Legendary bodybuilders like Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman earned loads of praise and Mr. Olympia hardware by constructing hulking physiques that included sculpted shoulders, killer quads, and bulging biceps. While most individuals don’t have plans to pose on stage someday, many lifters do have aspirations to walk around with muscular arms that look good in a tank top.
Although the normal biceps curl will show you how to inch closer to growing the guns of your dreams, there’s one other great biceps exercise that belongs in your training program: the preacher curl. With this no-nonsense biceps builder that makes one muscle group the star of the show, you’ll be able to look ahead to filling out the sleeves of your t-shirt even higher.
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Below, you’ll learn every part from the correct form to programming tricks to unique variations so you’ll be able to achieve a implausible pump and long-term results from the almighty preacher curl.
The best way to Do the Preacher Curl
When conducted with proper form, the preacher curl will put your biceps and forearms through a grueling test of muscular strength and endurance. You may perform the movement with various free weights, including dumbbells, a barbell, or an EZ curl bar. Whatever piece of kit you select, you will even need a preacher curl bench to support your upper body during this isolation exercise.
Here’s a step-by-step guide that may put you in the correct position to get probably the most out of this biceps curl variation using an EZ curl bar.
Step 1 — Set Up
Sit down on the preacher curl machine and adjust the seat height so your upper arms and chest rest on the bench pad. Or, if there isn’t a seat, stand behind the preacher curl bench so your arms and chest are in the proper position. It is best to have a slight forward lean in order that the pad touches your armpits. Then, use an underhand grip to grab the curl bar.
Step 2 — Curl the Weight
Together with your chin tucked, wrists neutral, and elbows prolonged fully, contract your biceps and curl the bar toward your shoulders. Squeeze at the highest of the movement and hold for one to 2 seconds.
Step 3 — Lower to Starting Position
Execute the eccentric portion of this curl exercise by slowly straightening your elbows. Maintain complete control throughout the descent, fastidiously lowering the curl bar back to the starting position before repeating the total sequence for the specified variety of reps.
[Related: How to Do the Reverse Biceps Curl for Complete Arm Development]
Preacher Curl Mistakes to Avoid
Wish to get the perfect return in your investment in constructing greater biceps? Listed below are a couple of common mishaps people make when performing preacher curls that may prevent you from reaping the rewards of your training program.
Taking the Strength Training Approach
Working with intense loads for a limited variety of reps won’t yield the perfect results should you’re focused on maximum biceps growth. While that form of training works well for compound movements just like the back squat, bench press, and deadlift, you shouldn’t treat the preacher curl like a strength-building exercise.
As an alternative of going ultra-heavy, use a manageable weight that you could perform for sets of 10-12 repetitions with perfect form. It will provide a greater stimulus for hypertrophy than a low-rep, high-intensity protocol more suited to powerlifting.
Incorrect Setup
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Getting in the correct position ought to be the priority whenever you’re preparing to perform the preacher curl. Meaning your chest and upper arms should keep up a correspondence with the pad in any respect times. Having the bench set too low or too high will make it difficult (if not not possible) to execute the movement accurately, causing you to depart gains on the table by shifting the main focus away out of your biceps.
Failing to Use Full Range of Motion
The goal of the preacher curl is to completely extend and flex your elbows through a full range of motion. Nonetheless, failing to increase your elbows past 90 degrees means you’re leaving potential gains on the table. While partial reps may be an efficient technique to finish off a set, specializing in fully stretching and contracting your biceps can maximize your muscle-building efforts.
[Related: Jon Call “Jujimufu” Absolutely Crushes a 161-Pound Preacher Curl PR]
Advantages of the Preacher Curl
What makes the preacher curl such a well-liked selection for lifters of all sizes and shapes? Let’s take a have a look at among the ways it pays off to pencil this biceps exercise into your workout routine.
Direct Biceps Development
A real isolation exercise, the preacher curl provides a direct path to growing your biceps by removing your ability to make use of your lower half for any assistance. The angle of the bench pad means that you can completely stretch the muscle and maximize time under tension — a key think about hypertrophy training.
After all, squeezing at the highest of the movement is critical for getting probably the most muscle-building returns. Overall, the preacher curl challenges your biceps throughout the concentric and eccentric parts of the exercise to create a implausible stimulus for sculpting well-developed arms.
Assists with Pulling Exercises
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If you desire to be more successful at chin-ups or other pulling exercises, the preacher curl can assist with those efforts. Having strong biceps will permit you to move the burden more efficiently and avoid overtaxing other muscle groups as you perform pull-based exercises.
Plus, developing stronger biceps via the preacher curl can assist with other compound movements. For instance, it’s best to see an improvement in your deadlift as you progress along with your biceps training. And whether you select the chest-supported or bent-over row, it’s best to perform higher at these back-day staples with stronger bi’s.
Eliminates the Cheating Element
Chances are high you’ve probably seen not less than a couple of gymgoers contorting their bodies to swing out some poorly executed curls before finally admitting defeat. Nonetheless, sacrificing form to execute any exercise makes little sense — especially should you’re concerned about maximizing muscle growth.
Luckily, though, the preacher curl curtails your ability to cheat by keeping you grounded and eliminating the concept of using your legs for a lift. When you arrange properly on the machine and grab your free weight of selection, your biceps will quickly learn what it means to be isolated. More importantly, you’ll understand the worth of performing slow, controlled reps using a full range of motion — and 0 cheating.
[Related: Jay Cutler Breaks Down His Workout to Build 20-Inch Arms]
Muscles Worked by the Preacher Curl
Undoubtedly among the best isolation exercises for growing your biceps, the preacher curl engages a couple of other arm muscles, too. Here’s what you’ll be able to expect to hit when you’re arrange on the bench.
Biceps Brachii
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This two-headed muscle is the first mover for the preacher curl. You may specifically goal the long or short head via your hand placement should you’re using an EZ curl bar or a barbell. A narrow grip will lead to raised engagement of the long head. Meanwhile, the broader you go, the more you’ll recruit the short head of your biceps brachii.
Brachialis
A flexor muscle of the forearm, the brachialis helps with elbow flexion and can also be heavily involved attributable to the angle of a preacher curl. Training this muscle consistently will show you how to develop stronger, thicker forearms.
Brachioradialis
One other flexor muscle situated near the elbow, the brachioradialis not only helps with flexion but additionally with supination or pronation depending on the rotation of the forearm. (1) Throughout the preacher curl, it helps stabilize the elbow joint.
Who Should Do the Preacher Curl
Regardless of should you’re training for a bodybuilding show, seeking to improve your other lifts, or simply trying to realize strength and size in your arms, you shouldn’t hesitate to call upon the preacher curl for support.
Strength Athletes
Powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters can benefit from preacher curls to arrange them to dominate in pulling exercises like deadlifts, cleans, and snatches. Growing greater, stronger biceps should repay when it comes time to perform — and the aesthetic advantages don’t hurt, either.
Bodybuilders and Physique-Focused Individuals
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No bodybuilder desires to disappoint on the back double biceps pose. Isolating this two-headed muscle via the preacher curl will help your arms pop on stage, especially should you pair it with other biceps-centric movements like close-grip lat pulldowns and chin-ups. And even should you’re focused on constructing a physique for non-competitive reasons, you’ll be able to’t go flawed with a curl exercise that isolates your biceps and forearms.
Recreational Lifters
Beginners and general lifters can use the preacher curl to develop strength and endurance of their biceps without having to fret about cheating reps by going too quickly or not using the total range of motion. This curl variation isn’t overly complicated to master, however it does offer loads of muscle-building upside.
[Related: Hammer Curls vs. Biceps Curls: The Battle for Bigger Arms]
The best way to Program the Preacher Curl
Whether you’re latest to lifting or seeking to add one other biceps exercise to your classic bodybuilding split, you shouldn’t hesitate to include the preacher curl into your exercise program. Determining the variety of sets and reps (in addition to the best load) depends upon your goals, as there are different methods to attain every one.
For Beginners: Perform a warm-up set of eight to 12 reps with a lightweight weight to make sure you’re using proper form. Using a moderate weight, complete two to 3 working sets of eight to 12 reps.
For Muscle Growth: Complete three to 4 sets of eight to 12 reps with a moderately heavy weight. For much more gains, decrease the burden and perform a drop set until failure.
For Muscular Endurance: Select a light-to-moderate weight that you could curl for 15 to twenty reps. After you finish your first set, rest briefly for 20 to 60 seconds before repeating for 2 more sets.
[Related: Try These Biceps Workouts Without Weights for Muscle, Strength, and Fat Loss]
Preacher Curl Variations
From changing your grip to swapping out the EZ bar preacher curl for a dumbbell-based version, some easy tweaks can shift this exercise in a special direction. Listed below are some variations you’ll be able to consider implementing to maintain things fresh within the gym:
Dumbbell Preacher Curl
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Leaving the barbell behind for a pair of dumbbells will open the door to latest bicep-building possibilities. Not only can you’re employed on any imbalances by training unilaterally, but you may as well experiment with different grips to vary the stimulus. For instance, hammer-style preacher curls with a neutral grip will involve your forearm muscles more.
Close-Grip Preacher Curl
Using the identical setup as the normal preacher curl, this version targets the long head of the biceps by having you set your hands closer together.
Wide-Grip Preacher Curl
You may employ the other technique to hit the short head by utilizing a large grip. For the perfect results, incorporate each grip variations into your biceps training program.
Reverse Preacher Curl
Whether you utilize a barbell, EZ curl bar, or dumbbells, a reverse preacher curl will force your brachioradialis to rise to the occasion. Grasping the bar with a pronated (palms-down) grip and keeping your arms in a set position to twist the burden makes this biceps exercise particularly useful for developing stronger forearms.
[Related: The Best Arm Workouts for Beginners, With Dumbbells, and More]
Preacher Curl Alternatives
Don’t have access to a preacher curl bench? You may still train your biceps with these muscle-building alternatives.
Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curl
Arguably probably the most difficult biceps exercise, the incline dumbbell curl swaps out the preacher curl bench for an adjustable weight bench. Sitting on a bench within the incline position provides a bigger range of motion by putting your biceps into an excellent deeper stretch. Plus, stabilizing your body against the bench minimizes your ability to make use of momentum.
Concentration Curl
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Just like the preacher curl, the concentration curl keeps your upper arm in a set position that stabilizes your shoulder. This isolation exercise is a wonderful example of the advantages of unilateral training, as you get to attack both sides independently while your triceps remain anchored to the inside your knee to make your biceps do all of the work.
Standing Barbell Curl
An option that doesn’t involve sitting down, the standing barbell curl has withstood the test of time as one of the basic, yet effective biceps exercises. Unlike among the other alternatives and variations, this movement forces you to interact your glutes and core as you curl the burden. As well as, it also prompts your anterior deltoid when the barbell is within the fully curled position.
Spider Curl
Reap the benefits of gravity and leverage to boost your muscle-building experience by incorporating spider curls into your training program. Also known as the reverse incline curl, this exercise has an identical set-up because the chest-supported row. But as a substitute of pulling your elbows back to focus on your lats, rhomboids, traps, and rear delts, you’ll contract your biceps to twist a barbell (or dumbbells) toward you.
Let Your Gains Preach for Themselves
Constructing bulging biceps requires loads of high-quality reps that recruit the two-headed muscle to completely stretch and contract. While there are ample curl variations that may show you how to achieve that rounded look, the preacher curl deserves to be near the highest of your biceps exercise list since it makes you stay strict along with your form and removes momentum from the equation. Earmark it for pull day or every time you’re employed in your arms and prepare to point out off the fruits of your labor whenever you flex.
FAQs
What are preacher curls good for?
Preacher curls are great for promoting biceps growth and development. As an isolation exercise, it targets your biceps muscle without letting you utilize your lower half for assistance with squeezing out extra reps.
How do you do a correct preacher curl?
To perform a preacher curl with proper form, you will need to arrange a preacher curl bench in order that your upper arms and chest are involved with the pad. Using an EZ curl bar, barbell, or dumbbells, contract your biceps and lift the burden toward your shoulders. Squeeze at the highest, then slowly lower the burden back to the starting position.
What angle should a preacher curl be?
The perfect angle for a preacher curl bench ranges between 45 to 55 degrees. This provides you ample room to stretch and contract your biceps fully for optimum muscle growth and overall development.
References
- Lung BE, Ekblad J, Bisogno M. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Forearm Brachioradialis Muscle. [Updated 2023 Jul 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526110/
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