Preacher Curl: Muscles Worked, How To Do and Variations

The preacher curl is an isolation bicep exercise that allows you to focus on building bigger, stronger biceps muscles. It is performed using an inclined bench called a preacher curl bench or preacher bench.

The preacher bench has padded arm rests that are positioned at about elbow height.

The exercise’s design focuses attention on the negative portion of each rep (when you lower the weight back to the starting position). This promotes a strong brain-muscle connection and maximizes time under tension – both are essential aspects of muscle growth.

Additionally, it’s virtually impossible to cheat with the bench curl. Since this movement completely isolates the biceps, you cannot use momentum to make reps easier, as people often do when doing seated or standing bicep curls.

The exercise can be performed using various equipment, including barbells, dumbbells, or an EZ curl bar.

Preacher Curl Muscles Worked

• The preacher curl primarily works the biceps, particularly the short-head bicep.
• Secondary and Synergist muscles worked: Brachialis and Brachioradialis
• Stabilizer muscles during standing preacher curl, including your wrist flexors, Obliques, and Rectus abdominis.

How to Do a Preacher Curl

1. Adjust the preacher bench to fit your height and sit down on the seat.
2. The arm pads should be at about elbow height when your arms hang down relaxed.
3. Grab a barbell and hold them at arm’s length using an underhand grip (palms facing up).
4. Keep your elbows extended and arms relaxed.
5. Lean forward slightly and rest your upper arms firmly against the preacher bench pads.
6. The pads should dig into your armpits slightly. Do not lift your arms off the pads during the set.
7. With your body held in place, bring the bar up by flexing your biceps.
8. Pause briefly at the top of the movement and squeeze your biceps as hard as you can.
9. Hold for one second. Slowly lower back to the starting position, constantly controlling the load.
10. Do not let the elbows lock out fully.

Preacher Curl Form And Tips

Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program. Still, you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based.

• To eliminate cheating, keep your upper arms flat on the bench during the exercise. Only your biceps should move the weight.
• The ideal bench angle for preacher curls is between 30-45 degrees.
• Don’t underestimate the pause at the top of your curl, and take a moment to squeeze your bicep when you get there.
• A slow controlled descent will increase time under tension, leading to more effective sets, and less risk of injury.
• Maintain a neutral wrist position throughout the exercise to avoid unnecessary strain on the wrist joint.
• Breathe normally, avoiding holding your breath to lift the weight.
• Incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program.
• Select the set and reps range based on fitness level.

Best Preacher Curl Variations

There are many variations of preacher curl that you can do with dumbbells, barbells, and machines.

• If you are new to performing preacher curl, you may want to apply a few modifications to make the exercise easier. One way to counter this problem is to use a lighter weight. Another option is to do a preacher curl with a single dumbbell and a machine preacher curl.
• If you are looking for a more advanced variation to stimulate different muscle fibers in the bicep, then try reverse preacher curl and heavier weight.

1. EZ Bar Preacher Curl

One of the biggest advantages of using the EZ bar is its angled grip, which feels more natural than a straight barbell.

A straight bar puts a lot of strain on your wrists and elbows because your wrists are fully supinated. The EZ bar’s angled handles allow for a more neutral grip, relieving pressure on your joints and making the movement feel smoother.

The EZ bar’s ergonomic design lets you maintain a strong grip while still lifting heavy.

2. Standing Dumbbell Single Arm Preacher Curl

When using both arms on a barbell, it’s easy for your stronger arm to take over without you even noticing. With the single-arm preacher curl, each arm has to pull its own weight. This means you’re giving each bicep equal attention, helping you build balanced strength and size in both arms.

The standing dumbbell single-arm preacher curl is an isolation exercise that targets the biceps while simultaneously stimulating the forearms, brachialis, and brachioradialis muscles as secondary movers.

Using dumbbells allows for unilateral training, meaning you can work on one arm at a time. This can help address muscle imbalances and ensure equal strength development on both sides.

3. One Arm Seated Dumbbell Preacher Curl

The one-arm dumbbell seated preacher curl is one of the best variations of the preacher curl.

When you sit and do exercises with a single arm, you will have maximum isolation for the biceps. The sitting position reduces the involvement of your lower body and any momentum that could come from it.

4. Dumbbell Reverse Preacher Curl

The reverse preacher curl is a variation of the standard preacher curl targeting your bicep and brachialis muscle, which lies deeper than your biceps brachii in the upper arm.

To perform it, you have to grab a dumbbell in each hand or one hand with a pronated (palms down) grip.

The reverse bicep preacher curl can be performed using a barbell, dumbbell, or EZ-curl bar. However, the dumbbell reverse curl provides better stability and a full range of motion.

5. Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curl

It is a very effective exercise that targets the brachioradialis, brachialis, and bicep muscles. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, with your palms facing inward.

Hammer/neutral grip targets more of the brachioradialis and brachialis than the biceps. It is a great variation of the preacher’s curl.

It is recommended that this exercise be included in your list of bicep workouts with dumbbells.

6. Cable Preacher Curl

If you’re looking for one more effective preacher curl exercise, try the cable or rope preacher curl.

It is a single-joint arm exercise that builds strength and size in the biceps using a cable stack, a preacher bench, and a rope grip.

The neutral or “hammer” grip amplifies activation of both the grip and the brachialis muscles, building arm thickness. The angle of the bench also effectively removes the shoulders from the movement, largely isolating the biceps.

7. Standing Ez Bar Preacher Curl

With your arms standing at about 30-45 degrees in front of your body, the long head of your biceps is not much active during preacher curls as it is in other biceps exercises. This puts more tension on the short head, which is what gives your biceps their thickness.

As the name implies, the standing preacher curl is the standing version of the basic seated preacher curl. You may also stand on the reverse side of the bench to execute the movement, similar to a spider curl.

The body should be positioned so that the armpit rests near the top of the pad. The back of the upper arm should remain on the pad throughout the movement.

8. Machine Preacher Curl

The machine preacher curl’s fixed motion makes it ideal for beginners who are still learning proper form. The machine guides your movement, reducing the risk of using improper techniques.

In contrast to free weights, machines provide constant resistance throughout the entire range of motion.

Since the machine controls the motion, you can push through fatigue without the risk of injury or sloppy form creeping in.

What Are The Benefits Of Preacher Curls?

Apart from the apparent advantage of thicker-looking biceps, preacher curls are a great way to increase general upper-body strength. This makes them a brilliant choice of exercise for training for other weightlifting exercises.

• Lifters who do the same exercises repeatedly will reach a plateau and cannot seem to get their biceps any bigger.
• The main advantage of executing preacher curls is having your arms stretched. This causes more metabolic stress, leading to an increase in the size of the biceps. 
• While there is a lot of emphasis on building the bicep peak through workouts focusing on the long head, using exercises that exercise the short head like the preacher curl will give the arm a more symmetrical look.
• The Preacher curl provides a broader range of motion, thus increasing movement efficiency. It also increases the possibility of strength and size growth. 
• It is a versatile exercise that can be performed with barbells, dumbbells, or cable systems, allowing for varied resistance.
• It will add freshness to your bicep workout and help to fill up the biceps and increase muscular growth.

FAQ

Are preacher curls safe?

Yes.  Preacher curls are safe.  Some will raise concerns due to the stress it can put on the elbow. There is some truth to this, but it doesn’t mean it’s dangerous; you just need to follow precautions.  The main point is to use lightweight.  This is an isolation movement.  Don’t try to use excessively heavy loads.  80%1RM (8 rep max) should be your maximum weight.

Do preacher curls work forearms?

Yes, preacher curls work the forearms, but to a lesser extent than the biceps muscles. During the exercise, the forearms are used as stabilizers, and the grip strength needed to hold the weight can help improve forearm development.

Why are preacher curls so hard

Preacher curls are hard because they isolate the biceps and prevent you from using momentum to lift the weight. The preacher curl bench supports your upper arms, preventing you from swinging your elbows back and forth to generate momentum. This makes your biceps do all the work, which makes the exercise harder.

References

• Goto, M., Maeda, C., Hirayama, T., Terada, S., Nirengi, S., Kurosawa, Y., Nagano, A., & Hamaoka, T. (2019). Partial Range of Motion Exercise Is Effective for Facilitating Muscle Hypertrophy and Function Through Sustained Intramuscular Hypoxia in Young Trained Men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 33(5), 1286–1294.
• Nunes JP, Jacinto JL, Ribeiro AS, Mayhew JL, Nakamura M, Capel DMG, Santos LR, Santos L, Cyrino ES, Aguiar AF. Placing Greater Torque at Shorter or Longer Muscle Lengths? Effects of Cable vs. Barbell Preacher Curl Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Young Adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Aug 13;17(16):5859. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17165859. PMID: 32823490; PMCID: PMC7460162.
• Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Francés M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional Hypertrophy: The Effect of Exercises at Long and Short Muscle Lengths in Recreationally Trained Women. J Hum Kinet. 2023 Jul 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.