Biceps Cable Curls - Exercise Technique

Biceps Cable Curls - Muscles Worked & Benefits

Exercise Type: Single-joint
Primary Muscles Worked: Biceps

Bicep Cable Curls provide consistent resistance throughout the entire arm curl. This exercise develops and defines the upper arms, particularly the height of the biceps peak. While it does shape the biceps, it is not considered a mass exercise.  This exercise can also be done with barbells, but by using cables the muscles are constantly strained throughout the exercise.

Biceps Cable Curls - Exercise Workout & Technique

• Position yourself facing a cable pulley machine, your posture upright, your back straight, your knees slightly bent and your weight supported on your heels.
• Hook a straight bar onto the floor level cable machine.
• Grasp the bar with your palms facing you at shoulder-width.
• Line your elbows up so that they fall underneath the line of your shoulders. Ensure that your elbows stay in that position throughout the exercise.
• Have your arms extended down towards the floor to start with.
• Exhale and lift the bar up, and feel the contraction in your biceps. Hold.
• Inhaling, allow the bar to return to the starting point in a controlled manner.
• Repeat for the desired rep range.

Biceps Cable Curls - Tips & Safety

• Keep the movement under control at all times.
• A wider than shoulder-width grip focuses effort on the inner biceps, where as a narrow grip works the outer biceps.
• Fixing your elbows to your sides helps to isolate the biceps.
• Avoid the temptation to sway your back and cheat to bring the handle up unless you deliberately intend to cheat.

Biceps Cable Curls - Alternatives

• Try various shaped bars and perform the exercise one arm at a time using a single-handle for variety in your training. Training one arm at a time allows you to train each bicep in isolation by forcing you to focus on each movement deliberately and controlled.