Barbell Bicep Curl
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Stand holding dumbbells at your sides, palms facing forward. Keeping elbows pinned to your sides, curl both dumbbells up toward your shoulders. Squeeze the biceps hard at the top. Lower under control — 2-3 seconds down. The eccentric builds more strength than the curl up. Full extension at the bottom — don't cut the range short. Alternate arms or curl together — both work.
Why It Works
Forearm and bicep strength matter more in hockey than most players realize — your grip on the stick is what connects all your skating power to the puck. Strong biceps also help decelerate the arm during shooting (protecting the elbow) and contribute to the pulling mechanics in board battles. Not vanity — function.
Hockey Transfer
Builds elbow flexor strength for stick lifting and board battles. Pair with tricep work — bicep alone = imbalance. Both flex AND extension at the elbow get loaded.
Coaching Cues
- "Elbows fixed at sides"
- "Curl to chin"
- "Squeeze at top"
- "Slow 3-second descent"
Common Mistakes
Swinging the torso — if you need momentum, the weight is too heavy. Letting elbows drift forward — pin them to your sides. Partial reps — full range, every rep. Rushing the eccentric — the slow lowering is WHERE the gains happen.
Progression / Regression
Zottman curl (curl up with palms up, rotate to palms DOWN and lower slowly) — trains both biceps and forearm extensors.
Resistance band curl — lighter and easier to control for beginners.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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