Barbell Preacher Curl
Reviewed by Tim Renting, Physiotherapist
The Barbell Preacher Curl isolates the arms by removing momentum, helping you focus on controlled strength and steady muscle tension.
Barbell Preacher Curl
Muscles Worked: Barbell Preacher Curl
The Barbell Preacher Curl mainly works your arms, with the biceps doing most of the job as you bend your elbows and drive the bar upward. Your forearms help you hold the bar steady and keep your wrists from folding back as the weight gets heavier. Because your upper arms are braced on the pad, momentum drops and the biceps have to do more of the work through the middle and top of the rep. You should feel a hard squeeze in the front of your upper arm, and preacher curls have been shown to build biceps size and strength effectively in training studies (Kassiano et al., 2025).
Technique and form
How to perform the Barbell Preacher Curl
- Sit on the preacher bench and adjust the seat height so your armpits rest comfortably on the angled pad.
- Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip (palms facing up), hands positioned shoulder-width apart.
- Fully extend your arms down the slope of the pad, keeping your upper arms and chest firmly pressed against the pad throughout the exercise.
- Exhale as you curl the weight upward by flexing at the elbow, maintaining contact between your upper arms and the pad.
- Continue curling until your forearms are nearly perpendicular to the floor and you feel a complete contraction in your biceps.
- Hold the contracted position momentarily, focusing on squeezing your biceps.
- Inhale as you slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position, resisting the weight on the way down for a controlled eccentric phase.
- Maintain a slight bend in your elbows at the bottom position to keep tension on the biceps and prevent strain on the elbow joints.
Important information
- Keep your back straight and shoulders pulled back throughout the movement to prevent hunching over the pad.
- Make sure your elbows stay fixed on the pad during the entire exercise – if they lift off, you're using momentum rather than bicep strength.
- Adjust your grip width to target different areas of the biceps – a narrower grip emphasizes the outer head while a wider grip targets the inner head.
- Control the descent rather than letting the weight drop – this negative phase is crucial for muscle development and prevents injury.
Is the Barbell Preacher Curl good for muscle growth?
Yes. The Barbell Preacher Curl is a strong muscle-building exercise for your biceps because the pad limits cheating and keeps tension on the target muscle instead of letting your shoulders and hips take over. Recent studies comparing preacher curls to other curl setups show preacher work can build the biceps well, especially when you train it hard and control the full rep (Kassiano et al., 2025).
- Less cheating, more biceps work — The pad locks your upper arms in place, so swinging the weight is much harder. That makes each rep cleaner and shifts more of the effort to elbow bending, which is exactly what your biceps are supposed to do in a curl.
- Strong tension in the shortened position — Preacher curls challenge the biceps hard as you bring the bar up and squeeze. In a 2025 study, preacher curls improved strength well, while incline curls produced more growth in the distal region of the biceps, which tells you preacher curls are still useful but may emphasize adaptation a bit differently (Kassiano et al., 2025).
- Useful next to other curl angles — If you already do barbell-curl or a stretch-focused option like ez-bar-preacher-curl, preacher curls can cover the part of the strength curve where squeezing and strict form matter most. Different arm positions can bias growth to slightly different areas of the biceps (Attarieh et al., 2025; Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2023).
- Easy to overload, but don't force heavy reps — This exercise is simple to track because adding small amounts of weight or extra reps is straightforward. But the bottom position deserves care if you yank the bar or fully relax onto the pad, and there is a case report of serious distal biceps injury during preacher curling, so smooth reps matter more than ego loading (Rokito et al., 2008).
Programming for muscle growth
Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 60-90 seconds rest. Train it 1-2 times per week after bigger pulling work so your elbows are warm and you can keep the reps strict. Use a weight you can lower slowly for about 2 seconds, stop 0-1 reps before form breaks, and add load only when all sets stay clean.
Barbell Preacher Curl Variations
Alternative Exercises
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FAQ - Barbell Preacher Curl
The Barbell Preacher Curl primarily targets the biceps brachii, with special emphasis on the lower portion of the muscle. It also engages the brachialis and brachioradialis as secondary muscles, contributing to overall forearm development and elbow flexion strength.
Position your upper arms flat against the preacher bench pad with armpits touching the top edge. Keep your shoulders back, chest up, and avoid lifting your arms off the pad during the movement. Focus on a controlled tempo, especially during the lowering phase, and never fully extend your elbows at the bottom position.
For optimal results, incorporate Barbell Preacher Curls 1-2 times weekly with at least 48 hours between sessions to allow proper bicep recovery. Begin with 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions, adjusting the weight to reach near-failure on your final reps of each set.
The most common mistake is rushing through the movement without focusing on the quality of the rolling motion. Other errors include using excessive tension rather than controlled movement, and failing to achieve full range of motion through all three planes of shoulder movement (flexion, depression, and retraction).
Try EZ-bar preacher curls for reduced wrist strain, single-arm dumbbell preacher curls to address muscle imbalances, or cable preacher curls for constant tension throughout the movement. For intensified focus on the peak contraction, incorporate partial reps in the top half of the range of motion as a finisher.
Scientific References
Distinct muscle growth and strength adaptations after preacher and incline biceps curls.
Kassiano W, Costa B, Kunevaliki G et al. · International journal of sports medicine (2025)
Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J et al. · Journal of human kinetics (2023)
Attarieh P, Nunes JP, Khani S et al. · European journal of sport science (2025)
Simultaneous bilateral distal biceps tendon rupture during a preacher curl exercise: a case report.
Rokito AS, lofin I · Bulletin of the NYU hospital for joint diseases (2008)
Sources are peer-reviewed academic publications from PubMed.
Barbell Preacher Curl
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