Biceps · Isolation movement
Incline Cable Curl
An isolation exercise for the biceps. You need a cable crossover and an incline bench.
Primary muscle
Biceps
Secondary muscles
–
Equipment
Cable
Difficulty
Beginner
How to perform the Incline Cable Curl
- Stand or sit tall with the handle at your sides, elbows pinned just in front of the torso, and shoulders pulled down and back.
- Curl the load up by flexing at the elbow only. The upper arm stays roughly stationary throughout the rep.
- Bring the load to a fully contracted position without swinging the elbows forward to "complete" the rep with shoulder flexion.
- Squeeze the biceps at the top briefly, then lower under control on a 2–3 second eccentric.
- Stop short of fully extending the elbow into a passive hang at the bottom if maintaining tension is the goal, but a full stretch is fine for stretch-biased work.
Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.
Common mistakes
- •Swinging the elbows forward to "finish" the rep with shoulder flexion instead of pure elbow flexion.
- •Using a partial range of motion that never reaches a stretch at the bottom.
- •Rocking the torso back to throw the load up, especially as fatigue builds.
- •Letting the wrists bend backward under load instead of keeping them stacked over the forearm.
Variations & alternatives
Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or the main lift has stalled.
Use this exercise in a program
The Incline Cable Curl fits into hypertrophy and strength splits that prioritize biceps volume.
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