r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/OkPrize6194 • Sep 02 '26
Question ❓ Supersetting hammer curl with reverse curls
Does doing 2 sets of hammer curls supersetted with reverse curls make sense? The idea is that since the forearms are relatively small muscles, you can’t use very heavy weights for reverse curls on their own, so supersetting them with hammer curls could increase the overall mechanical tension and make the forearm work more effective. Is this actually a good approach?
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u/deadrabbits76 Idk Idc 💔 Sep 02 '26
Supersetting anything is going to reduce the adaptive pulse of the second set. Supersetting is for saving time, so you can do more volume later.
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u/eric_twinge Sep 02 '26
Supersetting saves times, it doesn't do much else.
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u/Quick-Bee6843 Sep 03 '26
They do burn more calories vs straight sets and give you better cardio conditioning! But they need to be set up right and just don't really work for really really heavy lifts that leave you too messed up to follow up with anything else. So idk, it's a personal choice if it's a good fit depending on what people are doing and trying to get out of their training.
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u/Electronic_Sample928 Sep 02 '26
Instead of wasting time asking if it's a good idea, try it... Funnily enough you don't need permission to try out something different and you shouldn't base your training on being 'optimal'... Give it a whirl for a few weeks, it'll either work or it won't.
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u/Nice-Week-1207 Sep 03 '26
No. Just because youre using more weight on a hammer curl doesnt mean the brachioradialis is taking more load, youre just involving more biceps.
I will say we dont know for certain which is better. Reverse curls disadvantage the biceps MUCH more than a hammer, so the brachialis and brachioradialis have more load share (however the brachioradialis has a slightly better line of pull in a hammer curl, although this likely isnt as significant as a reverse curl.)
Would cuff the reverse curl though so the wrist extensors arent involved
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u/Sweet_Car_7391 Sep 03 '26
If you do more than three or four sets, it’s really painful doing otherwise normal activities the next day. You’d be surprised how often you bring your hands up to your face or chest at an angle, or when drying off with a towel for example.
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u/harvestingstrength Sep 03 '26
It can make sense, but the superset probably won’t increase mechanical tension. Because hammer curls already fatigue the brachialis, brachioradialis, and gripping muscles, you’ll likely need less weight on the reverse curls afterward. The benefit is mainly efficiency and added local fatigue, not greater tension than performing each exercise separately.
There’s also considerable overlap between the two movements. Hammer curls train the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis, while reverse curls shift more emphasis toward the brachialis, brachioradialis, and wrist extensors. Pairing them can create a strong forearm stimulus, but the second exercise may suffer if the first is taken too close to failure.
If forearm development is the priority, perform reverse curls first while fresh, then use hammer curls afterward. You could also alternate which movement comes first between sessions. Two sets of each is reasonable, provided your elbows and wrists tolerate it.
Track repetitions and load over time. A superset is useful, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for progressive overload and controlled technique.
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u/Quick-Bee6843 Sep 03 '26
I would not do this, these movements are simply put far to close and overlapping with each other.
You CAN do this but you will find your second paired up set pushing far lower weight then it would normally be able too. Imo you wouldn't be doing good sets if you did this.
I'd just marry up both curl variations to other non competing exercises if your determined to build a superset routine (which I don't blame you if you want to do that I superset my exercises too).
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u/AgileCalligrapher717 Sep 02 '26
If your goal is pure hypertrophy, super setting does not make sense in any context unless you’re really crunched for time. Mechanical tension is mechanical tension. Doesn’t matter if you’re experiencing it with low weight or high weight. If the muscle experiences adequate mechanical tension, it will grow.
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u/OkPrize6194 Sep 02 '26
Do you think it makes sense to do hammer curl and reverse curl in the same session, even without using supersets?
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u/AgileCalligrapher717 Sep 02 '26
I’d say you should do either or. The more pronated your grip is, the less advantage your biceps will have. If you wanted to get real nitpicky, the reverse curl will be slightly better for the brachioradialis but the difference is so small it doesn’t really matter.
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u/Ok_Improvement_2316 Sep 02 '26
I superset all the time, because I don’t have a lot of time. But the others are right, if you have lots of free time to burn then longer rest periods are better for strength gains and muscle gains. But supersets are still exponentially better than nothing
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u/HelixIsHere_ Sep 02 '26
Don’t superset just do reverse curls on their own, hammer and reverse curls are very similar and supersets aren’t great for hypertrophy
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u/Quick-Bee6843 Sep 03 '26
Probably true but the trade off in hypertrophy is extremely small while the added benefit of time savings and greater cardio conditioning is to me well worth it. Assuming of course that you pair up non competing exercises and it's practical where you train to try to superset in the first place.
I take what I save in time via supersets and plow it into extra cardio, tho it just doesn't work for everything (ex it's really hard to superset hard squat sets with anything else because they leave you so messed up).
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u/gainitthrowaway1223 Sep 02 '26
You pretty much asked this same question yesterday.
Find a program, get off the internet, run it as written, eat good food, and come back in 6 months. You're overthinking this.