Lying Cable Curl
Lying on the floor with your head toward a low pulley puts your arms overhead so the biceps are loaded from the very start of the curl with the elbows straight, where a free-weight curl offers almost nothing. The cable holds constant tension from that straight-arm start to the peak, making this a strict, constant-tension biceps builder. Keep it light and precise; the position rewards control, not ego.
- 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
Attach a bar or handles to a low pulley and lie on your back with your head near the stack.
- 2
Reach overhead and grip the attachment with straight arms and palms up.
- 3
Fix your upper arms in place, pointing back toward the pulley.
- 4
Curl the attachment toward the top of your head by flexing the elbows.
- 5
Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly back to straight arms overhead.
- 6
Exhale as you curl, inhale as you lower.
Tips
- Keep your upper arms still and angled toward the pulley so the tension stays on the biceps.
- Do not let the elbows drift; only the forearms should move.
- Start light until you learn how hard the straight-arm start loads the muscle.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Lying too far from the stack, so the cable runs almost flat along the floor and drags your arms down instead of loading them overhead. Your head should end up a hand or two from the frame.
- Sliding across the floor toward the pulley as the set runs, which makes each rep shorter than the last. If you are creeping in, the plate is heavier than the position can anchor.
- Letting your lower back peel off the floor as you pull, so the ribs flare and the cable takes its anchor from your spine. Bend the knees, plant the feet and press the low back down.
- Curling the bar down onto your forehead at the top of every rep. Finish a few inches clear of your head so a slip does not land on your face.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the lying cable curl should I do?
- Two sets of 10 to 12 on the day you first try it, and three from then on. Start at the lightest plate that keeps the cable taut, because the cable loads the biceps from fully straight elbows, a position free weights leave unloaded and soreness two days later is common after the first session. Add reps before weight, and place it at the end of arm work, once your elbows have already done some easier sets.
- How can I do a lying cable curl without a cable machine?
- Anchor a band low behind your head, under a door, around a bench leg or a rack upright, then lie down and curl from the same overhead position. It matches the setup closely, because the pull comes from behind you rather than from above. Dumbbells will not work here: with the arms overhead, gravity pulls along the arm instead of across it, so there is nothing to curl against. On a bench, the lying dumbbell curl gives you a different stretch that serves the same purpose.
- What is the point of curling while lying on the floor?
- Your arms end up overhead and the cable keeps tension on the biceps the whole way, from fully straight elbows to the peak, which makes it a strict, constant-tension builder. With the shoulder flexed the long head is actually shortened, so if a long-head stretch is the goal, an incline curl is the better pick. As a strength exercise it is close to useless, since you cannot brace and the loads stay small. Skip it if lying with the arms overhead bothers your shoulders or lower back, and use an incline cable curl for the same constant cable tension with more support.
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