Cable Incline Curl
What Is the Cable Incline Curl?
Cable Incline Curl is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the biceps and also engages the brachialis and brachioradialis. It is an intermediate-level movement performed reclined on an incline bench set in front of a low pulley, facing the cable stack and curling a straight bar attachment with both hands.
The backrest supports the head, upper back and hips, so you cannot lean back or swing the bar up, and the elbow flexors do the work. Because the cable runs from the low pulley toward your hands at a shallow angle, the pull is lightest with the arms straight, builds through the middle of the rep and stays high as the bar reaches your chest, where a free-weight curl gets easier. It usually sits late in an arm or pull session as strict, moderate-load biceps work rather than a heavy opening lift.
The position is different from the Dumbbell Incline Curl, where the arms hang behind the torso and the bottom of the rep stretches the biceps. Here the upper arms stay along the sides of the torso and the cable draws the hands toward your feet, so the bottom stretch is smaller and the top of the rep is harder. Compared with the standing Cable Curl, the bench removes lower back and hip swing, at the cost of a longer setup and a bench parked in front of the stack.
An EZ bar attachment in place of the straight bar is easier on many wrists, while a rope held with the palms facing each other shifts more of the work to the brachialis and brachioradialis. The exercise suits lifters who want strict biceps work that keeps tension through the top of the curl, and those whose lower back is too tired for standing curls late in a session. Anyone new to curling can build up with the standing Cable Curl or Dumbbell Curl first and learn to keep the elbows still before moving to the bench.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Brachii
- Primary
- Brachialis
- High
- Brachioradialis
- Medium
Instructions
- Attach a straight bar to the low pulley and set an adjustable bench to about 45 degrees, with the seat end a short distance in front of the cable stack.
- Take the bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip, then sit on the bench facing the stack and lie back so your head, upper back and hips rest on the pad.
- Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the floor, making sure the cable runs over your thighs without catching your knees.
- Start with your arms nearly straight, the bar just above your lap with the cable taut and your upper arms against your sides.
- Keep your wrists straight, in line with your forearms.
- Curl the bar toward your upper chest, keeping your elbows at your sides and your head and back on the pad.
- Stop when the bar reaches your upper chest, just below your chin, and briefly squeeze your biceps.
- Lower the bar slowly until your arms are nearly straight again, without letting the stack pull them down.
- After the last rep, lower the bar to your lap until the weights rest on the stack, then sit up and set the bar down.
Common Mistakes
Elbows drifting forward
Letting the elbows lift away from your sides as the bar rises brings the front of the shoulders into the lift and takes tension off the biceps.
Lifting off the pad
Crunching the head and shoulders up off the bench to meet the bar turns a strict curl into a body heave and shortens the range the biceps work through.
Letting the stack pull the arms straight
Dropping quickly into the bottom loads the elbow and biceps tendon at their most stretched point.
Stopping short of the chest
Ending each rep well below the chest skips the top of the curl, where the cable still keeps the biceps working hard.
Bending the wrists back
Letting the wrists fold back under the straight bar strains the wrists and lets the forearms take load meant for the biceps.
Sitting up with the cable loaded
Rising off the bench before the weights are back on the stack lets the cable pull the arms forward and strains the elbows and lower back.
Injuries
Cable Incline Curl is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The front of the elbow and the distal biceps tendon take the most stress near the bottom of each rep, when the arms are almost straight and the palms face up, especially if the stack is allowed to pull the arms straight quickly. A straight bar holds both palms fully up, so lifters with stiff wrists or forearms can feel strain in the wrists or along the inside of the elbow, and the front of the shoulders can ache if they roll forward off the pad at the top.
Lower the bar over two to three seconds, stop just short of forcing the elbows straight, keep the wrists in line with the forearms and choose a weight you can control through the whole range. Getting in and out of position is part of the set: hold the bar close to your body as you lie back, and after the last rep lower it to your lap until the weights rest on the stack before you sit up, so the cable cannot drag your arms forward.
If a straight bar bothers your wrists or elbows, switch to an EZ bar attachment or a rope. The Cable Preacher Curl or Machine Bicep Curl are steadier options if the reclined setup is awkward. Progress in small weight steps once every rep is controlled, or slow the lowering phase before adding load.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain or a pop at the front of the elbow, or sudden weakness when turning the palm up. See a medical professional if that pain lingers or if bruising or a change in the shape of the biceps follows.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is this the same as an incline cable curl done facing away from the machine?
No. In this version you face the stack, the cable pulls toward your feet and your upper arms stay at your sides. A facing-away setup pulls the arms back behind the body, which is closer to a Dumbbell Incline Curl done with a cable.
- Q: Do my arms need to hang behind me to grow the biceps?
Not necessarily. In a 10-week study on untrained men, the arm trained with cable curls with the upper arm in line with the torso grew about as much as the arm trained with the shoulder pulled back close to its limit, when the elbow range, resistance profile and effort were matched.
- Q: What bench angle should I use?
A moderate incline of about 45 degrees keeps your back supported and leaves room for the bar to travel to your chest. Lower the backrest and it becomes more like a lying cable curl, raise it and it becomes a seated cable curl, so pick the angle where your elbows stay at your sides and your back stays on the pad.
- Q: Can I use an EZ bar or rope attachment instead of a straight bar?
Yes. An EZ bar attachment angles the hands slightly inward and is easier on many wrists, while a rope held with the palms facing each other turns it into a hammer-style curl, like the Cable Rope Hammer Curl.