Synergists: Brachioradialis, Biceps Brachii (especially the long head)
Mechanics: Isolation
Force: Pull
Starting position
Place a bench under a high cable pulley.
Lie on the bench so that your face is positioned under the straight bar.
Grasp the bar using a shoulder-width supinated (underhand) grip. The cable should be taut and your arms should be almost fully extended.
Execution
Keeping your upper arms still and your body flat on the bench, exhale as you curl the bar towards your forehead until your elbows are fully flexed.
Hold for a count of two and squeeze your biceps.
Inhale as you reverse the movement and return the bar to the starting position, with your arms almost fully extended.
Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Comments and tips
The point of lying down is to ensure that your body stays still. This prevents cheating and better isolates your elbow flexors.
Keep your upper arms still. Only your forearms should move.
Keep your elbows in line with your shoulders.
As with the dumbbell preacher curl, when you perform the lying high cable curl, the long head of your biceps brachii is activated more than is the short head. The reason is that, at the top of the repetition, the short head develops slack (i.e. it enters into active insufficiency).
The straight bar can be hard on some people’s wrists. If that is the case with you, you can use a wavy bar.
The lying high cable curl is also known as the supine high cable curl.
