Cheat Curl
- Target muscle
- —
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Body part
- Upper Arms
- Type
- Strength
The cheat curl is a biceps-building exercise that loads the biceps through a curling motion, with the brachialis and forearm flexors assisting. It deliberately uses a small, controlled hip and torso bounce to push past the hardest part of the rep, then a slow lowering phase to keep the biceps under tension where they work hardest.
How to do the Cheat Curl
- 1Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly soft, and your core braced.
- 2Let your arms hang at your sides with your palms facing forward and your elbows close to your torso.
- 3Begin the rep by curling toward your shoulders, leading with your biceps and keeping your upper arms fairly fixed.
- 4When you reach the sticking point partway up, add a brief, controlled dip and drive of the hips to help the rep continue moving upward.
- 5Finish the curl at the top by squeezing your biceps hard, with your forearms close to your upper arms.
- 6Lower under full control over 2–3 seconds, resisting the descent and keeping your biceps loaded the entire way down.
- 7Return to a full hang, reset your posture, and repeat for your target reps.
- 8Stop the set when your lowering phase becomes uncontrolled rather than chasing extra reps with bigger swings.
Form tips
- Treat the hip bounce as a small assist to clear the sticking point only, not as the engine of the whole rep.
- Make the lowering phase slow and deliberate — this is where the cheat curl earns most of its biceps tension.
- Keep your elbows pinned near your sides so the work stays on the biceps instead of shifting to the shoulders.
- Brace your core and keep your spine neutral during the hip drive to protect your lower back.
- If you can curl the full range with no bounce, you do not need to cheat that rep — save the cheat for the last few hard reps.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the whole body on every rep from the start, which turns a controlled cheat into momentum work and trains the biceps far less.
- Dropping the weight fast on the way down, which throws away the lowering phase where the biceps build the most strength.
- Over-arching or jerking the lower back during the hip drive, which shifts strain onto the spine and risks injury.
- Letting the elbows drift forward and the shoulders take over, which removes tension from the biceps you are trying to work.
- Using the cheat to lift far beyond your control, so form collapses and the assisting hip motion becomes a sloppy heave.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the cheat curl work?
It primarily works the biceps, with the brachialis and the forearm flexors assisting to bend the elbow and complete the curl.
What is the point of cheating on a curl?
A controlled cheat uses a small hip and torso drive to get past the hardest point of the rep, letting you keep moving the load and overload the lowering phase where the biceps stay strongest.
Is the cheat curl good for beginners?
It is better suited to intermediate lifters. Beginners should master strict curls first, since the disciplined lowering and tight elbows that make a cheat curl effective are easy to lose without a solid base.
How do I cheat curl without hurting my back?
Keep the hip dip small and controlled, brace your core, and hold a neutral spine. The cheat should be a brief assist out of the sticking point, never a violent full-body swing.
