Cable curl: how to do it

Main muscles: Biceps. Helpers: Brachialis, Forearm flexors. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.

Equipment

Cable

Reps

10–15

Rest

75 s

Muscle group

Arms

How to do it

Low pulley, straight bar, elbows against your sides.
Curl the arms while the elbows stay put and the cable stays under tension the whole way.
Lower under control, do not let the stack bang.

Common mistakes

Elbows drifting forward, leaning the torso back.

▶ Form video on YouTube

Muscles worked

Front

Back

primary·secondary

Primary: Biceps
Secondary: Brachialis, Forearm flexors

A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.

Alternatives: similar exercises

Barbell curl Barbell · Biceps Hammer curl Dumbbells · Brachialis, Brachioradialis Chin-ups Bodyweight · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Biceps Preacher curl Barbell · Biceps Concentration curl Dumbbells · Biceps

Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight

GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.

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