Training guide
A cable curl, or cable bicep curl, is a biceps curl against a cable from a low pulley: stand tall with your elbows by your sides, curl a bar, rope or single handle towards your shoulders, and lower it all the way. Where you stand and the pulley height decide where the curl is hardest, which is why the cable doesn't give "constant tension".
In the trials so far, cable curls built the biceps as well as barbell curls, and curling with your arm behind you, at your side or in front made little difference. The trials were small and in people new to training, and where the curl is hardest is our reading of the mechanics, so this guide says which is which.
It shows the curl step by step on the 3D figure and covers the bar, rope, one-arm and Bayesian versions, how heavy and how many, and your elbows and wrists, with a cable arm workout to follow.
Stand facing a low pulley with a short bar, rope or single handle, elbows by your sides. Curl it up towards your shoulders without leaning back, then lower it all the way until your arms are straight, keeping the plates just off the stack. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) rates the standing curl on a cable a beginner exercise.
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A cable pulls hardest on your elbow when it meets your forearm at a right angle, so the pulley height and how far you stand from the stack set the hardest point. One trial's set-up made it hardest a little before halfway up; another made it hardest near straight arms. That's why cables don't give "constant tension".
In 35 young adults, 10 weeks of cable or barbell preacher curls grew the biceps 7% and 8%, and strength rose most where each was hardest. Free weights and machines built similar muscle across 13 studies. Nobody has shown that cables build bigger biceps.
Palms up worked the biceps a little harder than the rope in one study, but no trial has compared grips for growth. One-arm and two-arm curls grew the arms alike. The Bayesian curl, facing away with your arm behind you, grew the arm about as much as other cable curls in two 10-week trials.
2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 with 60 to 90 seconds' rest, most sets 1 to 3 reps short of failure and the last 0 to 2 short, as our bicep curl guide says. Aim for about 10 hard biceps sets a week, counting each set of rows or pulldowns as half. Lower all the way: the stretched half of the curl built the most.
Discomfort up to about 3 to 4 out of 10 that settles within an hour is fine, as our elbow guides say. A pop at the front of the elbow with bruising or a bulge in your upper arm needs an urgent treatment centre or A&E the same day: a torn tendon is ideally repaired within 2 to 3 weeks.
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A biceps curl against a cable instead of a dumbbell or barbell. You stand facing a low pulley holding a short straight or EZ bar, a rope with your palms facing, or a single handle, and curl with your elbows by your sides. Other versions use two high pulleys with your arms out, a preacher bench, the floor, or a low pulley behind you with your arm back (the Bayesian curl).
"Cable curls" for your abs or hamstrings are different exercises: see our cable crunch and leg curl guides.
The biceps, the brachialis underneath it and the brachioradialis in the forearm bend the elbow, as our bicep curl guide explains. In a standing cable curl your chest and the front of your shoulder also work to hold the arm still: more than in a fixed-machine curl, in 15 adults. The elbow and wrist move; the shoulder stays still.
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With a dumbbell, a curl is hardest when your forearm is level with the floor. With a cable, it's hardest where the cable meets your forearm at a right angle, and that depends on the pulley height and how far you stand from the column. In one trial's set-up it fell at about 60 degrees of elbow bend, a cable preacher curl was hardest near 100 degrees, and another trial set the cable so the curl was hardest near straight arms. A review notes that your distance from the pulley and its height decide where the peak falls.
In practice (our editorial reading): stepping closer to the stack makes it more like a dumbbell curl, hardest in mid-range; stepping back, or facing away with your arm behind you, loads the straight-arm end more.
The number on the stack depends on the machine's pulley ratio: on a 2:1 machine you lift about half of it, and on a 4:1 machine about a quarter, as our cable machine guide explains. It isn't comparable with dumbbells either: the same 11 men's best Bayesian cable curl read 42.3 kg on the stack against 22.7 kg for a dumbbell curl. Compare yourself only on the same machine.
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Taller people need to stand a little further back for the same cable angle (our suggestion). Smaller and newer lifters may find the plate steps big, so use a half-step or add-on weight if there is one (our cable machine guide). Growth varies hugely between people, and men and women grow by similar proportions, as our bicep curl guide reports.
From our standing cable curl move page, ACE's standing curl with a band or cable, our bicep curl guide's steps and our cable machine guide's set-up. Keeping the plates just off the stack and walking in at the end are coaching practice.
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The movement on the figure: Standing cable curl
The bar curl, 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 with 60 to 90 seconds' rest, the last set 0 to 2 short (our bicep curl guide's dose); the one-arm curl with a handle, the same each arm (our suggestion); the rope, palms facing and thumbs up, 2 sets of 10 to 15 (our bicep workout's hammer curl dose); the cable preacher curl, 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 (our bicep workout); the lying, lying high-pulley, high and overhead cable curls, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 stopping 2 or 3 reps short (their move pages' dose); and the reverse (palms-down) curl, 2 sets of 10 to 15, the last to come back after tennis elbow (our suggestion). The Bayesian curl has no 3D demo: set a single handle at the bottom, face away from the stack and step forward until your arm hangs slightly behind your body, then curl without letting your elbow swing forward, 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 each arm (our suggestion; the one-arm cable curl shows the arm action, and the incline dumbbell curl the arm-behind position). Kneeling and seated cable curls have no demo either; the standing curl shows the action.
3D demoStanding cable curlBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoCable rope hammer curlBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoOne-arm cable curlBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoIncline dumbbell curlIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoCable preacher curlBeginner · A cable machine + A bench or box
3D demoLying cable curlIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoLying high-pulley cable curlBeginner · A cable machine + A bench or box
3D demoHigh cable curlIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoOverhead cable curlIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoReverse cable curlIntermediate · A cable machineIn 35 untrained young adults doing preacher curls, 3 sets of 8 to 12 three times a week for 10 weeks, biceps thickness rose 7% with a cable and 8% with a barbell, not a real difference. Strength followed where each was hardest: near straight arms, the barbell group gained 39% against 30%. It's the only trial of cable against free-weight curls we found.
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Across 13 studies of 1,016 adults, free weights and machines built similar muscle, with strength best on the kit you trained with. In 46 young adults, 8 weeks of free weights or machines grew the biceps alike, and cable and dumbbell lateral raises grew the side of the shoulder alike in 24 trained adults.
A standing cable curl drew more chest and front-shoulder activity than a fixed-machine curl in 15 adults, because nothing holds your arm in place. Muscle activity isn't growth, so treat it as a difference in feel, not a reason to choose.
Small weight steps, an easy change of attachment, and the choice of where the curl is hardest. They suit people new to the gym, as our bicep curl guide says, and they're a fair swap for any curl at the same dose (our view).
In 24 untrained men, one arm did cable curls with the arm about 43 degrees behind the body and the other with the arm at the side, 6 to 8 sets a week for 10 weeks. Elbow flexor thickness rose 7.2 to 7.9% with the arm behind and 6.3 to 9.2% at the side, and the authors found no meaningful difference.
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In 15 untrained young men, matched cable preacher and Bayesian curls twice a week for 10 weeks grew the biceps 6 to 7% and 9%, and the brachialis 10% and 8%, with strength up 28% and 37%: not clearly different. No injuries occurred.
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In 11 men, the Bayesian cable curl drew less biceps activity than a dumbbell curl. Activity in a few reps doesn't predict growth, so this doesn't make it worse, just not special.
In 32 untrained adults, curling through the straight-arm half of the range grew the biceps 8.9% in 5 weeks, against 3.4% for the bent-arm half. In trained adults, on a programme that included Bayesian cable curls, half reps in the stretched position matched full reps; that trial was funded by a fitness company. Full reps that reach straight arms cover both, as our bicep curl guide says.
In the one loaded cable study, 10 bodybuilders' biceps worked 19% harder palms up than palms down and 12% harder than with a rope hammer grip. Curling without a load, grip didn't change biceps activity in 16 adults. Palms in was about as strong as palms up, and palms down about half as strong, in 11 men. No trial has compared grips for growth.
Small differences in muscle activity, which the authors called "a matter of subjective comfort", in 12 trained men. We found no study of wrist pain with either bar; many people find the EZ bar or rope kinder to their wrists.
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In 54 untrained women, 8 weeks of one-arm or two-arm curls grew the arms alike. Training one arm makes the other a little stronger too. One-arm curls are useful for evening up a weaker side or trying the arm-behind version, not as a growth upgrade (our reading).
Momentum didn't help or hinder growth in untrained adults doing curls and cable pushdowns (25 analysed). Strict reps make your effort easier to judge, and they're kinder to your back.
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The wrist and forearm flow for 60 seconds, then one light set of curls, as our bicep workout does.
A pin setting you can curl 10 to 15 times without leaning back, as our bicep curl guide says. In your first two weeks, stop each set with 3 or 4 reps to spare, as our plans advise.
2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15, resting 60 to 90 seconds. Most sets 1 to 3 reps short of failure, and the last set 0 to 2 short; across 15 studies, training to failure added little growth at most.
About 10 hard biceps sets a week, counting each set of rows or pulldowns as about half a set, as our bicep curl guide works it out. Split them over two or three sessions.
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In 30 men, curls at 20% of their maximum grew the arm flexors 11.4% in 12 weeks, against about 25% at 40 to 80%. Moderate and heavy loads built similar muscle when the sets were hard, so the 10 to 15 range works.
Bigger arms need the back of the arm as well. In a 12-week cable trial in 21 adults, overhead triceps extensions grew the triceps about 20%, against 14% for pushdowns with the arm at the side. Our cable arm workout pairs each curl with a triceps move.
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Add reps until every set reaches the top of the range, then the next plate. If that's too big a jump, use a half-step or add-on weight, or a machine with a higher pulley ratio, as our cable machine guide says. Stack numbers only compare on the same machine.
With controlled high blood pressure, the American Heart Association considers low- to moderate-intensity strength training with proper breathing safe. Breathe out as you lift, as our breathing guide advises.
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Stand tall and use a lighter pin.
Keep them by your sides, so the shoulder doesn't take over, as our move page says.
Lower all the way: the straight-arm half built the most.
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Step back until it still pulls with your arms straight.
Keep the plates just off the stack, as our cable machine guide says.
Try an EZ bar or the rope.
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The pulley ratio changes what you lift: compare yourself on the same machine.
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Some discomfort is fine: up to about 3 to 4 out of 10, settling within an hour, with your elbow no worse the next morning. If it's worse, go lighter next time, not to nothing. That's the rule in our elbow guides.
The front of the elbow is usually the biceps tendon, the outside tennis elbow and the inside golfer's elbow; tingling in the ring and little fingers points to the ulnar nerve. Our elbow pain from bicep curls guide has the plan for each.
Go lighter and lower more slowly, try the rope or an EZ bar, and keep to the middle of the range before curling from fully straight arms, as our elbow guides suggest (editorial swaps). Leave the palms-down curl until last after tennis elbow.
We found no study comparing elbow or wrist pain between cable and free-weight curls, or linking curls to tennis or golfer's elbow. Choose the version that lets you keep within the pain rule.
Complete tears of the biceps tendon at the elbow are uncommon: about 1 to 10 in 100,000 people a year, depending on the country and the decade, almost all men, typically in their 40s. The rate was 1.2 in 100,000 a year in one US health plan (14 people, average age 47) and 2.55 in a large US insurance database (average age 46, about 95% men), and operations for it in Swedish men rose from 1.6 to 10.0 in 100,000 a year between 2001 and 2016. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says 3 to 5 in 100,000, rarely in women.
The usual cause is a heavy load forcing a bent elbow straight, and heavy lifting came up in about half the cases across 121 articles. Repair is ideally done within the first 2 to 3 weeks, the AAOS says.
A pop or snap with sudden pain at the front of the elbow, especially with bruising, a gap at the front of the elbow or a bulge in the upper arm, can be a torn biceps tendon. Go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E (in the US, urgent care) the same day, and don't wait for it to settle, as our biceps guides say.
Triceps pushdowns, 10 to 15 reps (our cable machine workout), and overhead cable triceps extensions, 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 (our suggestion), for the back of the arm. Lat pulldowns and seated cable rows, 3 sets of 8 to 12 (our cable machine guide), each count as about half a biceps set. Cable wrist curls, 2 sets of 12 to 15, light (our suggestion), and the wrist and forearm flow, 60 seconds as a warm-up (our bicep workout).
3D demoTriceps pushdownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoOverhead cable triceps extensionIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoSeated cable rowBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoCable wrist curlBeginner · A cable machine + A bench or box
3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipmentThe cable arm workout pairs bar, rope and one-arm curls with pushdowns and overhead extensions on one cable station, about 7 hard sets each for biceps and triceps. The cable machine workout uses the standing cable curl in a whole-body session; the bicep workout offers the cable preacher curl; the back and biceps and arm workouts use curls that a cable curl can replace at the same dose.
A 35-minute arm session on a cable station: bar, rope and one-arm curls paired with pushdowns and overhead extensions, about 7 hard sets each for biceps and triceps.
35 minBeginner11 movesA cable machine, A bench or boxA 40-minute full-body workout on a dual cable station in four pairs: pull-through and row, press and Pallof press, pushdown and crunch, raise and curl.
40 minBeginner14 movesCardio machine, A bandA 30-minute biceps session: an EZ-bar curl, an incline curl, a preacher curl and hammer curls, about 10 hard sets, in the gym or with dumbbells.
30 minIntermediate6 movesA dumbbell, EZ curl barA 55-minute gym session for a split: a pulldown, the T-bar row, a seated cable row and a reverse fly for your back, then two curls for your biceps.
55 minIntermediate11 movesPull-up bar, A bandBiceps, triceps and forearms: curls, hammer curls, skull crushers, pushdowns, concentration curls and dips.
35 minBeginner7 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxCurls come round once or twice a week in these plans, as our bicep curl guide lists; a cable curl can stand in for any of them.
A 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate5 days a weekThe classic chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms week, built from our gym workouts, with what research says about training each muscle once.
5 training days45 minIntermediate6 days a weekA 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvancedIf you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; arm pain that comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest; severe difficulty breathing, or a chest that feels tight or heavy; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising.
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If you have severe pain in your arm and it's difficult to move; you've injured your arm and heard a snap, or it has changed shape; or your arm tingles or feels numb. A pop at the front of the elbow with bruising and a bulge in the upper arm needs checking the same day. In the US, go to urgent care or the emergency department.
If your arm hurts when you exercise but the pain goes when you rest, or it's swollen and you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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If elbow or arm pain hasn't gone after a few weeks.
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Very painful, swollen, tight arms and dark urine after an unusually hard or high-rep session, such as drop sets or a curl challenge, need medical help the same day: it could be rhabdomyolysis, as our elbow pain from pull-ups guide explains. Dark urine isn't always there, so arms far sorer, more swollen or weaker than the session explains still need the same-day check.
For severe wrist pain; feeling faint, dizzy or sick from the pain; a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of the injury; being unable to move your wrist or hold things; a wrist that has changed shape or colour; a very painful, hot or red lump; or lost feeling in your hand. In the US, use urgent care.
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If wrist pain is no better after 2 weeks of home treatment, or comes with tingling, diabetes, or a hot, swollen, stiff wrist.
Some discomfort during these exercises is fine and doesn't mean you are doing damage. Keep it to about 5 out of 10 or less. It should settle within half an hour or so, and your hand should be no worse the next morning. If it is, do fewer, smaller or lighter next time, not nothing. That's our wrist pain guides' rule.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
Check the cable, clips and pin before you start. A frayed cable or a clip that won't close means another station, as our cable machine guide says.
After heart surgery through the breastbone, or a heart or lung transplant, follow your surgeon's advice before pushing, pulling or lifting with your arms.
After breast cancer surgery or reconstruction, follow your surgical team's advice on when you can lift your arm above shoulder height, or push, pull or lift with it.
After a recent shoulder dislocation, or shoulder or elbow surgery, follow your surgical team's limits first.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
With a pacemaker or defibrillator, the American Heart Association asks you to check with your doctor before upper-body strength training, because repeated arm movements can damage or dislodge the leads.
Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new or harder session is common and fades. Sharp pain, or pain that builds during a set or lingers into the next day, isn't: swap to an easier version, and see a clinician if it persists, as our plans advise. The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get help from 111 if symptoms worry you or don't go away.
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In the one trial, cable and barbell preacher curls grew the biceps 7% and 8%, and free weights and machines built similar muscle across 13 studies.
The load on your elbow changes with the cable's angle, and nobody has tested "constant tension" for growth, as our cable machine guide says.
Two 10-week trials found no clear difference in growth between the arm behind, at the side and in front.
Under load, palms up worked the brachioradialis in the forearm slightly harder than the rope, by 5 to 6%, in one muscle activity study. Use the rope for comfort.
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One-arm and two-arm curls grew the arms alike in 54 women.
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It depends on the pulley ratio, and in one study the stack read about twice the dumbbell weight for a similar curl, as our cable machine guide explains.
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Stand facing a low pulley with a short bar, palms up and elbows by your sides, far enough back that the cable pulls with your arms straight. Curl it up until your forearms are about upright without leaning back, then lower it slowly until your arms are straight, keeping the plates off the stack.
Neither is better for size: in the one trial, cable and barbell preacher curls grew the biceps 7% and 8% over 10 weeks. Strength rose most where each was hardest, so choose by comfort, and mix them if you like.
Not quite. The cable's pull is roughly steady, but the load on your elbow is greatest where the cable meets your forearm at a right angle, and where you stand and the pulley height move that point. Nobody has shown that "constant tension" builds more muscle.
A one-arm cable curl facing away from a low pulley, so your arm starts behind your body and the biceps starts stretched. In two 10-week trials it grew the arm about as much as cable curls with the arm at your side or in front. We don't have a 3D demo of it yet: the one-arm cable curl shows the arm action.
All work. Palms up worked the biceps a little harder than the rope in one study of bodybuilders, the rope's palms-in grip is about as strong and suits some wrists, and many people find an EZ bar kinder to their wrists than a straight bar.
If you want to: one-arm and two-arm curls grew the arms alike in 54 untrained women. One arm at a time helps even up a weaker side and lets you try the arm-behind version.
A pin setting you can curl 10 to 15 times without leaning back, with the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. The number on the stack depends on the machine's pulley ratio, so compare yourself only on the same machine.
2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15, resting 60 to 90 seconds, two or three times a week. Across the week, aim for about 10 hard sets for your biceps, counting each set of rows or pulldowns as about half a set.
Close enough to the stack that the plates stay up at the bottom, and far enough that the cable still pulls with your arms straight. Stepping closer makes it more like a dumbbell curl; stepping back makes the straight-arm end harder.
Usually a tendon that has had more load than it's ready for: go lighter, lower more slowly, try the rope, and keep pain to about 3 to 4 out of 10 that settles within an hour. A pop at the front of the elbow with bruising or a bulge in your upper arm needs checking the same day. Our elbow pain from bicep curls guide has the full plan.
Cable curls build the biceps as well as other curls, but bigger arms also need triceps work for the back of the arm, and enough sets each week. Our cable arm workout pairs curls with pushdowns and overhead extensions.
Yes: you can start very light and add weight in small steps, and ACE rates the standing curl on a cable a beginner exercise. Learn the plain bar curl first, then try the rope, one arm and the arm-behind version.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
