Arms · Cable
Cable Hammer Curl
How to do the cable hammer 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 rope to a low pulley. Stand tall and grip the rope with palms facing in (neutral grip). Curl both handles toward your shoulders while keeping elbows close to your sides. Squeeze the biceps, then lower slowly.
- 1Feel your brachialis and forearms working as you curl the handle with a neutral grip
- 2Keep your upper arms pinned to your sides to isolate the biceps
- 3Squeeze your biceps hard at the top and control the eccentric
Common mistakes
- Avoid swinging or using momentum; don't rock your torso
- Don't let your wrists bend excessively; keep them neutral
- Avoid flaring your elbows forward; maintain alignment
Muscles worked
The cable hammer curl mainly works the biceps and forearms.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsPrimary
- Front DeltsMinor
Cable Hammer Curl strength standards
See how your cable hammer curl ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM35 lb
Silvere1RM72.5 lb
Golde1RM127.5 lb
Platinume1RM185 lb
Diamonde1RM222.5 lb
Champione1RM255 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the cable hammer 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 overhead bicep curl
- How to do the cable reverse curl
Last reviewed April 2026.