Things You'll Need:
- Weight stack
- Straight bar
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Step 1
Find the standing weight stack in your gym. This might be a stand-alone piece, or it may be two pieces connected to each other. It should have a cable attached to a weight stack that you can use at either a high or low setting. For this exercise, you will use the low setting, which means attaching the bar to the cable pulley that is closest to the ground. Sometimes you will be able to slide the adjustment up and down a vertical pole. If this is the case, slide it to the lowest position.
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Step 2
Attach the straight bar to the low cable pulley. Adjust the weight stack to a weight you can handle for at least eight repetitions. If you are not sure what you can handle, then use as low a weight as possible. For this exercise, you can also used a bent bar. It may look like the curl bar, and can make it easier on your arms, providing for more of a fluid motion.
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Step 3
Grasp the bar with a grip slightly outside of shoulder-width. Use an underhand grip, with your palms facing up. Grasp the bar and stand with your feet shoulder-width (or wider) apart. Stand above the cable pulley, but allow yourself enough room away from the stack for your arms to curl the bar in an ample range of motion without hitting the stack. With your arms fully extended, you are now in starting position.
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Step 4
Slowly curl the bar upward toward your chest. You want your back to be straight and as tight as possible. Do not rock or sway, and make your forearms and hands do all of the work. Rocking and using your upper torso will take away from the effectiveness of the exercise. In order to fully benefit from the cable curl, you need to isolate your biceps and arm during the movement. Once you are close to your chest, you will feel a contraction and tightness in your biceps. Squeeze and hold this position for a second or a split second.
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Step 5
Slowly lower the bar to your starting position and do at least eight more repetitions. If you find that the weight you're using is causing you to rock or sway, lower the weight to a more manageable amount.
