Exercise Library
Barbell Preacher Curl
An isolation arm exercise performed on a preacher bench using a barbell with an underhand grip. The upper arms remain supported against the angled pad while the barbell is curled upward by flexing the elbows, minimizing momentum and maximizing tension on the biceps. The movement is completed with a slow and controlled lowering phase to fully stretch the arms and maintain constant muscle engagement throughout the range of motion.
Primary muscle
Biceps brachii
Secondary muscles
brachialis, forearms
Equipment
Barbell
Category
Biceps
How to Do the Barbell Preacher Curl
- Set the preacher bench seat so your armpits sit snugly over the top of the pad when seated.
- Grip a barbell underhand at about shoulder width and rest the backs of your upper arms flat on the pad.
- Start with your arms extended down the pad, elbows almost straight but not forcibly locked.
- Exhale and curl the bar up until your forearms are just short of vertical.
- Squeeze the biceps at the top for a moment.
- Inhale and lower the bar slowly through the full range, feeling the stretch near the bottom.
- Keep your upper arms and chest glued to the pad for every rep.
Common Mistakes
- Bouncing out of the stretch: reversing sharply at the bottom loads the biceps tendon at its most vulnerable point; lower with control and pause briefly.
- Lifting the elbows off the pad: hitching the upper arms upward to finish the rep recruits the shoulders and defeats the bench's purpose.
- Curling too high: bringing the bar all the way to the chin lets the forearms pass vertical and drops the tension; stop just before that point.
- Overloading the bar: preacher curls are significantly harder than standing curls, so cut your usual curl weight by roughly a third when starting out.
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