Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Biceps

Cable Curl

CableIsolationEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Biceps

Also forearms

You need

Cable station

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Top
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Step back so the cable stays taut at the bottom
  2. 2Elbows fixed
  3. 3Squeeze at the top

Most common mistake

Leaning back to move more weight.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for biceps
  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs EZ-Bar Curlvs Incline Dumbbell Curlvs Rope Hammer Curl
A
For biceps
#4 of 19
See the full list →
Research
83
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 83
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionStrong
Low costExcellent

Cables keep tension on the biceps through the whole curl, including the bottom where dumbbells unload.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SMachine Preacher CurlMachine
  • SIncline Dumbbell CurlDumbbell
  • AEZ-Bar CurlBarbell
  • SBayesian Cable CurlCable

Takes

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