Smith Machine Curl
- Primary muscleBiceps
- EquipmentSmith Machine
- DifficultyBeginner
- TypeIsolation · Pull
- Secondary muscles
- Forearms
- Body part
- Upper Arms
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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The bar's fixed vertical track is the whole story: you position your body relative to the bar instead of steering it, and no rep can drift forward or backward. Stand slightly behind the bar and it behaves like a drag curl; stand directly under your hands and it feels closer to a standard barbell curl.
How to do the Smith Machine Curl
- Adjust the height of the smith machine bar to be at waist level.
- Stand facing the smith machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your elbows close to your sides and your upper arms stationary.
- 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 down to the starting position.
- 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 smith machine
Easier and harder
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.