Close Grip Cable Curl
In SetGrip: Cable Curl (Close Grip)
- Secondary muscles
- Forearms
- Body part
- Upper Arms
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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A narrow underhand grip on a straight-bar attachment pairs close hand spacing with the low pulley's constant pull at the bottom of the rep. Because the cable never lets the biceps fully rest, sets feel harder than the same weight on a close-grip barbell curl.
How to do the Close Grip Cable Curl
- Attach a straight bar to a low pulley cable machine.
- Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your elbows close to your sides and your upper arms stationary throughout the exercise.
- Exhale and curl the bar up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
- Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Lower for three seconds and stop just short of locking out the elbow to keep the muscle under tension.
Muscles worked
Primary
Biceps · Arms
The biceps bend the elbow and turn the palm up, so they work hardest when the palms face up; hammer and reverse grips shift more of the work to the forearm muscles.
Secondary
- Forearms — The brachioradialis and forearm flexors take over on hammer and reverse curls and assist on every other variation.
Common mistakes
- Elbows drifting forward — as the elbows come up the front delt starts to lift the weight; pin the elbows to your sides and let only the forearm move.
- Swinging from the hips — a small rock backward on each rep means the weight is too heavy; drop it and curl from a dead stop.
- Cutting the bottom short — stopping with the elbow bent shortens the range where the biceps are stretched; lower until the arm is nearly straight.
- Wrists curling at the top — flexing the wrist toward you brings the forearm flexors in; keep the wrist neutral or slightly extended.
Where it fits in a workout
Curls go at the end of a pull session or arm day, after the rows and pulldowns that also load the biceps. Superset them with a triceps pushdown or extension.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without cable
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.