Barbell Preacher Curl Exercise

If you've never done a preacher curl beware, your biceps will hurt! The preacher curl is a variation of the barbell bicep curl that you do sitting on a preacher curl bench (pictured below). The preacher curl bench helps to isolate your bicep muscles for maximum muscle and strength growth. You can use a barbell or dumbell (single arm) for the preacher curl, but I'm going to focus on the barbell preacher curl.

Adjust the seat cushion to a level where the pad fits directly under your armpits. Keep the back of your hand - elbow to armpit - flat on the pad throughout the exercise. Lift the barbell by flexing your biceps. Exhale as you bring the weight up, inhale as you bring it down.

In doing barbell preacher curls people tend to cheat by swinging the weight, lifting with their shoulders, or bringing elbows up. Besides taking away from the core of the exercise, and thus muscle development, you are introducing risk of injury. Using any of the aforementioned cheats leads to unnatural body movements. You'll end up flexing and stretching muscle fibers at the same time, tearing them, and subsequently causing you pain. As mentioned in Arnold's book, even the professionals are subject to this mistake. Frank Zane strained his upper-back performing the preacher curl.

In summary, include the preacher curl with barbell workout in your weekly routine, to help build huge biceps By focusing your attention on a single muscle group, you grow bigger, faster. Remember to breathe out when lifting the weights toward your body and to breathe in when the weight is going down. The downward swing of the weight should be slow and controlled.