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Exercises

Cable curl alternatives: what to curl when the pulley is taken

Published October 23, 2026

The best cable curl alternative is the EZ-bar curl: it trains the same biceps, loads heavier than the cable, and is easy on the wrists. For the stretch the cable cannot give, use the incline dumbbell curl; at home, alternating hammer curls or a band curl; with only a pull-up bar, close-grip chin-ups. Keep the same rep range you used on the cable and lower every rep slowly, since free weights do not pull back against you.

What a cable curl alternative has to replace

The cable curl trains your biceps, with the brachialis and forearm muscles helping. The cable keeps pulling all the way up, so the biceps stay loaded near the top of the curl where a dumbbell gets easy, and the stack lets you add weight in small steps. A good replacement keeps the elbows still and the biceps working through the full bend.

How to do the cable curl

Other cable and machine curls

If another pulley or the preacher setup is free, stay on a cable. You keep the smooth tension and the small weight jumps the cable curl gave you.

Cable swap on the crossover

Overhead Cable Curl

Biceps

If the low pulley is taken but the crossover is free, this keeps the cable tension you liked and adds a stronger squeeze at the top. Your arms are up at shoulder height, so expect to use less weight than on a standing cable curl.

How to do it

  1. Stand centered between two high pulleys, one handle per hand, palms up.
  2. Lift your arms wide until they are level with your shoulders.
  3. Bend your elbows to bring the handles toward your ears without dropping your upper arms.
  4. Straighten your arms back out against the cables and repeat.

Cues

  • Upper arms stay level
  • Handles toward your ears
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Letting your elbows sink as you tire: keep them level or end the set.
  • Pulling with your shoulders and chest: keep your torso still and bend only at the elbows.
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One-arm cable swap

Cable Twisting Curl

Biceps

Same pulley, one handle, and a twist from palm-in to palm-up as you curl, which works the biceps through its full job of bending the elbow and turning the hand. Pick it when you share the station and can only grab a single handle.

How to do it

  1. Attach a single handle to a low pulley and hold it in one hand with your palm facing in.
  2. Stand side-on or facing the pulley, elbow by your side, arm straight.
  3. Curl the handle up and rotate your hand so your palm faces the ceiling as you finish.
  4. Untwist back to a neutral grip as you lower to a straight arm, then repeat and switch sides.

Cues

  • Turn the pinky up at the top
  • Elbow stays put
  • One arm, full focus

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the twist at the very end: start rotating early and finish it as your forearm reaches vertical.
  • Swinging the body to finish reps: a single handle is light work, so pick a stack weight you can control.
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Cable curl with your arms braced

Machine Preacher Curl

Biceps

A preacher bench in front of a low pulley pins your upper arms, so you cannot lean or swing and the biceps do every inch. Pick it when your standing cable curls turn into body English by the last reps.

How to do it

  1. Set a preacher bench in front of a low pulley and clip a straight bar on.
  2. Sit with the back of your upper arms flat on the pad and take the bar palms up.
  3. Curl the bar toward your chin, keeping your arms on the pad.
  4. Let it return until your arms are nearly straight and repeat.

Cues

  • Arms flat on the pad
  • Squeeze at the top
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Sitting so far from the pulley that the cable pulls you forward: move the bench close enough that you stay seated.
  • Rounding your shoulders to help the curl: keep your chest up against the pad.
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Barbell and EZ bar

No cables free: a bar lets you curl heavier than the stack ever did. Lower each rep slowly, since a bar does not pull back against you the way a cable does.

Best swap when the cables are busy

EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps

The angled grip is easier on the wrists than a straight bar and lets you load more than any cable curl. It loses the cable's tension at the very top, so finish each rep with a hard squeeze instead of resting there.

How to do it

  1. Load the bar, stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, and take the inner angled grips with your palms facing up and slightly in.
  2. Let the bar hang against your thighs with your arms straight and your elbows tucked by your ribs.
  3. Bend at the elbows to bring the bar up in an arc until your forearms point roughly at the ceiling and the bar sits near your upper chest.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your elbows drift forward.
  5. Lower the bar under control for about two seconds until your arms are fully straight, then start the next rep.

Cues

  • Elbows glued to your sides
  • Ribs down, no lean back
  • All the way down every rep

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the hips to get the bar moving: if the first inch needs a hip snap, the weight is too heavy for the rep target.
  • Letting the elbows travel forward at the top: that turns the end of the curl into a front raise and takes tension off the biceps.
  • Cutting the bottom short: half reps let you lift more but skip the stretched part of the curl. Straighten your arms fully before each rep.
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Heaviest free-weight curl

Barbell Curl

Biceps

Both arms on one straight bar lets you handle the most weight and add it in small jumps. Choose the EZ bar instead if a straight bar bothers your wrists.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and hold the bar with an underhand grip, hands a little wider than your hips.
  2. Let the bar hang at your thighs with your arms straight and your elbows touching your sides.
  3. Curl the bar up in an arc by bending your elbows, with your upper arms still and your wrists straight.
  4. Stop when your forearms are vertical and the bar is in front of your shoulders, and squeeze your biceps for a moment.
  5. Lower the bar under control until your arms are completely straight, then start the next rep.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned to your ribs
  • Ribs down, no lean back
  • Straight arms at the bottom of every rep

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back and using the hips: brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes; if the bar only moves with a swing, it is too heavy.
  • Letting the elbows drift forward at the top: that brings the shoulders in and takes tension off the biceps; stop when the forearms are vertical.
  • Half reps that never straighten the arms: lower all the way every time, or the weight on the bar overstates what your biceps can do.
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Strict curl, hardest at the bottom

Preacher Curl

Biceps

The pad locks your upper arms in place like the cable preacher, but the EZ bar is heaviest near the bottom, where the biceps are stretched. A good second curl after a standing one.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so your armpits rest on the top edge of the pad and the backs of your upper arms lie flat on it.
  2. Take the EZ bar on its inner angled grips, palms turned up, and sit down with your feet planted.
  3. Bend your elbows and bring the bar up until your forearms are just short of vertical.
  4. Lower for about three seconds until your arms are nearly straight, without letting the bar drop the last few inches.
  5. Curl the next rep from there, with your upper arms still flat on the pad.

Cues

  • Armpits jammed into the pad
  • Slow on the way down
  • Stop before your forearms stand straight up

Common mistakes

  • Sitting too low so only your elbows touch the pad: raise the seat until the whole back of your upper arm is in contact.
  • Dropping the last part of each rep and bouncing out of it: lower at the same slow speed right to the bottom, and take a lighter bar if you cannot.
  • Lifting your shoulders and leaning back to finish the rep: stop where your forearms are near vertical, since past that point the biceps get a rest anyway.
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Dumbbells, at home or in the gym

Dumbbells let you set the angle: lean back for more stretch, lean forward for a harder top, turn your palms in for thicker forearms.

Best for the biceps stretch

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Leaning back lets your arms hang behind your body, so the biceps work from a longer stretch than any standing curl gives. Use it as your main dumbbell swap when you want the stretched position the cable curl never loads.

How to do it

  1. Angle an adjustable bench at roughly 45 to 60 degrees and sit back with your head and shoulders against the pad.
  2. Your arms hang straight toward the floor with two dumbbells and your palms turned forward.
  3. Curl both dumbbells up, keeping your upper arms hanging and your elbows pointed at the floor.
  4. Stop when the dumbbells are near your shoulders, squeezing the biceps without letting your elbows drift forward.
  5. Lower slowly until your arms are fully straight again before starting the next rep.

Cues

  • Shoulders stay on the pad
  • Elbows point at the floor
  • Full stretch every rep

Common mistakes

  • Elbows swinging forward as you curl: keep the upper arm hanging; when it moves, the shoulders take over.
  • Half reps that stop short of straight arms: the stretch at the bottom is why you are doing this curl.
  • Using your standing-curl weight: start clearly lighter and add weight only when every rep reaches straight arms.
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Simplest dumbbell swap

Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Two dumbbells and a standing curl, palms up, works in any gym or living room. Each arm lifts its own weight, so a weaker side cannot hide behind the stronger one the way it can on a cable bar.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding two dumbbells, arms straight at your sides, and turn your palms to face forward.
  2. Brace your stomach and pin your upper arms to your sides.
  3. Bend one elbow and bring the dumbbell up toward your shoulder, keeping the palm turned up the whole way.
  4. Pause briefly at the top with your forearm vertical, then lower slowly until the arm is straight again.
  5. Repeat with the other arm, or curl both arms together if you prefer.

Cues

  • Elbows stay at your sides
  • Pinkie turns up
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging your hips and back to get the weight up: take a lighter pair and keep your torso still for the whole set.
  • Letting the elbows drift forward at the top: that hands the work to your shoulders; stop the curl when your forearm is vertical.
  • Stopping short of straight arms at the bottom: lower all the way so the biceps work through their full length.
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Constant work at the top of the curl

Spider Curl

Biceps

Lying chest-down on an incline bench makes the biceps work hardest where the cable curl does, near the top, with no way to swing. Use lighter dumbbells than you curl standing.

How to do it

  1. Set an incline bench to about 45 degrees and lie face down on it with your chest on the top of the pad and your feet planted on the floor behind.
  2. Hold one dumbbell per hand with your palms facing forward and let both arms drop vertically toward the floor.
  3. Curl both dumbbells toward your shoulders by bending only at the elbows, with your upper arms pointing at the floor.
  4. Squeeze hard at the top for a moment, with your pinkies turned slightly up toward your shoulders.
  5. Lower slowly until your arms are straight again, and start the next rep without letting the dumbbells swing.

Cues

  • Upper arms stay pointing at the floor
  • Chest glued to the pad
  • Squeeze, then lower slowly

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the elbows back as you curl: that turns it into a row and takes load off the biceps; keep your elbows directly under your shoulders and use lighter dumbbells.
  • Cutting the bottom short: let your arms go fully straight on every rep, or you lose half of the range.
  • Lifting your chest off the pad to get the last rep: once your chest moves, the set is over; record the rep you got cleanly.
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RIRLift's swap with dumbbells

Alternating Hammer Curl

Biceps

Palms facing in brings the forearm muscle and the brachialis in alongside the biceps, which thickens the whole arm. This is what RIRLift puts in the cable curl's place in a home gym or with dumbbells only.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding two dumbbells by your sides, palms facing your thighs.
  2. Keep your elbow at your side and curl one dumbbell toward your shoulder without turning your wrist.
  3. Lower it slowly until the arm is straight, then curl the other side.
  4. Keep alternating, counting each arm, until the set is done.

Cues

  • Thumbs up the whole rep
  • Elbows stay by your sides
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the dumbbell up with a lean back: if your body moves, the weight is too heavy.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: straighten the arm fully before the next curl on that side.
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Bands and bodyweight

No weights: a band copies the cable best, and a chin-up or a door frame turns your bodyweight into the load.

Closest feel to a cable at home

Band Hammer Curl

Biceps

A band gets harder the higher you curl, a lot like a cable does, and it fits in a drawer. Stand wider on the band or use a thicker one once 25 reps feel easy.

How to do it

  1. Stand on a band, feet about hip-width, ends in your hands with palms facing in.
  2. Curl your hands up toward your shoulders with your elbows at your sides.
  3. Hold the top for a second.
  4. Lower slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows still
  • Hold one second
  • Control the band down

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the lowering: let the band pull for two seconds.
  • Too little tension: shorten the band by stepping wider.
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Best curl on a pull-up bar

Close-Grip Chin-Up

Lats, Biceps

Palms toward you with your hands close puts your biceps in charge of lifting your whole bodyweight, more load than most curls. Pick it when all you have is a bar to hang from.

How to do it

  1. Grab the bar palms-up with your hands about a fist's width apart.
  2. From a straight-arm hang, pull until your upper chest nears the bar.
  3. Squeeze at the top with your elbows tight to your body.
  4. Lower slowly to a full hang.

Cues

  • Hands close
  • Chest to the bar
  • Three seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging your shoulders to your ears at the bottom: keep a little tension so the shoulders stay set.
  • Swinging between reps: pause in the hang until your body is still.
Build a session with Close-Grip Chin-Up

No equipment, just a door frame

Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Biceps

Lean back from a door frame and curl yourself in. Walking your feet closer to the frame makes it harder, so you can work up to sets close to failure with nothing but a doorway.

How to do it

  1. Grip both sides of a door frame around hip level and walk your feet in toward it.
  2. Lean back until your arms are straight and your body is rigid from heels to head.
  3. Bend your elbows to bring your chest to the frame.
  4. Lower back out under control.

Cues

  • Elbows stay at your sides
  • Body rigid
  • Feet in to make it harder

Common mistakes

  • Rowing instead of curling: keep your upper arms still and bend only at the elbows.
  • Bending at the hips: tense your glutes and keep a straight line.
Build a session with Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Triceps to pair with them

The example sessions below are full arm days, so each one adds a triceps exercise that fits the same equipment.

Triceps for the gym session

Machine Triceps Extension

Triceps

Arm day needs the other side of the arm too. The machine lets you push the triceps close to failure right after your curls without setting anything up.

How to do it

  1. Adjust the seat so your upper arms rest flat on the pad and your elbows line up with the machine's pivot.
  2. Grip the handles and sit tall with your back against the backrest.
  3. Straighten your elbows until your arms are locked out, then pause.
  4. Bend your elbows slowly back to the start, stopping before the weight stack touches down.

Cues

  • Elbows on the pivot
  • Pause at lockout
  • Shoulders down, back on the pad

Common mistakes

  • Seat set too high or too low, so the pad digs into your elbows: move it until the pivot sits next to your elbow joint.
  • Short, bouncy reps near the start: open the elbows all the way until you feel the triceps stretch.
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Triceps with one dumbbell

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps

One dumbbell overhead stretches the long head of the triceps, the biggest part of the back of your arm, so it pairs well with any dumbbell curl.

How to do it

  1. Sit tall on an upright bench.
  2. Hold one dumbbell overhead with both hands.
  3. Lower it behind your head by bending your elbows.
  4. Stop when your triceps are fully stretched.
  5. Straighten your arms back overhead.

Cues

  • Elbows point up
  • Only the elbows bend
  • Deep stretch

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows wide: keep them shoulder width.
  • Arching your back: brace your abs.
Build a session with Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps with no equipment

Close-Grip Push-Up

Triceps, Chest

Hands under your shoulders and elbows tucked turns a push-up into a triceps exercise you can do anywhere.

How to do it

  1. Get into a high plank with your hands directly below your shoulders.
  2. Lower yourself with your elbows sliding back past your ribs.
  3. Stop just above the floor, then push up to locked elbows.
  4. Drop to your knees for the last reps if your hips start to sag.

Cues

  • Hands under shoulders
  • Elbows travel back
  • Full lockout

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows into a T: that moves the work to your chest.
  • Half reps near the top: lower until your chest is close to the floor.
Build a session with Close-Grip Push-Up

Example sessions without the cable curl

Session 1

Gym, cable station always busy

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentEZ Bar, Dumbbells, Incline Bench, Triceps Machine

You train in a commercial gym and every pulley is taken when you get to arms.

The EZ-bar curl takes the cable curl's place as the heavy curl, and the incline dumbbell curl adds the stretched position a standing curl misses. A machine extension covers the triceps without waiting for a cable. 11 working sets.

Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
EZ-Bar Curl1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–12 2 2 min
Incline Dumbbell CurlArms fully straight at the bottom. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Machine Triceps Extension 4 × 10–15 1 75 s
How to run it
Run it once or twice a week, after your back or pull day or on its own.
How to progress
When every set of a lift reaches the top of its rep range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, one pair of dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train at home with one pair of dumbbells, adjustable or fixed, and a chair or bench.

Home dumbbells are usually light for curls, so the session runs higher reps with short rests and takes every set within a rep of failure. Hammer curls lead because they let you lift the most, standard curls follow, and an overhead extension trains the triceps. 11 working sets.

Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Alternating Hammer CurlCount reps per arm. 4 × 10–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell CurlThree seconds down. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension 4 × 12–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Rest 60 seconds and keep it moving.
How to progress
Add reps until every set hits the top of the range, then move up a dumbbell. If you are already at your heaviest pair, lower each rep over three seconds instead.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No weights, just a bar and a band

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets39 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Resistance Bands

You train at home with a pull-up bar, a resistance band and a doorway.

The close-grip chin-up is the heavy lift here, since it puts your bodyweight on your biceps. Band hammer curls and door-frame curls then add high-rep work, and close-grip push-ups cover the triceps. 13 working sets.

Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Close-Grip Chin-Up 4 × 5–10 2 2 min
Band Hammer Curl 3 × 15–25 1 45 s
Bodyweight Bicep CurlFeet closer to the frame = harder. 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
Close-Grip Push-Up 3 × 8–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Two or three times a week. Start with the chin-ups while you are fresh.
How to progress
On chin-ups, add a rep per set each week until you reach 10, then slow the lowering to four seconds. On the band and door-frame curls, go from 15 to 25 reps, then use a thicker band or walk your feet closer to the frame.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What can I do instead of cable curls?

EZ-bar curls are the closest heavy swap, and incline dumbbell curls are the best for the biceps stretch. At home, hammer curls with dumbbells or curls with a band do the same job.

What are some variations of cable curls?

Overhead cable curls with both pulleys high, one-arm twisting curls with a single handle, and preacher curls with a bench in front of the low pulley. Each keeps the cable's tension but changes the arm position.

Is rope or bar better for bicep curls?

A bar lets you curl more weight with your palms up, which suits the biceps. A rope keeps your palms facing each other, like a hammer curl, which brings in more of the forearm and brachialis. Use the bar for your main sets and the rope if straight grips bother your wrists.

Can dumbbell curls replace cable curls?

Yes. Dumbbell curls train the same biceps; they are just easier at the top and harder in the middle. Lower each rep slowly and take sets within 1 to 2 reps of failure, and they do the same job.

How can I do hammer curls without dumbbells?

Stand on a resistance band, hold the ends with your palms facing in and curl. With no band, a door-frame curl or a close-grip chin-up trains the same muscles with your bodyweight.

Do hammer curls build bigger biceps?

They build the brachialis under the biceps and the top of the forearm, which makes the whole arm thicker. Pair them with a palms-up curl so the biceps get direct work too.