Can you keep dumbbells horizontally level when you lift?

[Traildoggie]

This has bothered me for a long time. I can't get dumbbells horizontally "level" in front of me. one arm is worse than the other. I can't rotate my arms outward enough to get them level, and the inside edges slant downward, right arm more than the left. Preacher curls are the worst. I almost don't feel like I'm exercising my bicep because the angles get so weird. Is this common? How do you deal with it? Is there a name for it?

I use an easy curl barbell so don't notice anything with that, but I got one rather than a straight bar because it was more comfortable.

 

[Stebby]

I have a hard time with this too. I'm slightly double jointed in my elbows and slightly restricted in my shoulders. I try not to worry about it and make my alignment as good as I can within my limitations. I have had issues with tennis elbow (probably due to these issues) so I do my best to make sure I am contracting the right muscle and not lifting beyond my capabilities.

Stebby

 

[NRG Woman]

Last week my right arm was really bothering me and I noticed that even though it is my dominant arm I was having difficulty lifting as heavy of weights that I did with my left. I asked my chiropractor about it and she ended up adjusting my clavicle. OMG!!! The relief was immediate!!!! I kept telling her how much I was relieved about that one thing even though she also adjusted several other things.

My point in telling you this story is if you go to a chiropractor to bring it up, you may be out of alignment somewhere that they can easily help with.

Another time I was at a different chiropractor complaining about my right ear, I often get earaches even at 43. He reached over and tugged my ear, and oh! the relief. Apparently my ear had needed to be adjusted too

 

[JeanneMarie]

This has bothered me for a long time. I can't get dumbbells horizontally "level" in front of me. one arm is worse than the other. I can't rotate my arms outward enough to get them level, and the inside edges slant downward, right arm more than the left. Preacher curls are the worst. I almost don't feel like I'm exercising my bicep because the angles get so weird. Is this common? How do you deal with it? Is there a name for it?

I use an easy curl barbell so don't notice anything with that, but I got one rather than a straight bar because it was more comfortable.

If I'm understanding you correctly, your wrist doesn't rotate out enough to keep the dumbbells horizontal. I broke my wrist a couple of years ago, and during the rehab and my journey to get back motion and strength in my wrist, this was my number one problem. I didn't have full rotation of that wrist.

I had it before the break, but it sure was painful getting it back to where it was. And I agree, I don't think it properly exercises your bicep if you can't rotate out. It's like you're almost doing hammer curls instead of bicep curls. My only advice is to specifically work on that rotation. Does it hurt you to turn it out further? Or are you just physically unable to do it? Just curious. I am back to normal now, but it did take months of therapy to get that rotation back.

 

[Traildoggie]

Never broke any bones, have no problems with shoulders or elbows. I expect it's a normal variation in structure, but the angle of my elbow and wrist does not allow the dumbell to be horizontal, especially on the right, which is my dominant side.
Mostly, I'm just curious about how common this issue is. I always feel like I get better bicep involvement with hammer curl position, or concentration curls. I do preacher curls when they come up but don't push the weight since it feels like I'm not involving the muscle in a good position.

 

[RapidBreath]

When I was in physical therapy for a car accident, one of the tests that my therapist used was testing my strength of my limbs at the ends. He would have me hold my leg out while laying down, then apply pressure to each foot alternately, and when I was out of alignment in my neck the evidence would be a lack of strength on one side, then after therapy, he would check again, and it would often resolve itself. I wonder if you are a little out of alignment, not enough to hurt, just enough to reduce strength in place.