Limited evidence
The idea that the incline curl grows the biceps far more because it stretches the long head is not supported: the observed benefit is small, limited to the biceps itself, and offset by less growth in the other elbow flexors.
How to do it
Muscles trained: biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis
- Set the bench at about 45–60° and sit back with the head supported
- Let the arms hang straight down, behind the torso
- Curl without bringing the elbows forward
- Lower slowly to fully straight arms
- Use a lighter weight than for standing curls
How to apply it
Use incline curls as one curl variation among others; rotating them with preacher or standing curls covers all the elbow flexors.
Who should be careful
Low risk for healthy adults, but the stretched shoulder position can bother the front of the shoulder; reduce the incline angle or the load if it does. Persistent shoulder or elbow pain warrants a visit to a physician or physical therapist.
Frequently asked questions
Are incline curls better than regular curls?
Slightly better for the biceps itself in one MRI trial, but worse for the brachialis and brachioradialis, with the same total growth. They are a good variation, not a superior one.
Why does the weight feel so much heavier?
The arm starts behind the body in a stretched position, so you will use lighter dumbbells than for standing curls. That is expected.
Should I combine incline and preacher curls?
It is a reasonable choice: incline curls grew the biceps a little more and preacher curls grew the brachialis and brachioradialis more.
Scientific references
- Exercise-specific preferential hypertrophy of individual elbow flexor muscles after incline versus preacher dumbbell curl training
- Comparison Between Shoulder Flexed and Extended Positions in Elbow Flexion Resistance Training on Regional Hypertrophy and Maximum Strength: Preacher versus Bayesian Cable Curls
- The effects of shoulder extension angle on elbow flexor hypertrophy in the cable curl exercise
More exercises
- Back squat Strong evidence
The barbell back squat reliably builds the quadriceps, glutes and adductors and is one of the best-studied lower-body exercises in training research.
- Front squat Moderate evidence
The front squat holds the bar on the front of the shoulders, which keeps the torso more upright and loads the knees less than the back squat while recruiting the thigh muscles about as much.
- Bulgarian split squat Moderate evidence
The Bulgarian (rear-foot-elevated) split squat trains one leg at a time and builds the quads and glutes with far less load on the bar than a back squat.
- Leg press Strong evidence
The leg press builds the quadriceps about as well as free-weight squats and also grows the glutes and adductor magnus, with no balance or spinal-loading limit.
- Hack squat (machine) Moderate evidence
The machine hack squat lets you squat deep on a fixed track with your back supported, which makes it easy to push the quads close to failure.
- Romanian deadlift Moderate evidence
The Romanian deadlift is a hip hinge that loads the hamstrings and glutes at long muscle lengths, and trials of stiff-leg deadlifts and similar hip-extension exercises show real hamstring growth, mainly in the semimembranosus and biceps femoris long head.