If you find yourself naturally lapsing into any of these motions, reassess how much weight you’re using and refocus on proper form. If you’ve got the cable machine’s weight set too heavy, you might experience some of the following: You want a slower, more controlled motion where only your forearms are moving. Keep your body motion focusedĪvoid using the momentum of the weight to propel its movement. It’s also a good way to pull a muscle in your arm, which you’re probably keen to avoid. Going too fast cheats your body out of some of the exercise’s goodness. Remember to hold the curl for a second or two when it’s at its fullest. Slow down your curling speedĪs a general rule, give yourself 2–3 seconds to complete both the upward and downward curling motions when you’re doing your cable curls. Instead, here are four ways to focus on getting the most from the cable curl exercise. That’s going to lead to sloppy technique and the risk of injury. Don’t smash out all the reps as fast as you can. As with any physical exercise, it’s important that you take the time to get your form correct.
Sit upright in a chair with your arms hanging down at your sides.You’ll still need a weight in each hand and a seat to brace your back against. Unlike the biceps curl, where your palms face forward, the hammer curl starts with your palms facing in toward each other. Lower your arms back to the starting position.Keep your upper arms still while curling your forearms up until the weights are at shoulder level. Stand with your arms by your sides, holding your weights in an underhand grip.Again, dumbbells are relatively cheap, or you could use anything heavy you’ve got lying around the house. Lower yourself back to the starting position.īiceps curls with dumbbells are a really simple lift for which your biceps will give you daps.Bring your jaw in line with the bar and hold for a second.Engage your abs and pull your body up until your feet are off the floor.Straighten your arms, bend your knees, and cross one lower leg over the other.Your arms should be shoulder-width apart.
Stand facing the pull-up bar and grab it with an underhand grip.You can get one of those for your home for a few bucks, no problem (they’re available online). The chin-up is a good biceps exercise that doesn’t need expensive gear - just a pull-up bar. While cable curls are up there with the best biceps workouts, these come pretty darn close. Here are some cable curl alternatives you can do with next to zero equipment. If you’re thinking of skipping the gym today but don’t feel like neglecting your biceps, we’ve got you covered. Variations and alternatives for when you don’t have a cable curl machine They develop independently but share an insertion point near the elbow joint. The old Roman physicians called the biceps “the two-headed muscle of the arm” because the muscle is actually made up of two bundles. What muscles do cable curls work?Ĭable curls specifically target the biceps brachii. Cable curls can spice up your existing exercise routine and play an important role in making your arms tonk.
Of course, even if you’re not looking to move any giant boulders in the near future, boosting your general fitness is always a good idea. Biceps, in particular, play a central role in moving your arms in the following ways:īeing able to comfortably lift and hold heavy objects comes in handy in pretty much every walk of life - and functional strength is the one. But even if we ditch the esthetics for a moment, upper body strength is enormously useful. Swole arms are unlikely ever to go out of fashion. A study from the American Council on Exercise lists cable curls as one of the best exercises for your biceps.