Cable Curl

How to Perform the Cable Curl

Attach a straight bar, EZ bar, or rope handle to the low pulley of a cable machine.
Stand facing the machine with feet shoulder-width apart, about one step back from the pulley.
Grasp the attachment with an underhand grip (supinated for a bar, neutral for a rope) and let your arms hang fully extended.
Pin your elbows to your sides and stand tall with your chest up and core braced.
Curl the handle upward by contracting your biceps, keeping your upper arms completely stationary.
Continue curling until your biceps are fully contracted and your forearms are nearly vertical.
Squeeze at the top, then slowly lower the handle back to full arm extension under control.

Standing too close to the machine

Step back slightly so the cable provides tension even at the bottom of the rep. Too close means zero tension at the start.

Swaying the body to move the weight

Keep your torso completely still. Only your forearms should move. Reduce weight if you need to sway.

Letting elbows drift forward at the top

Pin your elbows at your sides throughout the entire range of motion to keep the focus on the biceps.

Rushing through reps

Use a deliberate 2-second concentric and 2-3-second eccentric to fully exploit the constant cable tension.

✓Constant tension throughout the movement eliminates the dead spots found in free-weight curls
✓Easy to adjust weight for drop sets, partial reps, and other intensity techniques
✓Smooth cable resistance is joint-friendly and suitable for high-rep training
✓Versatile setup allows numerous grip and angle variations for complete bicep development

●Try single-arm cable curls to increase focus and fix imbalances between arms.
●Use a rope attachment and supinate at the top for a unique contraction angle.
●Cable curls work great as a finishing exercise after heavier free-weight curls.

Strength

4 sets of 6-8 reps

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-25 reps

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