Do you know that the most effective bicep exercise is? Well, fairly scientific findings revealed that it’s actually the concentration curl (Arnold style- see here).
Me doing a set of cable preacher curls
Having said that, they didn’t test cable preacher curls, which are my all-time favorite.
One issue many guys had with the cable preacher is that, in their gym, the preacher benches were not ‘movable’, so they couldn’t bring them over to the low pulley.
So I get asked a lot of times for an alternative. You’re in luck. There is a great alternative method and you’re going to love it!
Simply lie down at a low pulley and you can produce the same result.
I shot a video of me performing these lying cable curls. See below and then I’ll talk you through it. Also, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel here.
PLEASE NOTE: The goal of an effective exercise is to recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers in the intended muscle and ensure constant tension. If we can do this, we can maximally stimulate growth in the intended muscle.
This is exactly what we do with lying cable curls.
If lying cable curls don't give you big biceps, nothing will! See the new video here Share on X
- A lying position with a low pulley ensures 100% maximum contraction at the peak contraction point (top of the rep)
- An alternative method is to sit up at about a 45 degree angle (torso) and perform your reps from this position. Again, there is maximal stimulation and constant tension on the biceps throughout the whole set in this position.
- Always perform that last negative very slowly under full muscular control for a little extra growth stimulation.
- In keeping with THT training guidelines, select a weight for each set that forces positive failure anywhere between the 8th and 12th rep.
Now go workout. Then slam down 40g whey and 5g creatine, then go home, rest, and grow. If you’re in Europe, you can get a fantastic (and cheap) Creatine here and get Impact Whey from MyProtein here.
For more on getting the very best out of your bicep workout, also check out my recent post 3 new tips for bigger biceps.
And also consider ;looking into my Arms Blast workout – a “hyperintense” arm training protocol that has produced gains of almost an inch in 7 days. It’ll take you beyond any intensity level you’ve ever experienced before.
NOTE: This is just part of the powerful THT training. You can download the full and free THT training program right now and start packing on mass like these guys did. You don’t have to go to your email to confirm anything. Once you click the button, you’ll be taken straight to the download page 😀 I operate a ‘Strictly Zero Spam‘ policy.
If you have any questions about your training, get in touch with me below.
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Mark
I’ve been doing cable preacher curls on the curl machine for a long time now, and it’s given me great growth, but I’ve never tried this!
I think this will cause more growth because your hands are at a better angle, just like when you do barbell curls on a straight bar instead of a curved bar.
Great post!
I used to already do this as I preferred it to standing cable bicep curl. I found lying down a lot stricter.
Great presentation Mark. So if on THT 3-day, 2 sets of these instead of something else like conc curls?
@Aaron. Yes, exactly right, buddy.
@Juanito @Ikky. I’m starting to prefer this method myself actually 😀
Mark I am following the 3 day spilt full body workout if I use this exercise what would I swap this for Incline or Concentration curls?
Mark, I second stickupkid’s question, what can we swap out for this exercise?
@stickupkid @Steve. Guys, I’m assuming you’re referring to the THT 3-day split, not the 3-day full body.
It looks like this:
Cable Preacher Curls (2 sets)
Barbell Bicep Curls (2 sets)
Concentration Curls (2 sets)
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls (1 set)
more here https://musclehack.com/best-3-day-workout-routine/
So you’d swap out cable preacher curls if you can’t presently do them.
If you want to do these in addition to cable preacher curls, drop the barbell curls as both conc curls and inc curls recruit more muscle fibers than straight bar curls.
Hope that helps,
Mark
Been doing these for a while now but with a rope instead of a bar. It starts off like a hammer curl and as I pull closer to my chest I rotate the hands through 180 degrees so that by the end of the curl my palms are facing outwards. Really hits the bicep peak by the end of the reps, I feel it much more than with a straight bar.
I wonder if it work on the cable row machine as well.
@Bill. If the pulley is low to the floor, it will work
Great tip Mark.
I had the same problem when I bought your arm workout, but I came up with another solution. Put a bench at a right angle a meter away from the low pulley and use that as the “alter” for the preacher curls.
Cheers,
Nick.
Hello Mark, i am a fan of your work from Morocco.
I’ve always wondered about the exercises work volume that you have chosen in your T.H.T. program, i mean i think 2 sets for every exercise (muscle group in the case of the full body 3 days/week) is not enough to fully stimulate a muscle group especially for a compound multi joint exercise; for an exercise to fulfill its full growth stimulation potential a minimum of 25 repetitions is a must (considering the 6-12 reps chart in every set for muscle building purposes) and that according to many respectful coaches and trainers (like you) including Chad Waterbury which i am a big fan of his work also; and this is one of his articles talking about this: https://www.t-nation.com/training/set-rep-bible. i would like to know your thoughts about this; thanks.
@Younes. Actually, in the THT training manual, the first 6 studies referenced show conclusively that even just 1 set can stimulate growth, but only if that set is brought to a point of positive muscular failure.
So 2 sets will certainly stimulate growth. 2 sets to failure.
Now, can you do 3? Perhaps. The only way you will know is to test it and see what happens 48 hrs later. If you have equal or less strength, then you’ve done too many sets as compared with the rest time i.e. you haven’t finished recovering and growing – so 2 sets will work better. If you’re stronger, then obviously you can get away with doing 3 sets.
You will only know if you test it as scientifically as possible.