How to perform a Rope Hammer Curl

The rope hammer curl is a bicep curl variation where you attach a rope handle to a cable machine and use this to generate resistance. Since the movement takes place in a fixed plane of motion, it can have a greater isolation on your bicep long head but does employ less stabilisation than a dumbbell movement. In this brief how-to guide we’ve broken down how to perform the exercise with proper form, what muscles a rope hammer curl works and what the pros and cons are compared to training with a pair of dumbbells.

Performing a rope hammer curl with perfect form

Muscles worked in the rope hammer curl

Since the rope hammer curl is an isolation exercise, the main muscle it activates is your bicep long head. At the top of the movement, you can add a slight emphasis on the short head by twisting the handles outwards.

As a secondary focus, the brachialis—an elbow flexor and stabiliser muscle—is also hit, which is great for building general stability in the arm. However, it is worth noting that if hitting the brachialis is your main objective then you’ll be better served by dumbbell hammer curls.

Rope hammer curl vs dumbbell hammer curls

Hammer curls can be performed with a cable machine or a set of dumbbells, but what’s the difference? There are some small points between the two to consider before your next arm session.

Rope hammer curls

Rope hammer curls place a greater emphasis on your bicep long head due to how cables run in a fixed range of motion. Like most cable exercises, they’re also a good way to rehab injuries if you’re just coming back to training after a break.

Dumbbell hammer curls

On the other side of things, dumbbell hammer curls have some unique benefits of their own. Since they utilise free weights, there’s more stabilisation involved since your muscles spent a greater amount of time under tension. This is superior to their cable machine-counterparts in developing the brachialis. You can also go heavier with dumbbells since the movement is ever so slightly less isolating on a single part of your bicep.