Bayesian Cable Curl
Standing with your back to a pulley set at about hip height lets the working arm drift behind your torso, putting the long head of the biceps on a deep stretch at the bottom. The cable holds tension through that lengthened range where dumbbells go slack, making it one of the best stretch-focused curls available. Work one arm at a time for full concentration and a clean line of pull.
- Equipment
- Cables
- Body part
- Biceps
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Biceps Brachii Long Head
- Browse by movement
- Elbow Flexion
- Target
- Biceps Brachii Long Head
- Secondary
- Biceps Brachii Short Head, Brachioradialis
How to do it
- 1
Set a pulley to about hip height and attach a single handle.
- 2
Grab the handle, then walk forward and turn so your back faces the stack.
- 3
Stagger your stance for balance and let the cable pull your working arm behind you.
- 4
Keeping the upper arm fixed and slightly behind your torso, curl the handle up toward your shoulder.
- 5
Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly until the arm is fully stretched behind you.
- 6
Complete your reps, then switch arms.
Tips
- Keep your elbow behind the line of your body to protect the long-head stretch.
- Brace your core and avoid leaning forward as you curl.
- Own the bottom stretch; a slow, loaded eccentric is the point of this exercise.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The elbow drifts forward in front of the torso at the top of the curl, handing the tension to the front delt instead of the biceps long head.
- Leaning forward at the hip to start the curl turns a strict stretch-position movement into a cheat curl that never reaches a true stretch.
- Rushing back to the stretched position lets the cable yank the arm down instead of lowering it under control, wasting the loaded eccentric that is the point of this curl.
- A stance too close to the pulley shortens the cable's travel and removes the deep stretch behind the torso that sets this curl apart from a standard one.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the Bayesian cable curl should you do per arm when you are new to the exercise?
- Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per arm with a moderate weight, since the deep stretch at the bottom makes this harder than the number on the stack suggests. Rest 45 to 60 seconds between arms or sets, and slow the lowering phase to a full two or three count rather than rushing back to the stretch. Add weight only once you can control that stretch without the elbow sliding forward.
- What can replace the Bayesian cable curl without a cable machine?
- A long resistance band anchored at about hip height behind you reproduces the same behind-the-torso stretch and constant tension. Without a cable or band, an incline dumbbell curl gives a similar deep stretch on the long head, though the tension drops off at the very bottom the way a cable's does not.
- What is the Bayesian cable curl good for, and who shouldn't start with it?
- It's stretch-focused biceps hypertrophy work for lifters chasing long-head size who are already comfortable with standard curls. It's a poor choice as a first curl variation since the behind-the-body position takes some shoulder mobility and balance to control safely.
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