Arms · Cable
Cable Overhead Curl
How to do the cable overhead 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
Stand in the center of a cable machine with both pulleys set high and a handle in each hand, arms out wide in a goalpost position. Curl the handles toward your head by bending at the elbows, then return under control while keeping your upper arms fixed and parallel to the floor.
- 1Feel a strong biceps peak contraction with arms out at shoulder height
- 2Keep your upper arms stationary and parallel to the floor
- 3Squeeze hard as the handles come toward your ears
Common mistakes
- Don't let your elbows drop as you curl
- Avoid arching your back or flaring your ribs
- Don't use your shoulders or traps to move the handles
Muscles worked
The cable overhead curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the cable overhead 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.