Bayesian Cable Curl

What is the Bayesian Cable Curl?

The Bayesian curl is a single-arm cable curl done facing away from the stack, with the working arm held behind the body. That behind-the-torso position stretches the biceps at the bottom while the cable keeps tension constant, making it one of the best cable movements for loading the biceps in its lengthened range.

Muscles worked

Primary: Biceps

The biceps flexes the elbow from a deeply stretched start; with the arm drawn behind the body, the long head is lengthened and loaded harder than in a standing cable curl.

Secondary: Forearms

The forearm flexors assist by gripping the handle and controlling the supinating wrist through the curl.

How to perform the Bayesian Cable Curl

1. Set a cable pulley to about hip height and grip a single handle with a supinated grip while facing away from the machine.
2. Step forward until your working arm is drawn behind your torso, putting the shoulder into extension and stretching the long head under load.
3. This behind-the-body stretch under constant cable tension is the whole reason to choose a Bayesian curl over a standing cable curl.
4. Keep the upper arm fixed behind you and curl the handle up by flexing only the elbow.
5. Squeeze at the top without letting the elbow drift forward, which would collapse the stretch.
6. Lower under control back into the deep behind-the-body stretch, staying braced so the cable does not pull you off balance.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation performed one arm at a time against a low cable: elbow flexion with the upper arm held back behind the torso. Facing away from the stack puts the biceps on stretch at the bottom while the cable line keeps resistance even across the range.

Form cues

• •Face away from a low pulley and let the working arm draw back behind your body.
• •Keep the upper arm still behind the torso and curl by flexing only the elbow.
• •Let the biceps stretch fully at the bottom before curling and supinating up.
• •Control the return into the stretch instead of letting the cable pull the arm forward.

Common mistakes

• •Not stepping far enough forward, so the arm never gets drawn behind the body into the stretch.
• •Letting the elbow drift forward on the curl, which collapses the behind-the-body long-head stretch.
• •Leaning the torso to use bodyweight momentum instead of strict elbow flexion.
• •Letting the cable snap the arm back rather than controlling the loaded stretch.

Variations & alternatives

• •Cable curl, the standing base movement without the behind-the-body stretch.
• •Incline dumbbell curl, a free-weight way to load the same stretched position.
• •Bayesian hammer curl, a neutral rope grip for the brachialis in the same stretch.
• •Preacher curl, a braced curl that loads a different point of the range.

Barbell Curl

Biceps · Barbell

Dumbbell Curl

Biceps · Dumbbell

Hammer Curl

Biceps · Dumbbell

Cable Curl

Biceps · Cable

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps · Dumbbell

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the Bayesian curl in the library’s 10–15 rep range as a stretch-focused biceps accessory, one arm at a time. Control the lowering into the stretch, where much of the growth stimulus lives, and keep the load light enough to stay strict. Run it after pulling work or pair it with a shortened-range curl.

Frequently asked questions