Dumbbell Lying Supination

Also called dumbbell supination, forearm supination and lying supination.

Works

Forearms

Equipment

Dumbbells

Level

Intermediate

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Lie sideways on a flat bench with one arm holding a dumbbell and the other hand on top of the bench folded so that you can rest your head on it.

1. Bend the elbows of the arm holding the dumbbell so that it creates a 90-degree angle between the upper arm and the forearm.
2. Now raise the upper arm so that the forearm is parallel to the floor and perpendicular to your torso (Tip: So the forearm will be directly in front of you). The upper arm will be stationary by your torso and should be parallel to the floor (aligned with your torso at all times). This will be your starting position.
3. As you breathe out, externally rotate your forearm so that the dumbbell is lifted up in a semicircle motion as you maintain the 90 degree angle bend between the upper arms and the forearm. You will continue this external rotation until the forearm is perpendicular to the floor and the torso pointing towards the ceiling. At this point you will hold the contraction for a second.
4. As you breathe in, slowly go back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and then switch to the other arm.

Cues

• Forearm supported, elbow at 90 degrees.
• Light dumbbell, palm down.
• Rotate the palm up.
• Return slow.

Common mistakes

• Too much weight.
• Moving the upper arm.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have sore wrists and a sore elbow. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Swap for