Rope Hammer Curl
Trains the Biceps, Brachialis and Brachioradialis.
- Equipment
- A cable station
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Clip a rope to a low pulley and take an end in each hand, palms facing each other.
- Step back until the cable is taut and stand tall with your elbows tucked at your sides.
- Curl the rope up, keeping the palms facing each other the whole way.
- Let the hands separate slightly at the top as the rope allows.
- Squeeze briefly, then lower under control against the cable.
- Finish with the arms straight before the next repetition.
Common mistakes
- Letting the palms turn upward through the curl. The neutral grip is what shifts the work onto the brachialis and brachioradialis; turning the hands hands it back to the biceps.
- Letting the elbows drift forward as the cable pulls. A cable pulls down and back, which makes the elbows want to travel — keeping them pinned is more work here than with dumbbells.
- Standing too close to the pulley. Too close and there is no tension at the bottom; a step back puts the cable line under the arm for the whole range.
- Treating the constant tension as strictly better. The cable keeps pulling at the bottom where a dumbbell goes slack, and it is lighter at the top where a dumbbell is heaviest. It is a different loading curve, not an improved one.