Meanings
plural cheat curls
- hobbiesA curl that is similar to the move used to train the biceps, except that at the point when the elbows are bent 90 degrees, the weightlifter moves the hips forward, shifting the weight of the barbell back to the biceps.
A cheat curl is more similar to an Olympic lift like a snatch than it is a bodybuilding exercise .
2008, Ron Harris, Real Bodybuilding: Muscle Truth from 25 Years in the Trenches, page 712 more examples
For example, a cheat curl is one whereby you lean forward as you start to curl the barbell, bend your arms, and then as the weight rises you lean rearwards to take advantage of the momentum.
1985, Robert Kennedy, Reps!: The World's Hottest Bodybuilding Routines!, page 17So in order to properly perform a barbell cheat curl, you want to use body movement to add some momentum to the bar to get it past the sticking point of the exercise where the elbows are bent 90 degrees.
2011, Nick Nilsson, The Best Arm Exercises You've Never Heard Of
Cite this entry
cheat curl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheat%20curl
“cheat curl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheat%20curl. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cheat curl,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheat%20curl.
Source: cheat curl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.