Bicep cable workouts

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Bicep Cable Workouts for Mass

You want to get bigger biceps? I am going to share some powerful bicep cable workouts. These exercises are going to give you pump and vascularity in your arms.

Why should you do bicep cable workouts?

Biceps cable exercises have certain benefits.

1. They put less strain on the joints so less injuries
2. They put your arm in a constant tension. You get more squeeze per rep
3. They allow you to train the bicep in a variety of angles with different grip, weight, hook positions.

Benefits of cable workouts

1. They allow you to change the angles as per your height and line of pull- This is especially beneficial if you are doing preacher curls. You can adjust the line of the pull and the distance according to your height
2. They come with a variety of grips – rope, bar, ez bar, single arm and many more. Cable allows you to train effectively. With the change of the grip you can target different muscles like biceps brachii, long head, short head, brachialis.
3. They allow you to change the weight easily – this helps when you are trying to do drop sets or pyramid training.
4. The torque increases as you progress with the lift – did you ever notice that the barbell curl gets easier at the top of the curl? When you do a barbell curl vs cable cable curl, During the starting of the lift you generate the same power with cable and barbel. However, as you go on lifting and are closer to the flex position, you have to generate more torque in case of a cable curl than a barbell curl. This puts your biceps at higher tension in a cable curl. Giving it more squeeze and pump.
5. Put muscle under constant tension – Additional benefit is that in case of cable curl, your muscle is under constant tension. This increases time under tension. Time under tension as you know is an important factor for muscle hypertrophy.
6. Cables are isolation exercises – Biceps cable curls restrict cheating. It allows you to train in a slow controlled manner

Disadvantage of doing cable workout

If the cable curls are so good then is there any problem in doing them all the time? Well, there are some disadvantages of doing biceps cable workouts

1. They don’t allow cheating – yes that’s correct. One of the best exercises for biceps mass is cheat curls. You don’t have to cheat every time. But cheating once every 2 weeks allows you to lift heavier weights which is important for muscle hypertrophy.
2. Difficult to get a hang on – if you are going to a commercial gym during peak hours, forget about cable curls. They are usually busy and you have to wait a lot to complete your sets. Not worth the time!

Best exercises for bicep cable workouts

1. Standing Cable Curls

2. Rope Hammer Curls

3. Crucifix Curls

4. Reverse Cable Curls

5. Bent Over Concentration Curls

6. Cable Preacher Curls

7. Cable bicep curl single arm

8. High Cable Curls

9. Cable Spider Curl

10. Behind the Head Curls

Top Bicep Exercises for Building Strength

To build strong biceps you need to train your biceps with different intensity level. For strength we focus on exercises which allows you to lift heavy weights. We also incorporate accessory exercises that allows you to train your biceps from different angles.

Here are the best bicep exercises for building strength

Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Hammer Curl
Barbell Curl
Chin-Up

Bicep cable workouts plans

Bicep cable workouts plan for Strength

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Standing Cable Curls	4	6-8
Rope Hammer Curls	3	8-10
Bent Over Concentration Curls	3	8-10
Reverse Cable Curls	3	8-10

Bicep cable workouts plan for Muscle Mass

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Cable Preacher Curls	4	8-12
Single-Arm Cable Curls	3	10-12
High Cable Curls	3	10-12
Cable Spider Curl	3	10-12

Bicep cable workouts plan for Pump & Vascularity

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Standing Cable Curls	3	12-15
Rope Hammer Curls	3	12-15
Reverse Cable Curls	3	12-15
Behind the Head Curls	3	12-15

Biceps cable workouts tips

1. Increase Weight & Reps Smartly To get bigger biceps you need to increase your strength. In the case of biceps it’s not easy to increase the weight because it’s a small muscle. You should try to increase weights in the lift. If you are unable to increase the weight then try doing higher reps with the same weight. Overtime you would be able to increase weight
2. Make each rep count: Do every rep in a slow and controlled manner. This will allow you to have proper mind muscle connection
3. Train to failure – once in a while, test your limits and try to train to failure. Pyramid training or reverse pyramid training is an excellent method for training to failure.
4. Monitor your weight – The ideal weight is 60-80% of your 1Rm. Try to get maximum reps in this weight zone.
5. Control the Negatives – Studies have shown that the negative portion of the rep is more effective in recruiting muscle fibers.

Bicep cable workouts mistakes

I am going to share common mistakes I see people doing in the gym.

1. Lifting too fast – You have to do SLOW and controlled rep if you want to gain muscle.
2. Not controlling the negative – If you are dropping the weight then you are missing the benefits of cable bicep exercises
3. Not doing full range of motion – bicep cable workouts allow you to vary the range of motion. This is a good thing for variety. But for the most part you should do full range of motion.

Cable workouts for biceps and triceps

Are you for an Arm day workout? Here a complete cable workout for biceps and triceps. If you have access to cable machine for the next 45 mins, you can complete this cable workout.

Cable workouts for biceps and triceps Plan A

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Cable Bicep Curl	3	12
Tricep Pushdown	3	12
Cable Hammer Curl	3	10
Overhead Cable Tricep Extension	3	10
Cable Rope Bicep Curl	3	15
Cable Tricep Kickback	3	15

Cable workouts for biceps and triceps Plan B

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Single Arm Cable Bicep Curl	4	10
Cable Overhead Tricep Extension	4	10
Cable Reverse Grip Bicep Curl	3	12
Cable Rope Tricep Pushdown	3	12
High Cable Curl	3	15
Single Arm Cable Tricep Kickback	3	15

Cable workouts for biceps and triceps Plan C

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Cable Concentration Curl	4	12
Cable Tricep Pressdown	4	12
Cable Spider Curl	3	10
Cable Single Arm Tricep Extension	3	10
Cable Rope Hammer Curl	3	15
Rope Tricep Extension	3	15

Bicep cable workouts Faq

Let’s get to the most frequent bicep cable workouts questions

Can you build biceps with cables?

Yes, cable workouts are an effective way to train the biceps. They allow constant tension and proper form. They also help you to train the biceps in different angles and grip.

What 3 exercises should I do for biceps?

Here are the three exercises you should do for biceps. 1. Single arm cable curls 2. Barbell curl 3. Hammer curls

What is the best cable attachment for biceps?

Rope and EZ bar are good attachments for biceps. Ez bar allows you to train the biceps brachii muscle, both long head and short head. Rope allows your focus on the brachialis muscle along with the long head of the biceps.

Is Bicep Cable Curl an effective exercise?

Bicep cable curl works on the biceps brachii muscle. It is an effective exercise for biceps. The unique this about biceps cable curl is that it provides a constant tension to your muscles.

The bicep cable curl allows you to train with a variety of grips and angles. You can also do advance training like drop sets, rest pause.

How can I do an Effective Bicep Cable Workouts at Home?

to do a bicep cable workouts at home you would need a cable machine. With cable machine you can do exercises like

Cable Bicep Curl
Single Arm Cable Curl
Cable Hammer Curl
Cable Concentration Curl

Best Cable Bicep Exercises for Optimal Growth

for optimal growth of biceps muscle we need to cover all aspects of biceps training.

Increasing Biceps strenght
Increasing muscle mass
Training both heads of the biceps muscle for peak and width
Training the brachialis muscle for separation and definition.

Here are the best cable bicep exercise for optimal growth

Cable Bicep Curl
Cable Hammer Curl
Single Arm Cable Curl
Overhead Cable Curl
Reverse Cable Curl

Is Bicep Cable Pulldown the best exercise for Biceps?

Bicep cable pulldown is an effective exercise for biceps. Legendary Old School Bodybuilder Mike Mentzer described Bicep Cable Pulldown as the best exercise for biceps.

The bicep cable Pulldown isolates the biceps muscle and target the biceps brachii. The exercise allows you to lift heavy weights and squeeze the muscle for peak contraction.

Can you build biceps with cables?

Yes, you can do a complete bicep training with cables. Cable allows you to train in several possible ways

You can lift heavy weights
You can lift weights with higher reps
You can train at different angles
You can use different grips for bicep training
You can do unilateral movements as well.

What is the number 1 best bicep exercise?

There is no number 1 best bicep exercise. Some experts regards barbell curl as the best exercise. However, barbell curl has its limitations. To train the biceps for best possible growth it is advisable to incorporate 3-4 different exercises to train biceps from different angles.