EXECUTION
- For greater stability and effectiveness, a standing preacher bench is preferred to a seated one.
- Assume a stable standing position and place the upper arms against the incline support pad. Adjust the pad height so that you have a fairly erect position.
- Hold an E-Z curl bar (or dumbbells) with a supinated (palms up) grip. The arms should be fairly straight but have a slight bend in the elbows.
- The elbows should be free of the support pad in the initial position and during execution. If this is not possible, be sure the pad is thick and well cushioned.
- When you are ready, inhale slightly more than usual and then hold your breath as you flex the elbows to curl the bar upward.
- Raise the bar at a moderate rate of speed until the forearms are vertical or slightly beyond.
- Exhale as you return to the initial position under control.
- Pause momentarily when the arms are almost straight and then repeat.
TRAINING TIPS
- Be sure to keep the upper arms in contact with the bench at all times. This is needed to isolate the movement to the elbow joints and to produce a stronger contraction.
- To intensify the muscular contraction hold a 90o angle in the elbows during the up movement for one to two seconds. Then finish with maximum peaking of the muscles.
- To protect the elbows from injury, it is important that the elbows be free of the support pad or that the pad be well cushioned if the elbows stay in contact. Also you should not completely straighten the arm in the down position. This is especially important when you use heavy weights.
- To intensify the exercise, be sure to hold your breath as you curl the bar upward. The breath holding helps to stabilize the body and to generate greater force.
- Be sure that you have a well-balanced stable position so that you can concentrate on the exercise movement. Being in an uncomfortable position or being forced to hold the arms in place not only detracts from doing the exercise effectively but can lead to injury.
- When using dumbbells, raise both simultaneously at a moderate rate of speed. There is little, if any, advantage to doing the exercise at different rates of speed or in an alternating manner.
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
The biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis, and the pronator teres muscles are involved. The biceps brachii is the largest muscle and makes up the bulk of the front upper arm. The brachialis is located under the biceps close to the elbow joint. It is strongly involved in elbow flexion regardless of the grip being used and is often considered the workhorse in elbow flexion.
The brachioradialis is located on the upper, outer surface on the thumb side of the forearm. It creates the rounded contour of the forearm from the elbow to the thumb. The pronator teres comes into play when the resistance is sufficiently great. It lies obliquely across the elbow in front and is partly covered by the brachioradialis.
MUSCLE AND JOINT ACTIONS
In the preacher curl, you execute elbow joint flexion in which the forearm moves toward the upper arm. The biceps and brachialis play the major roles, especially when you do not fully straighten the arm in the down position.
SPORTS USES
In most sports, the biceps and the other elbow flexor muscles are not as important as the triceps. However, the biceps must be strong to balance the triceps development and to help prevent elbow problems. The greatest value from doing the preacher curl is in bodybuilding for increasing mass of the biceps muscle.
This exercise and the muscles involved are needed in pulling actions such as in chinning and climbing as for example rock and wall climbing. It is also needed for raising the body on the high bar, rings and parallel bars in gymnastics. Wrestlers and football players need this action when grabbing, squeezing or holding an opponent and, in the martial arts the movements are used when pulling an opponent into position for a throw.
Elbow flexion and the muscles involved are needed when executing ground strokes in sports such as tennis and racquetball. Other examples include pulling a ball in to the body as in basketball, lifting a weight to the chest, carrying heavy packages in front of the body and in some forms of football tackling.