Barbell Preacher Curl
The barbell preacher curl is a biceps curl done with the backs of your upper arms braced on an angled preacher pad, using a straight bar with your palms fully up. The pad takes the shoulders and body swing out of the lift and places most of the load on the biceps and brachialis at the bottom, stretched part of the curl.
Also called: Straight-Bar Preacher Curl, Scott Curl (Barbell) · Equipment: barbell · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Set the seat so the top of the pad sits snugly under your armpits when you sit with your chest against it.
- Sit down and lay the backs of your upper arms flat on the pad. Take the bar from the hooks or a partner with a palms-up grip at about shoulder width.
- Start with the bar curled up near your shoulders, chest against the pad and wrists straight.
- Bring the bar down under control until your elbows are straight, keeping your upper arms flat on the pad.
- Reverse smoothly at the bottom, without a bounce, and curl the bar back up until your forearms are close to vertical.
- Keep your chest on the pad and your wrists in line with your forearms for every rep.
- After the last rep, curl the bar up and return it to the hooks or hand it to your partner.
- Upper arms flat on the pad
- Slow and controlled into the stretch
- No bounce at the bottom
- Palms up, wrists straight
- Chest stays on the pad
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Biceps brachii: short head | Prime mover | C |
| Biceps brachii: long head | Prime mover | C |
| Brachialis | Prime mover | C |
| Brachioradialis | Secondary | D |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Bouncing out of the bottom
Fix: Bring the bar down under control and reverse smoothly at straight arms.
Cutting the bottom of the rep short
Fix: Bring the bar all the way down until your elbows are straight.
Chest or elbows lifting off the pad
Fix: Keep your chest against the pad and your upper arms flat throughout.
Wrists bending back under the bar
Fix: Keep your wrists straight and in line with your forearms.
Seat set at the wrong height
Fix: Set the seat so the top of the pad sits snugly under your armpits.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Load and reps — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure; preacher curls are usually done with moderate loads and controlled reps.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit; true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- Where the load sits — EMG shows the preacher curl works the biceps hardest near the bottom, with activity falling away towards the top.
- The stretched range — In preacher-curl trials, training the bottom half of the range grew the biceps near the elbow more than training the top half, and in trained lifters it matched full-range curls for growth.
- Preacher vs incline curls — In a trial in women, preacher curls grew the biceps more near the elbow and incline curls more near the shoulder. With the resistance matched, a second trial found shoulder angle made no difference to growth.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the barbell preacher curl in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.