Do you want bigger biceps? Then you need to do preacher curls at the gym.

Preacher curls are not meant to replace standard biceps curls, but they are an exercise that hits your biceps in a different way. For maximum gains, you should include both variations in your curling routine.

Keep reading this blog to find out what preacher curls are, their benefits, and how to perform preacher curls at our gym in Thornton, Colorado.

What Are Preacher Curls at the Gym?

Preacher curls are a type of biceps curl. The exercise gets its name due to its similarity to a preacher resting over the parapet of a pulpit while preaching.

To do preacher curls, you need a preacher bench. Since most of us don’t have one of those at home, we must head to the gym to do our preacher curls.

A preacher bench has a surface that slopes down. You sit behind it and rest your upper arms on the sloped pad.

Before you sit behind the preacher bench at AFAC gym, you’ll need to pick out a weight to perform this strength training exercise. You can choose a barbell, dumbbell, or EZ bar.

AFAC gym also has two machines designed for preacher curls, which help make this exercise as effective and convenient as possible.

For preacher curls, you should use lighter weights than you would for biceps curls. Also, since the bench forces you into an unstable position, it’s important that you use slow, controlled movements and perfect form. Otherwise, you won’t reap the benefits of the exercise and could put yourself at risk of injury.

How to Do Preacher Curls at AFAC Gym

1. To do preacher curls, sit at the preacher bench and adjust the height so that your armpits are just touching the top of the sloped pad.
2. The backs of your upper arms should be resting on the pad throughout the exercise.
3. Hold the lever handles or free weight using an underhand grip (with your palms facing up).
4. Extend your arms so that your upper arms are resting on the bench. This is your starting position.
5. Curl the weight up until your forearms are vertical. Keep your upper arms on the bench.
6. Pause for a second at the top of the curl.
7. Count to three as you slowly lower the weight until your arms are extended again, back to the starting position.
8. Throughout the movement, make sure your feet are planted on the ground and your torso and shoulders remain still.
9. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

What Muscles Do Preacher Curls Work?

Biceps

One main advantage of the preacher curl setup is that it isolates your biceps brachii, also known as the biceps, which is not an easy feat. As you sit down and fix your upper body and arms on the bench, you drive more engagement to your biceps, so preacher curls are a perfect exercise if you’re hoping to build this muscle group.

Your hand placement will affect which biceps head is targeted during preacher curls. A normal or wide grip trains the short head of the biceps. A narrow grip places more emphasis on the long head. If you want to build your biceps, you should use both grips during your workout.

Forearms

On top of isolating your biceps, preacher curls also work your forearms. That’s because your forearms are supporting your grip and holding your wrists neutral during the lift. Your forearms are also involved every time you extend and flex your biceps. Slow preacher curls can help grow your forearms because your forearm muscles are mostly made up of slow-twitch muscle fibers.

Benefits of Doing Preacher Curls at the Gym

The main benefit of preacher curls is that they focus on growing the biceps. But there are other advantages to this exercise, too!

This Exercise Emphasizes the Negative Portion of the Lift

Preacher curls place a strong emphasis on the negative portion of every rep – the part where you lower the weight to the starting position.

Many people don’t realize that a huge part of building muscle is based on the negative portion of their reps. Why? Because the negative portion allows you to maximize a muscle’s time under tension while you slowly return the load to the starting position.

You Can Work Past Fatigue

To give yourself even more gains while doing preacher curls, you can work past fatigue. How? Once you don’t have any power left to bring the weight up, you can ask a workout buddy or personal trainer to help you with the first part of the lift, and then you can control the weight as you lower it as slowly as possible. That means you don’t have to quit doing preacher curls when you’re not able to lift the weight anymore.

You Can’t Cheat

Another benefit of preacher curls is that it’s almost impossible to cheat. Unlike the standing barbell curl, you can’t use momentum to lift the load during preacher curls. The only way you can cheat yourself is by not fully extending your elbows, or by rocking back and forth to curl the bar.

You Can Isolate Your Biceps and Forearms for Maximum Growth

Preacher curls force isolation on your biceps, which is required for maximum gains in that muscle group. By sitting down and putting your upper arms on an angled pad, you isolate your biceps and forearms more than you can with other types of curls.

The more you can isolate your biceps and forearms, the better your muscle growth in these two areas will be. By slowing the preacher curl down – especially during the lowering (eccentric) portion – you can get an added boost to your forearms.

They Help You Out with Other Exercises

Your biceps might be the primary movers during preacher curls, but the biceps also play a key role in other exercises like rows, pull-ups, and chin-ups. Biceps also help you with pull-oriented moves that involve your shoulders, lats, and upper back.

Don’t let your biceps give out before you’ve maxed out your shoulders and back! Having stronger biceps by doing preacher curls will help you when it comes to building a more muscular and stronger upper body.

They Can Give You Better Shoulder Stability

Your rotator cuff’s muscles and tendons secure your humerus (upper arm bone) to your shoulder joint. Your biceps tendon secures your shoulder joint to your humerus. This attachment from both sides stabilizes your shoulder. That means making your biceps stronger with preacher curls can improve the stability of your shoulder joint.

Preacher Curls Are Good for Everyone

Regardless of your fitness goals or experience level, you can probably find a place to add preacher curls to your program.

• Strength athletes — Powerlifters and weightlifters rely on biceps strength to assist with deadlifting, cleans, snatches, and picking up heavy stones. Their performance can benefit from training their biceps with preacher curls.
• Bodybuilders — Bodybuilders need to train their biceps for their poses. Isolating the biceps with preacher curls while using a wide and close grip to train both heads will get those biceps popping before a show.
• Beginners and recreational lifters — Many beginners and recreational lifters do biceps curls because they see a lot of other people doing them. It’s easy to try biceps curls by mimicking others, but beginners tend to use too much body English because they don’t know proper form. They’re also tempted to go too heavy, too fast. Preacher curls help with both issues. Since you’re sitting down and your upper body is locked into position, the preacher curl returns the focus to the biceps instead of kipping too much weight up and down.

Preaching for Better Biceps at AFAC Gym

If you’ve been yearning for bigger biceps, the preacher curl might be the lift you didn’t know you needed. It keeps your body strict about form by bracing your upper arms and holding down your chest. This eliminates unwanted momentum and form imperfections that can lead to mediocre results. Add the preacher curl to your repertoire at AFAC gym when you want to pack some serious size into your biceps and forearms.

That said, standard barbell curls should be your No. 1 lift for building big biceps. The preacher curl is an excellent additional exercise that can help you maximize bicep time under tension and overall gains.

Do you need a gym that has preacher curl machines, a free weight preacher curl bench, and highly credentialed personal trainers on staff who can show you how to use them? Then we hope you’ll consider joining Adventure Fitness Athletic Club. The team at AFAC gym is here to give you a tour and show you why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado. Our team of personal trainers can assist you with perfecting your preacher curls, as well as tailoring a strength training and cardio program that will provide maximum results for your efforts.

If you’re not a member of AFAC gym but would like more information, please stop by and speak to our team. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.