Cable Curl

Cable Curl trains 2 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Biceps 90%, Forearms 30%.

Accessory Level: Beginner Cable machine Pull Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Cable Curl - Start position — Start position

Cable Curl - Finish position — Finish position

How to do it

Set a straight or EZ bar on the low pulley and stand back a step.
Grip underhand, arms straight, elbows tucked at your sides.
Curl the bar up toward your shoulders.
Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly against the cable.
The cable keeps tension at the bottom, where a free-weight curl goes light.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

Biceps 90%
Forearms 30%

How it compares

Compared with the Incline Dumbbell Curl, it loads Forearms 10 points higher. It needs Cable machine where the other uses Dumbbells + Bench. Compared with the Reverse-Grip Pulldown, it loads Lats 95 points lower, Mid-back / traps 25 points lower, Rear delts 20 points lower.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Biceps

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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