cable drag curl: technique and muscles worked

Animated demonstration of cable drag curl

How to do this exercise

Step:1 Stand facing a cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Step:2 Grasp the cable attachment with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and arms fully extended.
Step:3 Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the cable attachment towards your shoulders by contracting your biceps.
Step:4 Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
Step:5 Inhale and slowly lower the cable attachment back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Step:6 Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Equipment: Barbell Cable machine
Body part: Arms
Target muscle: Biceps
Secondary muscle: Forearms

Hypertrophy grade

Good8 / 10

Nemeo’s take

This exercise is essential for maintaining constant tension on the biceps, from the bottom to the top of the movement. Unlike dumbbells where tension drops when the forearm is vertical, the cable continues to pull your muscles forward, which optimizes metabolic stress. This is the “big brother” of the free bar curl for those looking to eliminate “dead” zones from the repetition. The slight advancement of the elbows at the end of the race, as seen in the image, allows you to achieve a shorter and more intense contraction of the biceps. This is an ideal exercise for high repetitions and to get maximum "burn".

This catalog score reflects Nemeo’s assessment of the exercise’s muscle-building potential. It is not a standardized scientific rating or a personalized recommendation.

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cable drag curl

How to do this exercise

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