The kettlebell crush curl is a biceps curl with one kettlebell held upside down, its bell squeezed hard between your palms, done while you hold the bottom of a deep squat. The squeeze keeps your hands, forearms and chest working through every rep, and the squat takes away the hip drive people use to swing a curl up. It is a strict, odd-looking curl that trains more than the arms and needs only one kettlebell.
How to do it
- Sit into a deep squat, feet wider than shoulder width and toes turned slightly out, and stay there for the set.
- Hold the kettlebell upside down and crush the bell between your palms the whole time.
- Lower to straight arms, then curl to your chest with your elbows still.
Common mistakes
- Sinking so low that you sit on your calves — the legs stop working and the squat becomes a rest.
- Easing off the squeeze as your arms tire, until the bell tips.
What it trains
- Biceps
- curl the bell from straight arms up to your chest — the prime mover
- Forearms
- grip the upturned bell and stop it tipping, which is harder than it looks
- Quads
- hold the deep squat for the whole set, working without moving
- Chest
- presses the palms together to crush the bell, and stays tight through every rep
Variations and alternatives
Common questions
How heavy should the kettlebell be for crush curls?
Lighter than you would curl with dumbbells — 8 to 12 kg is where most people start. The bell has to stay balanced upside down while your legs hold a squat, so grip and position usually give out long before the biceps. Kettlebells mostly come in 4 kg steps, so set this exercise to a 4 kg step in StackUp and its suggestions will match the bells on the rack.
Why do crush curls in a squat?
Because it takes your hips out of the curl. Standing, the easiest way to cheat a curl up is a small hip drive; sitting deep in a squat there is nothing left to borrow, so the biceps lift on their own and the legs get a long hold on top. If your hips or ankles will not let you sit that deep, curl from the lowest squat you can hold steadily.
How do I hold a kettlebell upside down for crush curls?
Handle pointing down, bell on top, your palms pressed flat against the sides of the bell and the handle resting between your forearms. Squeeze before you lift it and keep squeezing — the moment you ease off, the bell tips. Start light until the balance comes without thinking.
In StackUp. Logged as weight and reps per set, and your heaviest working set decides whether the weight goes up next time. Get the app.
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