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Preacher Curl: Removing the Swing From Your Curl

The preacher bench physically prevents you from swinging your torso to help the lift — which is exactly why it's such an honest test of bicep strength.

· 2 min read

Preacher Curl demonstration

The preacher curl fixes your upper arms against a padded bench, removing any ability to swing your body for momentum — what's left is a genuinely isolated test of your biceps.

How to do it

  1. 1Rest your upper arms on the pad — armpits close to the top of the pad, arms extended in front of you.
  2. 2Grip the bar or handle — hands roughly shoulder-width apart.
  3. 3Curl up toward your shoulders — bending only at the elbow, keeping your upper arms pressed against the pad.
  4. 4Stop short of full contraction if it strains your elbow — some people find lifting all the way to the top uncomfortable — a slightly shorter range is a reasonable adjustment.
  5. 5Lower with control — extend back down slowly rather than letting the weight drop, stopping just short of a fully locked elbow.

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Sets and reps

3 sets of 10–12 reps — because there's no momentum available to help, expect to use less weight here than on a standing curl.

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the upper arms off the pad. Letting your arms come away from the pad reintroduces the swing this exercise is designed to remove. Keep them pressed down throughout.
  • Fully locking the elbows at the bottom. Letting the weight pull your elbows into a hard lockout at the bottom puts unnecessary stress on the joint. Stop just short of full extension.
  • Going too heavy. Because there's no momentum to lean on, an overly heavy weight usually means the upper arms lifting off the pad instead. Scale the weight to keep them planted.

Safety note

The bottom of this exercise puts more direct stress on the elbow than a standing curl — if that position bothers your elbow, shorten the range slightly rather than pushing through it.

No swing, no momentum, no help — that's what makes this exercise such a direct test of bicep strength. Keep your upper arms glued to the pad and let the rest follow.

Train it as part of a real plan

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