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Cable curl

Also called cable biceps curl, straight-bar cable curl, low cable curl.

What is a cable curl?

The cable curl is a standing elbow-flexion exercise performed from a low pulley. The palm-up bar version mainly trains the biceps brachii, while the brachialis, brachioradialis and forearm flexors assist.

Anatomical illustration of a woman performing a standing cable curl with a curved bar, with the front upper arms highlighted.

How do you perform a cable curl?

Set up

  1. Attach a curl bar to the low pulley, take an underhand grip around shoulder width and stand close enough for the cable to stay clear of your legs.
  2. Stand tall with your arms down, elbows near your sides and wrists following the bar's angle.

Execution

  1. Curl the bar upward by bending the elbows while keeping the torso still.
  2. Finish before the elbows drift far forward or the forearms tip beyond vertical.
  3. Lower under control until the arms are straight, without letting the stack slam down.

Common mistakes

  • Rocking backward to start the bar

    Torso movement helps the cable move without asking the elbow flexors to produce the same work.

  • Letting the elbows travel far forward

    The top position then becomes a shoulder movement and the cable can unload the curl.

  • Dropping the stack between reps

    A noisy, uncontrolled return changes the bottom position and removes tension before the next rep.

Where it fits in a session

Usually after compound pulling or beside other arm isolation exercises.

Use a load that allows straight arms at the bottom without rocking the torso or dropping the stack.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The palm-up bar version trains the biceps brachii with help from the other elbow and grip flexors.

Variations

  • Anatomical illustration of a standing barbell curl in two frames on a white background. Left: a man stands upright holding a straight barbell with plates at both ends, palms forward, arms hanging straight so the bar rests against the front of the thighs. Right: the same man at the top of the rep, elbows bent and tucked beside the ribs, the bar held at upper chest and shoulder height. In both frames the front of each upper arm, from shoulder to elbow, is shaded red; the forearms are left unshaded.
    Barbell biceps curlUses a free bar whose resistance points straight down.
  • Anatomical illustration of a standing dumbbell biceps curl, shown in two frames side by side. On the left the man stands upright with a dumbbell in each hand at his sides, arms straight, palms turned forward. On the right both elbows are bent and both dumbbells have been curled up to shoulder height with the palms facing up. In both frames the front of each upper arm is shaded red; the forearms and the rest of the body are left in plain grey.
    Dumbbell biceps curlLets each hand move independently with a free weight.
  • Anatomical illustration of a seated close-grip EZ-bar preacher curl shown with bent and nearly straight elbows, with the front upper arms highlighted.
    Preacher curlSupports the upper arms on a pad and can use a cable or free weight.
  • Rope cable curl — Uses a rope and a more neutral hand position than the palm-up bar version.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What muscles do cable curls work?

They mainly train the biceps brachii. The brachialis, brachioradialis and forearm flexors also help bend the elbows and hold the bar.

Should your elbows move during cable curls?

Keep them near your sides. A small amount of forward travel at the very top is not a failed rep, but large movement changes the exercise and can unload the cable.

Are cable curls the same as barbell curls?

They use the same elbow-flexion pattern, but the cable pulls along its line toward the low pulley while a barbell is pulled straight down by gravity.

Which attachment should you use for cable curls?

A straight or curved bar suits the standard palm-up version. An EZ-style bar may feel easier on the wrists, while a rope creates a more neutral grip and should be logged as that variation.

Sources

  1. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Biceps Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519538/
  2. Plantz MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Brachialis Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551630/
  3. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Forearm Brachioradialis Muscle. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526110/

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