10 Best Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench Alternatives for Limited Equipment

What can I do instead of Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench? Use incline dumbbell curls, preacher curls, resistance-band incline curls, concentration curls, or supinated inverted rows to hit the biceps. Keep elbows fixed behind the torso, supinate the wrists, and control the eccentric to maintain the long‑head stretch that the incline position provides.

Original Exercise: Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench

Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench
Primary Muscle
Biceps
Equipment
Cable
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Forearms
How to Perform Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench
  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.

Ranked Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench Alternatives

Best Match
Cable Lying Bicep Curl

1. Cable Lying Bicep 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, exhale and curl the bar up towards your shoulders.
Cable Lying Close-grip Curl

2. 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.
Lying Cable Curl

3. Lying Cable Curl

93% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Cable Preacher Curl

4. 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

5. 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.
High Cable Curls

6. High Cable Curls

92% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Overhead Cable Curl

7. Overhead Cable Curl

92% Match
Biceps Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. To begin, set a weight that is comfortable on each side of the pulley machine. Note: Make sure that the amount of weight selected is the same on each side.
  2. Now adjust the height of the pulleys on each side and make sure that they are positioned at a height higher than that of your shoulders.
  3. Stand in the middle of both sides and use an underhand grip (palms facing towards the ceiling) to grab each handle. Your arms should be fully extended and parallel to the floor with your feet positioned shoulder width apart from each other. Your body should be evenly aligned the handles. This is the starting position.
  4. While exhaling, slowly squeeze the biceps on each side until your forearms and biceps touch.
  5. While inhaling, move your forearms back to the starting position. Note: Your entire body is stationary during this exercise except for the forearms.
Cable Curl

8. 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

9. 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.
Standing Biceps Cable Curl

10. Standing Biceps Cable Curl

91.2% Match
Biceps Cable Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up with your torso upright while holding a cable curl bar that is attached to a low pulley. Grab the cable bar at shoulder width and keep the elbows close to the torso. The palm of your hands should be facing up (supinated grip). This will be your starting position.
  2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearms should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second as you squeeze the muscle.
  3. Slowly begin to bring the curl bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench Alternative

You might substitute the Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench because the cable system isn’t available, you feel shoulder discomfort with the setup, or you need unilateral work to fix strength imbalances. Some lifters prefer free weights for a natural torque curve, while others need bands for travel or rehab. The incline position stretches the biceps long head; choosing an alternative that preserves that pre‑stretch (for example, incline dumbbell curls with the bench at 45 degrees and elbows slightly behind torso) retains the biomechanical bias. Preacher or concentration variations shift emphasis to the short head and peak contraction, while supinated rows and chin‑type moves add functional vertical pull patterns with high biceps activation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on equipment, desired muscle emphasis, and joint tolerance. If you want the same long‑head stretch, pick incline dumbbell curls and set the bench to 30–45 degrees, keep the upper arm stationary, and lead with elbow flexion. For peak contraction, use preacher or concentration curls with a controlled pause at the top. If you need variable tension or home options, use resistance bands anchored low and perform the same incline setup. For unilateral training and imbalance correction, prioritize single‑arm dumbbell curls or one‑arm cable curls and ensure consistent supination to maximize biceps brachii recruitment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench work?

It primarily targets the biceps brachii (long and short heads) with secondary load on the brachialis and brachioradialis. The incline position places the shoulder into extension, pre‑stretching the long head and increasing its contribution when you flex the elbow and supinate the forearm.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench?

A supinated (underhand) inverted row or chin‑up is the best bodyweight option; set the bar low for inverted rows and pull chest to bar while keeping elbows close. The vertical or horizontal pulling angle plus forearm supination increases biceps activation versus neutral grips.

Can I build muscle without doing Cable Two Arm Curl On Incline Bench?

Yes. You can achieve equal or greater hypertrophy with alternatives that provide progressive overload, full range of motion, and proper tension, e.g., incline dumbbell curls, preacher curls, or weighted chin‑ups. Focus on controlled eccentrics, consistent supination, and incremental loading to drive biceps growth.

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