10 Best Cable Lying Bicep Curl Alternatives for Biceps Isolation

The Cable Lying Bicep Curl is done lying on your back with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Cable Lying Close-grip Curl, the Lying Cable Curl and the Cable Preacher Curl. Three harder versions, the Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench, the Overhead Cable Curl and the Cable Drag Curl, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

The low pulley bench is busy, or you just want the same curl from a different angle: either way the Cable Lying Bicep Curl has a direct swap. The closest one is the Cable Lying Close-grip Curl, which keeps you on the same bench and the same straight bar and curls it toward your chest instead of your shoulders. If that bench is what you need free, the Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench moves the same pull onto an incline seat instead.

Cable Lying Bicep CurlWatch the Cable Lying Bicep Curl

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Cable Lying Bicep Curl

The steps for the Cable Lying Bicep Curl itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Biceps, with forearms · Cable · Beginner · Isolation

  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.

The 10 Best Cable Lying Bicep Curl Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Cable Lying Bicep Curl on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Cable Lying Close-grip CurlPlay demonstration

    1. Cable Lying Close-grip Curl

    99% match

    Biceps · Beginner · Isolation

    It uses the same equipment and still works the biceps.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    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.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your biceps.
    7. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: curl, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Primary muscle: biceps, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
  2. Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline BenchPlay demonstration

    Progression

    2. Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench

    99% match

    Biceps · Intermediate · Isolation

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the biceps.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    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.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: curl, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Primary muscle: biceps, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
  3. Lying Cable Curl

    3. Lying Cable Curl

    93% match

    Biceps · Beginner · Isolation

    Pick this when you want to work the biceps one side at a time.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Grab a straight bar or E-Z bar attachment that is attached to the low pulley with both hands, using an underhand (palms facing up) shoulder-width grip.
    2. Lie flat on your back on top of an exercise mat in front of the weight stack with your feet flat against the frame of the pulley machine and your legs straight.
    3. With your arms extended and your elbows close to your body slightly bend your arms. This will be your starting position.
    4. While keeping your upper arms stationary and the elbows close to your body, curl the bar up slowly toward your chest as you breathe out and you squeeze the biceps.
    5. After a second squeeze at the top of the movement, slowly return to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: curl, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Primary muscle: biceps, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
  4. Cable Preacher CurlPlay demonstration

    4. Cable Preacher Curl

    92% match

    Biceps · Beginner · Isolation

    The same equipment, done seated instead.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    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.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: curl, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Primary muscle: biceps, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Body position: seated, not lying on your back
  6. High Cable Curls

    6. High Cable Curls

    92% match

    Biceps · Beginner · Isolation

    The same equipment, done standing instead.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Stand between a couple of high pulleys and grab a handle in each arm. Position your upper arms in a way that they are parallel to the floor with the palms of your hands facing you. This will be your starting position.
    2. Curl the handles towards you until they are next to your ears. Make sure that as you do so you flex your biceps and exhale. The upper arms should remain stationary and only the forearms should move. Hold for a second in the contracted position as you squeeze the biceps.
    3. Slowly bring back the arms to the starting position.
    4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: curl, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Primary muscle: biceps, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl
    • Body position: standing, not lying on your back

Why You Might Need a Cable Lying Bicep Curl Alternative

Each swap still needs a cable stack, so the reason to pick one is rarely about equipment you lack. The Cable Lying Bicep Curl ties you to one bench and one straight bar, and lifters move off it when that bench is taken, when they want the bar to stop at the chest rather than the shoulders, or when a pad or a seat gives the arm something to rest against. The Cable Preacher Curl and the Cable Seated Curl put the same underhand pull onto a pad or a seat elsewhere in the room. The Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench swaps the flat bench for an incline seat, and the Overhead Cable Curl sets the pulleys above shoulder height so you curl the handles in from the sides, for the days the low pulley station is taken.

How to Choose the Right Cable Lying Bicep Curl Substitute

Start with the curl path. The Cable Lying Close-grip Curl keeps the same setup and only brings the bar to your chest instead of your shoulders, the smallest change. If the lying bench is busy, the Cable Preacher Curl uses a pad, the Cable Seated Curl uses a seat, and the Standing Biceps Cable Curl keeps you standing at the low pulley. The Cable Curl and the Cable Drag Curl keep you standing and curl to your shoulders, while High Cable Curls and the Overhead Cable Curl set the pulleys above shoulder height, holding your upper arms parallel to the floor as you curl the handles toward your head. If you want the same two-handed curl with your back supported, the Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench sits against an incline pad and curls to your shoulders.

Cable Lying Bicep Curl FAQ

Can I do the Cable Lying Bicep Curl without a cable machine?

No. Every alternative, from the Cable Lying Close-grip Curl to the Cable Seated Curl, still runs through a cable stack and a pulley, so none of them moves onto a free weight or a bodyweight curl. Any gym with a dual cable stack can run all of them.

Which alternative only changes where the curl finishes?

The Cable Lying Close-grip Curl. It keeps the same bench, the same low pulley and the same straight bar as the Cable Lying Bicep Curl, and only brings the bar up toward your chest instead of your shoulders, so the rest of the setup stays exactly as it was.

Which alternative moves the curl onto an incline bench?

The Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench. It keeps the same cable pull with an underhand grip on the handles, but puts you on an incline bench with your back against the pad and your feet flat, so you curl the handles to your shoulders seated rather than lying flat.

Which alternatives curl from a high pulley instead of a low one?

High Cable Curls and the Overhead Cable Curl. Both set the pulleys above shoulder height and have you stand between them with your upper arms held out parallel to the floor, then curl the handles in toward your head, so the biceps work with the arms raised rather than tucked at your sides as they are in the Cable Lying Bicep Curl.

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