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Barbell Preacher Curl

When you think of popular bicep exercises, the standing barbell curl is probably the first thing that comes to mind. There’s no denying that this is a great bicep-building exercise. However, it doesn’t quite provide the isolation that the preacher curl does. 

Like the barbell biceps curl, it uses a simple movement pattern. Curl a weighted bar to your upper chest and repeat. However, the preacher bench takes out additional muscle Involvement, providing targeted isolation. 

If you want to learn how to better isolate and grow your biceps, the guide below gives you everything you need to know.

How To Do

  1. Adjust the preacher bench so that your upper arms and chest are in contact with the pad. Your feet should be flat on the ground.
  2. Lean forward slightly to grip the barbell. Use a double underhand grip, palms facing the ceiling. Your arms should be shoulder-width apart.
  3. Keep your arms extended and maintain neutral wrists. Your head should be facing forward with a neutral back position.
  4. Exhale and engage your core. Squeeze your biceps and curl the barbell towards your upper chest using an arc motion. 
  5. Pause briefly when the bar is at shoulder height. This is the top position.
  6. Bring the bar back to the starting position under control. Make sure you inhale at the same time. 
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and sets.

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Tips From Expert

  • Ensure you keep your upper arms against the pad at all times. If you can’t lift the weight correctly without them coming off, it’s probably too heavy.
  • Ensure the seat height is set so your arms are comfortable in the curl position. Use the help of a friend if you’re unsure.
  • Avoid using sudden curling movements throughout the exercise. Perform them using a slow, controlled movement pattern. 
  • When curling, keep your elbows aligned with your shoulders. Avoid letting them flare out as you curl.

Optimal Sets and Reps

The programming recommendations below are specific to the barbell preacher curl. Use it to find the ideal set and reps for your chosen training style.

Training TypeSetsReps
Strength Training3–54–6
Hypertrophy3–48–12
Endurance Training3–412–20
Power Training3–51–3
Optimal Sets & Reps of Barbell Preacher Curl

How to Put in Your Workout Split

The barbell preacher curl is a versatile bicep-building exercise. Using a preacher bench isolates your biceps, offering targeted muscle activation. 

Whatever your goal, here are some of the best ways to incorporate it. 

To use the loading recommendations below, you need to work out your one repetition maximum. This is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition using good form. 

  • Bodybuilding — The main goal of bodybuilding is muscular hypertrophy. Perform it after compound back moves such as barbell rows. Aim to use 60%–80% of your 1RM.
  • Strength And Power — As an isolation-type exercise, perform it after your main strength movements such as the overhead press and the deadlift. Aim to use 80%–100% of your 1RM. 
  • Endurance — When training for endurance, high reps and lower weight will be the main focus. Program it towards the end of your endurance workout. Use 60%–80% of your 1RM. 

In terms of volume, a minimum of 10 sets per week is suggested for adequate muscle growth. That means you should be performing preacher curls at least two times a week. 

For hypertrophy and endurance, ensure 60–90 seconds of rest between sessions. For strength and power, a longer rest period of 2–3 minutes is needed.  Ensure at least 48–72 hours between training sessions.

Primary Muscle Groups

Biceps Short Head

Most inside portion of the biceps. Located at the front of your upper arm closest to your chest.

Biceps Short Head 

Your biceps short head is the inner part of your biceps brachii. It originates from your humerus, or upper arm, and inserts into your ulna, or forearm. 

Its primary function is to perform elbow flexion and shoulder adduction. This means bending your elbow towards you and bringing your arm closer to the midline of your body. 

As you curl the barbell from the preacher bench, your short head brings the weight towards your chest. The preacher bench isolates the short head, reducing the possible involvement from the shoulders. Because of this, it's the primary mover during the barbell preacher curl. 

At 50 degrees to 90 degrees of elbow flexion, the biceps brachii is shown to be the most active. This is when using a supinated position, with your palms facing upwards. 

It reaches a maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) of approximately 20–25%. This is a measure of how hard a muscle is contracting 

Secondary Muscle Groups

Biceps Long Head

Most outside part of your bicep.The front of your upper arm.

Brachialis

Muscle which starts at the middle of your upper arm and connects just below the elbow.

Wrist Flexors

Muscles that span the inside of your lower arm, between your elbow and wrist palm side up.

Brachioradialis

Muscle located between outside portion of your forearm from the elbow to the wrist.

Biceps Long Head 

Your biceps long head is the outer portion of your bicep. It also originates from your humerus and inserts at your ulna.

Like the short head, its primary role is elbow flexion. However, instead of shoulder adduction, it helps more with shoulder abduction and inward rotation. This is where you bring the arm away from your body and turn it inwards. 

Using a narrower preacher curl grip width will better target your long head. This is because it’s in more of a stretched position as you curl the weight towards your body. This makes the narrow-grip preacher curl a good exercise to include alongside other long-head bicep exercises.

Brachialis 

Your brachialis is a deep muscle located underneath your biceps brachii. It's considered a pure elbow flexor, meaning it provides elbow flexion at all limb positions. Some also consider it as part of the bicep muscles. 

To isolate the brachialis, the palm needs to be pronated, or facing down. The preacher curl uses a supinated position with the palms facing up. Therefore, it assists the bicep brachii heads with elbow flexion. 

As you curl the weight to your chest by performing elbow flexion, the brachialis stabilizes your arm. It contributes to elbow flexion but isn’t the primary flexor unless the forearm is pronated.

Brachioradialis 

Your brachioradialis is a long and thin muscle strip located on the top of your forearm. It extends from the bottom of the humerus to the radius, one of your forearm bones.

Like the other muscles listed, the brachioradialis’s primary function is to flex and stabilize the elbow. This is especially true when using a slow concentric movement during the preacher curl. As you bring your arms towards your body, the brachioradialis shortens.

With a supinated hand position, or your palms facing up, the brachioradialis aids in elbow flexion. It also stabilizes the elbow during the barbell preacher curl while your short head acts as the primary mover. 

In the same study that looked at the %MVC of the biceps, researchers compared the brachioradialis activity using different grips. When using a neutral grip, or palms facing inwards, the brachioradialis showed higher muscle activity than the biceps brachii. Between 60 degrees and 130 degrees, it reached a maximum voluntary contraction of approximately 18% to 22% MVC. 

Wrist Flexors 

Your wrist flexors are a group of muscles located on the inside of your forearm. They work to flex or curl your wrist and fingers. In terms of function, they enable a strong grip and provide control in movements such as lifting and holding.

When performing the preacher curl, your wrist flexors help to maintain a firm grip on the bar. This allows you to generate more force from the key elbow flexors, allowing you to curl more weight. The wrist flexors are one of the muscle groups that determine grip strength. Interestingly enough, grip strength has been proposed as a new vital sign of health.

Equipment

Barbell

Barbell

You can use this for a range of arm exercises. Ensure the seat is at the right height. A good alternative would be the incline bench.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Barbell Biceps Curl

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Dumbbell Bicep Curl

Ez Bar Preacher Curl

Dumbbell Preacher Curl

Dumbbell Cross-Body Hammer Curl

Dumbbell Concentration Curl

Dumbbell One-Arm Zottman Preacher Curl

Cable Preacher Curl

Dumbbell Zottman Curl

Dumbbell Zottman Preacher Curl

Crucifix Curl

Who Should Do?

Bodybuilders

As a bodybuilder, the main goal is to improve your appearance by building a well-rounded physique. This means that your upper-body and lower-body muscles must be equally developed to ensure a good overall flow.

When training to accomplish this aim, you need to adequately work each muscle group using enough training volume. This provides a suitable resistance stimulus that leads to muscular hypertrophy. 

The barbell preacher curl isolates your biceps short head. It also works your long head, brachialis, and brachioradialis. Because of this, it’s a great way to build your main elbow flexors when included alongside other short head bicep exercises.

Strength And Power Athletes

When training for strength and power, athletes tend to focus on the three main strength-based movements: the bench press, the squat, and the deadlift.

During the deadlift, the biceps brachii help to hold and stabilize the weight. They work alongside the wrist extensors and wrist flexors to ensure a strong grip. Furthermore, they are primarily involved in functional pulling exercises such as barbell rows and pull-ups.

Because of this, they’re great to program as part of your strength and power training as an accessory exercise. Perform them after your main competition lifts.

General Populations

Between general gymgoers and average gym users, the health and fitness goals tend to be similar. These include getting stronger, improving appearance, and increasing function. As part of this, resistance training forms a vital part of their daily lifestyle.

The barbell preacher curl isolates the main elbow flexor muscles. These are involved in daily movements such as bringing an item toward you from a shelf or carrying your children. This helps to improve function.

Alongside this, they are easy to perform and progress, providing a good training stimulus for increasing strength and improving appearance. When combined, each of these factors makes the barbell preacher curl a good option for general populations.

Who Should Not Do?

Those With Wrist Issues

To grip the barbell correctly, your wrist flexors and extensors work to keep a stable wrist position. They provide a firm grip and prevent your wrists from flexing or extending beyond their normal ranges. 

When suffering from wrist issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome, grip strength and function are often compromised. Therefore, keeping a firm grip on the barbell may not be possible. 

*Expert tip: If you suffer from wrist issues, consult a physical therapist to regain normal wrist function and grip. They will help you with a suitable rehabilitation program. A resistance band bicep workout may be a more suitable option.

Older Populations

It’s well-known that resistance training is beneficial for older populations. It helps to preserve muscle mass and improve joint stability. Both of these can improve mobility and reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as sarcopenia and osteoarthritis. 

There is an increased risk of injuries and fractures in older populations. Therefore, a suitable resistance training stimulus using certain exercises is needed. Exercises should use an appropriate range of motion and stimulus. 

The barbell preacher curl is a great exercise in its own right. However, the large flexion and extension angles coupled with the preacher bench position aren’t suitable for some older populations. These groups should focus more on fixed-path bicep curl machines, which allow a controlled range of motion.  

Benefits Of The Barbell Preacher Curl

Builds Strength 

When building strength, your main goal is to train using movements and weights that provide a suitable resistance stimulus. This allows you to progressively overload the muscle you’re working. 

The barbell preacher curl provides targeted isolation to the biceps brachii and the smaller elbow elbow flexors. This provides a good stimulus for strength building. 

Furthermore, most strength-based pulling movements require your biceps to work as secondary movers to pull and stabilize the weight. Examples include the barbell row and cable seated row. Strengthening the biceps helps to build strength in these movement patterns, improving performance. 

Improves Range Of Motion 

Range of motion is the extent to which you can normally stretch your joints or muscles. Improving your range of motion requires repeatedly stretching the joint or muscle to its maximum range to reduce tension.

The barbell preacher curl requires a large degree of elbow flexion to curl the weight up and elbow extension to bring it down. It goes through a full range of motion from the bottom to the top positions.

The preacher bench provides targeted muscle isolation, making it a great way to improve the range of motion in your elbow joints. 

Enhances Muscle Definition 

Muscle definition can be defined as the way your muscles look, specifically how defined they are. Building muscle definition requires a suitable resistance stimulus over a sustained period. This is also known as providing enough intensity and volume.

The barbell preacher curl is an excellent way to enhance muscle definition for two main reasons. As mentioned above, it targets the key elbow flexors, providing an isolated movement pattern for the biceps brachii. Because of this, it allows a large amount of volume when building definitions in these specific areas. 

With volume shown to be the main determinant for muscle growth, the barbell preacher curl is a great exercise to enhance muscle definition. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the barbell preacher curl work?

The barbell preacher curl works your biceps short head as the primary mover. Your secondary movers are your biceps long head, brachialis, brachioradialis, and wrist flexors.

What is the difference between a preacher curl and a bicep curl?

The main difference between a preacher curl and a bicep curl is the isolation provided by the preacher curl bench. With this, it limits the chances of involvement from other muscle groups.

How to hold the barbell for preacher curl?

When holding the barbell, ensure you use a double underhand grip. This means that both hands are underneath the barbell with your palms facing upwards.

How heavy should I go on preacher curls?

The appropriate weight to use will depend on your ability level and training goals. Use a weight that allows you to perform the stated repetition ranges with good form. Adjust as needed.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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