Muscles worked
Your biceps lift most of the load, helped by the brachialis beneath them and the brachioradialis along the forearm. Unlike a free weight, the cable never stops pulling. A dumbbell weighs almost nothing while your forearm hangs straight down, but stand a short step from the pulley and the cable pulls forwards at an angle, so your biceps work from the first centimetre. Swap the bar for a rope, palms facing each other, and the brachialis and forearm get a bigger share of the work.
Common mistakes
- Letting the plates rest on the stack. If the plates touch down between reps, your biceps get a brief rest and the next rep often starts with a jerk. Turn just before they reach the stack.
- Standing with your feet together. The cable pulls you forwards, and on a narrow base you start to rock as the set gets hard. Stand hip-width or with one foot slightly ahead.
- Standing off-centre. The cable then pulls harder on one hand and the bar tilts. Stand square to the pulley and grip the same distance from the middle with both hands.
Variations and alternatives
- The Bayesian curl uses the same low cable, with your back to the pulley and one arm at a time, when you want your biceps to work from a stretched position.
- The barbell curl is the free-weight version, handy when you want to add weight in small steps with the smallest plates.
- The band curl trains the same movement at home, when you have no cable machine.
Sets and reps
The cable curl is for muscle and endurance rather than maximum strength. Most people do 8 to 15 reps over 2 to 4 sets, towards the end of the workout. The guide to sets and reps shows how rep counts tie in with your goal. To drop the weight mid-set, move the pin a couple of plates up and carry straight on.
Stack numbers rarely compare between cable machines, as pulleys can be set up differently, so track your progress on the same machine. Add reps first, and move the pin down one plate once every set reaches 15. That is what progressive overload looks like on a cable.