What muscles does the deadlift to biceps curl work?

The hinge half works the hamstrings and glutes, with the lower back holding your spine in position. The curl half works the biceps, along with the muscles underneath and beside it that bend the elbow. They are two separate jobs sharing a dumbbell.

How heavy should you go on a deadlift to curl?

Whatever you can curl. That is the half that gives out first, by a wide margin. If you pick a weight for the hinge, the curl will turn into a swing from the hips within a couple of reps.

Should the curl happen while you are standing up?

No. Stand up fully, pause, then curl. Merging them lets the momentum from your hips carry the dumbbells upward, which is exactly the cheat a curl is meant to avoid.

How low should the dumbbells go on the hinge?

As far as your hips let them, usually somewhere around your shins, with the back staying flat. The moment your back starts rounding to reach lower, you have gone past what the hinge can give you.

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Dumbbell · beginner · upper legs

Dumbbell deadlift to biceps curl

Also called Deadlift to curl, Romanian deadlift to curl, Deadlift curl combo, Dumbbell deadlift to curl.

The short answer

This is two exercises done back to back with the same dumbbells: a hip hinge, then a curl once you are standing. The hinge works your hamstrings and glutes with the lower back holding your spine in place, and the curl works your biceps. Nothing about joining them changes what either half does, and the dumbbell you can curl sets the weight for both, so the hinge half runs lighter than it otherwise would.

How to do it

Step oneStand with your feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Step twoHinge at the hips and lower the dumbbells toward the floor, keeping your back flat.
Step threeDrive through your heels to stand back up, performing a deadlift.
Step fourAt the top, curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders by bending your elbows.
Step fiveLower the dumbbells back down and return to the starting position.

What usually goes wrong

Each starts with what you would notice.

Your back rounds as the dumbbells travel toward the floor.

WhyThe hips have stopped moving backward, so the spine is bending to lower the weight instead.

FixPush the hips back first and let your torso tip because they moved, not the other way round. Stop lowering when your hips run out of travel, which for most people is around shin height.

The curl happens as you stand up, in one continuous swing.

WhyThe two halves have merged. Standing up produces a lot of upward momentum, and the dumbbells will ride that momentum to your shoulders with the biceps barely working.

FixFinish the hinge completely and stand still. Then curl from a dead stop. If the curl only works when it borrows from your hips, use less weight.

Your knees bend a long way and it turns into a squat with a curl on top.

WhyThe hips are dropping instead of traveling backward, which is squatting rather than hinging.

FixKeep a soft knee that barely changes and send your hips toward the wall behind you. You should feel this in the back of your thighs, not the front.

The hinge half feels far too easy while the curl is hard.

WhyThat is the arithmetic of the exercise rather than a mistake. Almost anyone can hinge with much more weight than they can curl, so the curl decides the dumbbell and the hinge gets whatever that leaves.

FixAccept it, or split them. If you want the hinge loaded properly, do it as its own movement with heavier dumbbells and curl separately.

What it is for

The dumbbell deadlift to biceps curl is a compound exercise that pairs a posterior chain deadlift with a biceps curl. It targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back while adding an arm strengthening component to create an efficient full-body movement.

Questions people ask

What muscles does the deadlift to biceps curl work?: The hinge half works the hamstrings and glutes, with the lower back holding your spine in position. The curl half works the biceps, along with the muscles underneath and beside it that bend the elbow. They are two separate jobs sharing a dumbbell.
How heavy should you go on a deadlift to curl?: Whatever you can curl. That is the half that gives out first, by a wide margin. If you pick a weight for the hinge, the curl will turn into a swing from the hips within a couple of reps.
Should the curl happen while you are standing up?: No. Stand up fully, pause, then curl. Merging them lets the momentum from your hips carry the dumbbells upward, which is exactly the cheat a curl is meant to avoid.
How low should the dumbbells go on the hinge?: As far as your hips let them, usually somewhere around your shins, with the back staying flat. The moment your back starts rounding to reach lower, you have gone past what the hinge can give you.