Lying Close-Grip Bar Curl On High Pulley

What it is

This cable-based isolation exercise targets your biceps, performed while lying on a bench beneath a high pulley. You will use a controlled pull to effectively contract your biceps. It is an excellent movement for developing strength and muscle in your arms.

Technique tips

• Set up with your head just past the end of the bench.
• Keep your upper arms stationary and perpendicular to the floor.
• Only your forearms should move as you curl the bar.
• Curl the bar in a smooth arc towards your chin.
• Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement.
• Control the weight slowly as you return to the starting position.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.