The Rumali curl isn’t new, it’s not some reinvented ‘functional curl’ dreamt up for Instagram. It’s an old-school movement pulled straight from traditional Indian ‘kushti’ wrestling where athletes would rack up hundreds, sometimes thousands of reps as part of their daily training.

If you’re looking for bicep movement that won’t just stretch your sleeves, but can also build mobility, strength and control through your entire torso, or even if you’re just looking to spice up your arms routine – this ancient exercise might be the move for you.

At its core, the rumali curl is a circular, swinging curl pattern, where the dumbbells travel in an arc – down, out, around and back up – rather than straight up and down. Think less ‘curl’, more ‘front swing meets curl’. You’re forcing your body to do much more than flex at the elbow: you’re guiding the weight through space, controlling it as it moves around the shoulder joint, then bringing it back under control before repeating.

This circular path is what makes it so useful, and the rotation you generate from your torso is also what allows you to go much heavier than garden-variety curls, providing a fresh new stimulus to those pipes.

Train the Shoulders and Arms Together

The movement is used by Kushti wrestlers to create a more integrated approach to upper-body training, firing up your biceps, shoulders and trunk in synergy – this has a lot of carryover to everyday movements versus more isolated curl variations.

You’re getting elbow flexion from the biceps, but also sustained work through the anterior delts as the weight moves, and bringing in your core to both create and resist rotation.

Builds Strength Through Flowing Movement, Not Just Static Positions

Most curls load one line of resistance, up/down. Here, you’re controlling the weights through an entire arc. You’ll build more integrated strength, designed to manage larger ranges motion by following this circular path, and not just moving in a straight line.

Carries Over to Other Training

There’s a reason this shows up in systems that also use clubs and maces.

Proponents note that this style of training, using swing, rotations and large, rhythmic ranges of motions challenge your muscles in unconventional ways versus traditional weightlifting. But you’re also building joint integrity, coordination and the ability to transfer power across the body, at will – all traits that will benefit not just your other training and physical pursuits, but the longevity of that training.

Builds High-Rep Strength and Resilience

These aren’t generally used in a standard 3 x 10 bodybuilding pattern. Wrestlers and training traditionalists will do hundreds up reps in a row, taking advantage of the rhythmic rep style and the fact that multiple muscle groups are involved, to fatigue the biceps and shoulders in ways that low rep sets don’t manage… while also using relatively heavy weights, thanks to those same advantages. Think of it as cardio for your biceps.

• Biceps – flex the elbow through each rep
• Front deltoids – control the arc of the movement
• Forearms and wrists – stabilise and guide the weight
• Upper back – helps keep the shoulder in position
• Core – creates and resists rotation through the swinging motion

• Take your dumbbells and clean them up into the top of a curl, almost a ‘front rack position’
• Let one dumbbell drop down across the front of your body until it’s a waist height
• Without pausing let the dumbbell rotate outwards, away from your body, slightly rotating your torso with it
• From the position curl the dumbbell back up onto your shoulder
• As soon as the first dumbbell is back in position, repeat with the alternate arm
• Alternate sides, keeping the movement continuous

• Think circles, not straight lines
• Keep the movement smooth
• Keep the motion rhythmic – there should be no pause at any point – and aim for high reps (maybe even go for time)
• Control the weight on the way down
• Start light to find your rhythm
• BUT… don’t be afraid to go heavy once you’ve mastered the motion