Smith Machine Curl

Body region

• Arms

Muscles

Main

• Biceps
• Brachialis

Helps

• Brachioradialis

Holds

• Deltoid
• Rectus Abdominis
• Flexor Carpi Radialis

Equipment

• Smith Machine

Technique

1. Set the bar at mid-thigh height and stand facing it, close enough that the bar brushes your legs.
2. Grip the bar underhand at shoulder width and unhook it by turning the wrists.
3. Curl the bar straight up along the front of your body, letting the elbows slide back as it rises.
4. Lower under control and re-hook the bar at the end of the set.

Cues

• Stand close: the track is vertical, so the bar can only travel up your body and the elbows must move back, as in a drag curl.
• Set the safety stops just below the starting height.

Common mistakes

• Standing too far from the bar and pulling it with the shoulders.
• Forgetting to set the safety stops.
• Jerking the bar off the hooks.

Alternatives

• Barbell Curl
• Cable Curl