Muscles worked
The band drag curl trains your biceps and brachialis, supported by the brachioradialis. As in the barbell drag curl, your hands slide close along your body while your elbows travel backwards, so your upper arm can never swing forwards to unload the biceps. A band suits that path, as it runs straight up from your feet and pulls against your hands almost vertically. The resistance grows as the band stretches, so the top part, with your elbows furthest back, is the hardest.
Common mistakes
- Elbows flaring out to the sides. As the band bites, your elbows tend to drift outwards and the movement starts to look like an upright row. Think of driving your elbows straight back towards a wall behind you.
- Wrists curling in. To get their hands higher, many people curl their wrists in at the top. Keep your wrists straight and let your elbows decide how high your hands go.
- Looking down at your hands. Your hands stay close to your body and are easy to follow with your eyes, but your head then drops and your upper back rounds. Look straight ahead with your chest up.
Variations and alternatives
- The drag curl is the main exercise, done with a barbell at the gym, where you can add weight in small steps.
- The band curl keeps your elbows still with the same band, so your biceps work through a longer movement.
- The band hammer curl makes a good second band exercise for your arms, with your palms facing each other.
Sets and reps
For muscle and endurance, 12 to 20 reps over two or three sets is a good start. The movement is short, so a rep is over quickly: take about one second up and two down. The guide to sets and reps covers planning in more detail. The biceps are a small muscle that many people train two to three times a week, and the guide on how often to train helps you fit that in.
Once you manage 20 reps in every set, step up to a stronger band or widen your stance and start again at fewer reps. That is progressive overload in a home session.