1. Single-Arm Incline Cable Curl

Target: Long head of the biceps (peak).

Single Arm Incline

In Your Routine: Use this move near the end of your routine to flush and pump the muscle.
Sets & Reps: Do 3–4 sets of 12–15 reps.

The highest peak of the biceps is what everyone reaches for, but few guys know that you have to actually reach back for it. That’s because the peak is the biceps long head, and to put that particular muscle under the most tension you have to draw your arm behind your body. There’s probably no better move to accomplish that than the dumbbell curl on an incline bench.

The cable version of the incline curl is a double whammy because the cable places a pull on that muscle immediately and throughout the range of motion. Typically during incline dumbbell curls, the bi’s are able to rest a little at the top of the motion, but with the incline cable version, since the line of pull comes from an angle, even to keep your arm in that same top position requires greater work, so there’s no resting whatsoever.

Do It Right

START: Place an incline bench facing away from a low pulley with a D-handle attached. Set the bench at between 45 and 60 degrees. Grasp the handle and sit back squarely against the bench, allowing your arm(s) to be pulled behind you.

MOVEMENT: Keeping your elbow(s) fixed in place and your upper arm perpendicular to the floor (throughout the move), curl the handle forward. Squeeze your biceps hard, and then slowly return to the start position.

REPS TIP: Be sure to do a little trial and error with the bench position. Too close to the stack and you won’t have enough tension on the biceps, but too far and you’ll feel it too much in your shoulders as the angle of pull becomes more severe. Also, go ahead and complete all of your sets for each arm before switching, which will save time on bench adjustments.