Machine Preacher Curl
A seated curl on a machine with the upper arms braced on an angled pad and a lever arm that pivots at the elbows. It isolates the biceps and brachialis while the pad stops the shoulders and torso from helping. Choose it for strict, steady biceps work that is easy to load.
Updated
Primary muscles: Biceps. Supporting muscles: Brachialis, Forearms. Equipment: Machine.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set the seat so your armpits sit at the top edge of the pad.
- Rest the backs of your upper arms on the pad with elbows in line with the machine's pivot.
- Grip the handles underhand with wrists straight and elbows nearly straight.
- Curl the handles toward your shoulders by bending only the elbows.
- Squeeze the biceps briefly at the top.
- Lower for two counts back to a near-straight arm.
Watch for
- Upper arms lifting off the pad.
- Hips rising off the seat to start the curl.
- Letting the weight drop at the bottom of the rep.
Breathing
Exhale as you curl up, inhale as you lower.
Tip
Slow down over the last few degrees of the lowering; dropping into a locked elbow under load strains the biceps tendon.
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