10 Best Cable Lying Bicep Curl Alternatives for Home & Gym

What can I do instead of Cable Lying Bicep Curl? Use movements that maintain elbow fixation and allow supination to load the biceps through a full range. Top swaps: incline dumbbell curl, preacher dumbbell curl, standing single-arm cable curl, hammer curl, and chin-up. For each, focus on slow eccentric and full supination to maximize biceps brachii activation.

Original Exercise: Cable Lying Bicep Curl

Cable Lying Bicep Curl
Primary Muscle
Biceps
Equipment
Cable
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Forearms
How to Perform Cable Lying Bicep Curl
  1. Attach a straight bar to a low pulley cable machine.
  2. Lie face up on a flat bench with your feet flat on the ground.
  3. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
  4. Extend your arms fully, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
  5. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the bar up towards your shoulders.
  6. Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your biceps.
  7. Inhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
  8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Best Cable Lying Bicep Curl Alternatives

Best Match
Cable Lying Close-grip Curl

1. Cable Lying Close-grip Curl

99.9% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Attach a straight bar to a low pulley cable machine.
  2. Lie face up on a flat bench with your feet flat on the ground.
  3. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
  4. Extend your arms fully, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
  5. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the bar towards your chest by contracting your biceps.
Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench

2. Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench

99.9% Match
Biceps Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on an incline bench with your back against the pad and your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Grasp the cable handles with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and your arms fully extended.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the handles towards your shoulders while contracting your biceps.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly lower the handles back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Cable Preacher Curl

3. Cable Preacher Curl

92% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the cable machine so that the preacher curl pad is at chest height.
  2. Sit on the preacher curl bench and place your upper arms on the pad, gripping the cable attachment with an underhand grip.
  3. Keep your back straight and your elbows tucked in at your sides.
  4. Slowly curl the cable attachment up towards your shoulders, squeezing your biceps at the top of the movement.
  5. Pause for a moment, then slowly lower the cable attachment back down to the starting position.
Cable Seated Curl

4. Cable Seated Curl

92% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a cable machine with your feet flat on the ground and your back straight.
  2. Grasp the cable attachment with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and your arms fully extended.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the cable attachment towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly lower the cable attachment back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Cable Overhead Curl

5. Cable Overhead Curl

91.4% Match
Biceps Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Attach a straight bar to a high pulley cable machine.
  2. Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  3. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
  4. Keep your elbows close to your sides and your upper arms stationary.
  5. Exhale and curl the bar down towards your forehead, keeping your upper arms stationary.
Cable Curl

6. Cable Curl

91.4% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Grasp the cable attachment with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  3. Keep your elbows close to your sides and your upper arms stationary.
  4. Exhale and curl the cable attachment towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
Cable Drag Curl

7. Cable Drag Curl

91.4% Match
Biceps Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand facing a cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Grasp the cable attachment with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and arms fully extended.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the cable attachment towards your shoulders by contracting your biceps.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
  5. Inhale and slowly lower the cable attachment back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
Cable Seated Overhead Curl

8. Cable Seated Overhead Curl

90.7% Match
Biceps Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench facing the cable machine with your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Grasp the cable attachment with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and your hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Keep your upper arms stationary and your elbows close to your sides.
  4. Exhale and curl the cable attachment towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your biceps.
Cable Close Grip Curl

9. Cable Close Grip Curl

90% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Attach a straight bar to a low pulley cable machine.
  2. Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  3. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
  4. Keep your elbows close to your sides and your upper arms stationary throughout the exercise.
  5. Exhale and curl the bar up towards your shoulders, contracting your biceps.
Cable Rope Hammer Preacher Curl

10. Cable Rope Hammer Preacher Curl

88% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Attach a rope attachment to a low pulley cable machine.
  2. Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  3. Grasp the rope with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
  4. Position your upper arms against the preacher bench pad, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
  5. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the rope towards your shoulders by contracting your biceps.

Why You Might Need a Cable Lying Bicep Curl Alternative

You might substitute due to no cable station, shoulder or lower-back strain from the lying position, or to change the tension curve for hypertrophy. Lying cable curls provide near-constant tension and a strong peak contraction; alternatives let you alter elbow angle, grip, and supination to shift load between the biceps long head, short head, and brachialis. For example, incline dumbbell curls place the long head under greater stretch — set the bench to 45 degrees and let the arm hang behind the torso. If the lying setup irritates your shoulder, choose hammer curls with a neutral grip to emphasize the brachialis and reduce biceps tendon torque. Cue: keep the elbow pinned and pause two seconds at peak contraction to increase time under tension.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on equipment, pain history, and the specific biceps region you want to target. For peak biceps brachii activation choose movements that allow full supination and strict elbow fixation, such as single-arm cable or dumbbell preacher curls — fully supinate the wrist at the top and avoid shoulder swing. If you lack a cable, use incline dumbbell curls (bench 30–45 degrees) to bias the long head via greater shoulder extension. For tendon or joint issues prefer neutral-grip hammer curls to shift load to the brachialis. Prioritize an exercise you can perform for 8–15 controlled reps with a 2–3 second eccentric to drive hypertrophy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Cable Lying Bicep Curl work?

The exercise primarily targets the biceps brachii (both long and short heads) and also engages the brachialis and brachioradialis as secondary elbow flexors. Cue: keep the elbow stationary and fully supinate the wrist at the top to maximize biceps brachii recruitment.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Cable Lying Bicep Curl?

A supinated-grip chin-up is the best bodyweight substitute because it loads the biceps through near-full flexion while also recruiting the lats and scapular stabilizers. Cue: pull with the elbows down, squeeze the biceps at the top, and control a 2–3 second eccentric to increase time under tension.

Can I build muscle without doing Cable Lying Bicep Curl?

Yes. You can build biceps mass with progressive overload using alternatives like incline dumbbell curls, preacher curls, chin-ups, and hammer curls. Focus on full range of motion, strict elbow fixation, and controlled eccentrics to maximize mechanical tension and hypertrophy.

More Exercise Alternatives

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Use our free tool to discover the best substitute exercises based on your available equipment and goals.

Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →

Our similarity scores are calculated using a weighted algorithm based on movement patterns, muscle activation, and biomechanics. Learn about our methodology