Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Machine Biceps Curl
The machine biceps curl trains your upper arms by bending your elbows against resistance while a pad supports your upper arms and the machine guides the movement.
- Beginner
- Isolation
- Low injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Adjust the seat height so your elbows line up with the machine’s pivot point.
- Sit with your feet flat on the floor.
- Place the backs of your upper arms against the pad.
- Grasp the handles using the grip their shape allows.
- Curl the handles toward your shoulders as far as you comfortably can.
- Lower the handles until your elbows are nearly straight.
Form cues
- Keep your wrists in line with forearms.
- Let your shoulders stay relaxed.
- Exhale as you curl.
Common mistakes
- Rocking your torsoReduce the weight until you can curl without leaning back to help.
- Lifting your upper armsShorten the curl slightly if your upper arms start peeling away from the pad.
- Dropping the handlesTake about two seconds to lower the weight instead of letting it pull your arms down.
Safety
Too much weight or forcing your elbows straight at the bottom can strain the tissues around your elbows. A fixed handle position that bends your wrists awkwardly can also cause discomfort.
- Test the machine with a light load before choosing your working weight.
- Stop the set if you feel sharp pain rather than normal muscle effort.
- Let the weight stack settle gently before releasing the handles.
If you have ongoing elbow, wrist, or shoulder pain, ask a physiotherapist or doctor whether this machine’s fixed path suits you.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Equipment
- Biceps Curl Machine
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 10–15 reps
- Rest
- 1 min
Choose a weight that leaves you able to complete about two more clean reps at the end of each set.