Cross Body Hammer Curl

A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.

Cross Body Hammer Curl — Starting position Starting position
Cross Body Hammer Curl — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Dumbbells
Primary Muscle Biceps
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Cross Body Hammer Curl

  1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Your hands should be down at your side with your palms facing in.
  2. 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. Touch the top of the dumbbell to your shoulder and hold the contraction for a second.
  3. Slowly lower the dumbbell along the same path as you inhale and then repeat the same movement for the left arm.
  4. Continue alternating in this fashion until the recommended amount of repetitions is performed for each arm.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Cross Body Hammer Curl does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Cross Body Hammer Curl

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Alternate Hammer Curl

    Alternate Hammer Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  2. 2 Preacher Hammer Dumbbell Curl

    Preacher Hammer Dumbbell Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  3. 3 Barbell Curl

    Barbell Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  4. 4 Cable Preacher Curl

    Cable Preacher Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  5. 5 Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl

    Close-Grip EZ Bar Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  6. 6 Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl with Band

    Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curl with Band

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using an E-Z curl bar.

    beginner E-Z Curl Bar
  7. 7 Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl

    Close-Grip Standing Barbell Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  8. 8 Reverse Barbell Curl

    Reverse Barbell Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  9. 9 Reverse Cable Curl

    Reverse Cable Curl

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  10. 10 Cable Hammer Curls - Rope Attachment

    Cable Hammer Curls - Rope Attachment

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do cross body hammer curl work?

Cross Body Hammer Curl primarily works the biceps. The forearms assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for cross body hammer curl?

Cross Body Hammer Curl uses dumbbells.

Cross Body Hammer Curl: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Cross Body Hammer Curl is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of cross body hammer curl?

Alternate Hammer Curl, Preacher Hammer Dumbbell Curl, Barbell Curl train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my cross body hammer curl reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; cross body hammer curl can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Cross Body Hammer Curl with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.