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Cable Reverse Preacher Curl animation

How to do the Cable Reverse Preacher Curl

ForearmsCableBeginner

The cable reverse preacher curl isolates your forearm extensors and brachioradialis with constant tension that free weights simply cannot match. Building this often-neglected muscle group pays dividends in grip strength, elbow health, and balanced arm development.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Forearms
Secondary
Grip

Step-by-step

  1. Set the cable pulley to its lowest position, attach a straight bar, and sit at the preacher bench facing away from the machine with your upper arms flat on the pad.
  2. Grip the bar with an overhand pronated grip just outside shoulder width, keeping your wrists neutral and elbows anchored to the pad throughout.
  3. Curl the bar upward in a controlled arc until your forearms are just past parallel, squeezing the brachioradialis at the top without letting your elbows lift.
  4. Lower the bar slowly over two to three seconds, resisting the cable pull, until your arms are fully extended before beginning the next rep.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows rise off the pad, which shifts stress to the shoulders and removes forearm isolation, so press your upper arms firmly into the pad for every single rep.
  • Using too much weight and compensating with wrist flexion, which strains the tendons, so choose a load that lets you keep your wrists perfectly neutral throughout the movement.
  • Rushing the lowering phase and letting the cable snap your arms down, so actively resist the descent to maximize time under tension in the forearm extensors.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, consciously dorsiflex your wrists slightly upward before lowering, this brief added extension fully recruits the extensor digitorum and makes each rep measurably harder without adding any weight.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

More Forearms exercises

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