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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General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
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Explore/Biceps

Drag Curl

BarbellIsolationTakes some practice
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Biceps

Also forearms

You need

Barbell

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Top
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Keep the bar touching your body as it rises
  2. 2Elbows travel back, not forward
  3. 3Squeeze at the top, lower the same way

Most common mistake

Letting the bar drift away from the body.

Watch a demo
B
For biceps
#17 of 19
See the full list →
Research
56
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 56
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchWeak
ProgressionStrong
Low costStrong

Loads the biceps hardest when they’re shortened, the opposite of what grows them best.

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

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

Takes

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280