Spider Curl on an Incline Bench: Form & Exercise Guide

The spider curl is a biceps isolation exercise performed with your chest supported on an incline bench and your arms hanging toward the floor.

This supported position reduces the amount of body momentum you can use, making it easier to focus on controlled elbow flexion and biceps contraction.

Here, the spider curl is performed on an incline bench with cable resistance.

How to Do Spider Curls on an Incline Bench

1. Set Up the Bench

Set the bench to a comfortable incline (around 45–60 degrees) and lie face down with your chest fully supported.

Keep your feet firmly planted and allow your arms to hang naturally toward the floor.

Keep your head and neck in a neutral position.

2. Take Your Grip

Hold the handles with an underhand grip, with your palms facing upward.

Let your upper arms hang below your shoulders and keep your wrists neutral.

Maintain a stable position through your chest and shoulders.

3. Curl the Resistance Up

Bend your elbows and curl the handles toward your shoulders.

Keep your upper arms relatively still and avoid lifting your chest away from the bench.

Move smoothly without swinging the resistance.

4. Squeeze at the Top

Pause briefly near the top of the movement and squeeze your biceps.

Keep your shoulders relaxed and avoid shrugging them toward your ears.

Focus on maintaining tension in your arms rather than trying to lift the handles as high as possible.

5. Lower With Control

Slowly extend your elbows and lower the handles back toward the starting position.

Maintain control throughout the lowering phase.

Avoid letting the resistance pull your arms down quickly.

Complete each repetition with a smooth and consistent range of motion.

What Muscles Do Spider Curls Work?

Spider curls primarily work the biceps brachii, the main muscle on the front of the upper arm.

Other muscles involved include:

• Brachialis — assists with elbow flexion.
  
• Brachioradialis — helps flex and stabilize the elbow.
  
• Forearm muscles — help maintain grip and wrist position.

Because your chest is supported by the bench, spider curls limit the amount of assistance you can generate from the torso, helping keep the movement focused on the biceps.

Spider Curl Form Tips

For better spider curl form:

• Keep your chest in contact with the bench.
  
• Keep your upper arms relatively still throughout the movement.
  
• Avoid swinging the handles or using momentum.
  
• Keep your wrists neutral.
  
• Curl through a comfortable, controlled range of motion.
  
• Lower the resistance slowly instead of dropping it.
  
• Use a resistance level that allows you to maintain good form.

Common Spider Curl Mistakes

Lifting Your Chest Off the Bench

Raising your chest away from the bench can introduce momentum into the movement.

Keep your torso supported throughout the set so the biceps do most of the work.

Moving the Elbows Too Much

Allowing the elbows to swing forward or backward can change the movement and reduce control.

Keep your upper arms relatively stable while bending and extending at the elbows.

Using Too Much Resistance

If you need to swing the handles, lift your torso, or shorten your range of motion, the resistance may be too high.

Reduce the load and focus on smooth, controlled repetitions.

Lowering Too Quickly

The lowering phase is an important part of the exercise.

Avoid letting the resistance pull your arms back to the starting position. Lower slowly and stay in control.

Bending the Wrists

Try to keep your wrists aligned with your forearms instead of excessively bending them during the curl.

What Are the Benefits of Spider Curls?

Spider curls are useful for adding focused biceps work to an upper-body or arm training session.

The chest-supported setup can help:

• Reduce body swing during curls
• Keep more of the work focused on the biceps
• Make controlled repetitions easier to maintain
• Add variety to biceps and upper-body training

Spider curls can be used alongside compound pulling exercises and other curl variations to create a more complete upper-body training routine.

Spider Curl vs. Incline Curl

Spider curls and incline curls both use an incline bench, but the body position is different.

In a spider curl, you lie face down on the bench with your arms hanging toward the floor.

In an incline curl, you sit with your back supported against the bench, with your arms positioned beside or slightly behind your torso.

Both exercises train the biceps, but the different setup changes how the movement feels and how the arms are positioned throughout the curl.

How to Make Spider Curls More Challenging

Once you can perform the exercise with consistent form, you can increase the challenge by:

• Gradually increasing resistance
  
• Slowing down the lowering phase
  
• Adding a short pause at the top
  
• Using one arm at a time

Increase difficulty gradually while keeping your chest supported and your movement controlled.

Add Spider Curls to Your Arm Training

Spider curls can be included in biceps-focused workouts, upper-body sessions, or pull-day training.

For more ways to train your arms, explore our guide to biceps exercises and other curl variations.