Arms / Beginner / Isolation (single joint)

Preacher Curl

A barbell isolation exercise for the biceps.

At a glance

Primary

Biceps

Equipment

Barbell, Bench

Movement pattern

Elbow flexion (curl)

Level

Beginner

Type

Arms, Isolation (single joint)

Loads the elbow. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. To perform this movement you will need a preacher bench and an E-Z bar. Grab the E-Z curl bar at the close inner handle (either have someone hand you the bar which is preferable or grab the bar from the front bar rest provided by most preacher benches). The palm of your hands should be facing forward and they should be slightly tilted inwards due to the shape of the bar.
2. With the upper arms positioned against the preacher bench pad and the chest against it, hold the E-Z Curl Bar at shoulder length. This will be your starting position.
3. As you breathe in, slowly lower the bar until your upper arm is extended and the biceps is fully stretched.
4. As you exhale, use the biceps to curl the weight up until your biceps is fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder height. Squeeze the biceps hard and hold this position for a second.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Dropping into a straight arm at the bottom.

  Why it hurts: The biceps tendon is loaded at full stretch with the pad locking the arm; this is a known cause of biceps tears.

  ✓ Instead: Lower slowly and stop just short of a fully straight elbow.

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