Arms · Cable
Cable Drag Curl
How to do the cable drag curl, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Curl
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Attach a straight bar to a low cable pulley and grip it with palms up. Curl the bar by dragging it up along your torso, driving your elbows back behind you rather than forward, then lower it under control back along the body.
- 1Feel your biceps peak-contract as you drag the bar up and pull elbows
- 2back
- 3Keep the bar close to your body throughout the path
- 4Squeeze hard at the top where the elbows finish behind you
Common mistakes
- Don't let your elbows come forward; drive them back instead
- Avoid swinging or leaning to start the drag
- Don't pull the bar away from your torso
Muscles worked
The cable drag curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Rear DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the cable drag curl for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More biceps exercises
- How to do the resistance band bicep curl
- How to do the resistance band hammer curl
- How to do the barbell bicep curl
- How to do the cable bicep curl
- How to do the cable hammer curl
- How to do the overhead bicep curl
Last reviewed June 2026.