Cross-Body Hammer Curl
Muscles worked: Biceps (assisted by forearms).
How to do it
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand.
- While keeping your palms facing in and without twisting your arm, curl the dumbbell of the right arm up towards your left shoulder as you exhale.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell along the same path as you inhale and then repeat the same movement for the left arm.
- Continue alternating in this fashion until the recommended amount of repetitions is performed for each arm.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Neutral grip, curl across to the opposite shoulder
- Hits the brachialis - keep the elbow still
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 8 to 12 rep range, progressing in 1 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Chin-Up - back, biceps
- Barbell Curl - biceps
- Dumbbell Curl - biceps
- Hammer Curl - biceps, forearms
Track the cross-body hammer curl properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.