Preacher Curls

Sit at a preacher bench with your upper arms resting flat against the angled pad. Grip an EZ-bar with an underhand grip. Curl the bar up toward your shoulders, squeezing your biceps at the top. Lower with control to near-full arm extension, maintaining tension throughout.

Pro Tips

• The pad eliminates momentum and body English, isolating the biceps completely
• Avoid fully locking out at the bottom to keep constant tension on the muscle
• Control the negative — the stretched position under load is where growth happens

Muscles worked

Primary: Biceps brachii — specifically the short head (inner head), which is more active when the shoulder is in a flexed, forward position (as it is on the preacher pad). The pad also eliminates the elbow swing that normally allows the bicep to use momentum, making the exercise a strict isolation.

Supporting: Brachialis (deep elbow flexor, active throughout), brachioradialis (forearm, active with EZ-bar grip), forearm flexors (wrist stabilisation).

Common mistakes

Dropping to full extension: Allowing the arms to extend completely at the bottom, particularly under heavy load, places the bicep tendon at the elbow under significant eccentric stress in a position of mechanical disadvantage. Stop just short of full lockout — maintain a small amount of tension at the bottom of each rep.

Using momentum at the top: The preacher pad prevents arm swing but some lifters still generate momentum by slightly pressing through the pad. The pad should be used only as a support surface, not as a launch point for the curl. The bicep does the work.

Going too heavy: The preacher pad isolates the bicep more completely than any other curl variation, which means there is nowhere for the weight to go if the biceps cannot lift it. The load that is appropriate for a standing EZ-bar curl is almost always too heavy for the preacher curl. Start at 80 percent of your standing curl weight.

Incorrect pad height: If the pad is too high, the upper arm is propped in an uncomfortable angle that limits range of motion at the bottom. The armpit should rest close to the top of the pad, and the upper arms should rest along the angled surface comfortably.

Programming notes

The preacher curl is one of the best direct bicep hypertrophy exercises because the pad eliminates all momentum and forces the bicep to work through the full range of motion without any assistance. It is particularly effective for the short head (inner bicep head that contributes to arm width and thickness).

Typical programming: 3–4 sets of 10–12 repetitions, placed at the end of a pull or arm session. It pairs naturally with hammer curls or incline dumbbell curls, which each hit a different portion of the arm flexor system.

Frequently asked questions

Are preacher curls better than standing curls for building biceps?

For strict isolation, yes — the pad removes all momentum and body swing, so the bicep does every kilogram of work with no assistance. That makes preacher curls more effective per rep for hypertrophy than a standing curl where you can drift forward or use a hip kick. The trade-off is that you will handle significantly less weight, which some lifters find discouraging. Use preacher curls as your primary isolation movement and pair them with a compound pull — rows or chin-ups — to cover overall arm strength as well.

How low should I go at the bottom of a preacher curl?

Stop just short of full elbow extension — roughly five to ten degrees shy of lockout. At full extension the bicep tendon crosses the elbow in a stretched, mechanically weak position, and loading it maximally there raises injury risk without meaningfully increasing the training stimulus. You still get the benefit of a long range of motion and peak stretch if you stop a hair early. Keep the weight on the muscle, not dangling through the joint.

Can I do preacher curls with dumbbells instead of an EZ-bar?

Yes, and there are good reasons to. A dumbbell allows each arm to work independently, which eliminates the stronger side compensating for the weaker one — a common problem with bilateral barbell work. You can also supinate (rotate the palm up) through the full range of motion on a dumbbell, which recruits more of the biceps brachii than the fixed, semi-supinated grip of an EZ-bar. The EZ-bar is easier on the wrists under heavier loads, so both tools earn a place — alternate them across training blocks or use whichever feels better on your joints.