How to Use a Preacher Curl Bench (Bicep Curl Bench): 7 Best Bicep Exercises You Can Do Using This Machine

The preacher curl bench is one of the best bicep exercises. You can do multiple exercises using the bench, which will push the bicep muscles to grow thicker, stronger and bigger.

Before understanding the types of exercises you can do using the bench, it’s important to understand how to use it.

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Correct Form of using Preacher Curl Bench

The bench usually comes with a barbell rack and a seat. Sit, and place your arms and chest against the bench pad.

Next, use a dumbbell or barbell or EZ-bar to do a bicep curl, making sure your elbows do not leave the bench pad. Your palms should be facing outwards. Additionally, make sure to squeeze the biceps at the top of the motion, and control the negative when you’re lowering the weight.

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Best Bicep Exercises with Preacher Curl Bench

When you start doing bicep exercises, there are various ways to work on the muscles. The Preacher Curl Bench is one of the equipment that can help you with growing your bicep muscles.

Seven best bicep exercises using this machine are as follows:

1) EZ-Bar Curl

This is the most common exercise using the Preacher Curl Bench and is one of the best bicep exercises as well. That's because the EZ-bar curl targets every muscle in the upper arm and uses both bicep heads for the movement.

Moreover, the EZ-Bar Curl is much easier on your wrists rather than a straight bar curl, but that does mean you can’t use a Straight Bar on a Preacher Curl Bench.

2) Straight Bar Curl

The second exercise you can do using the bench is a straight bar curl. However, it's advised to use a smaller barbell as opposed to ones you would use for deadlifts or squats.

As the biceps are a smaller muscle group, it’s relatively less risky to use a smaller barbell for the exercise. In fact, you can use straight bar curls for a burnout set or to add volume to your biceps workout.

3) Dumbbell Preacher Curl

Another good bicep exercises that truly isolates the muscles of each arm are Dumbbell Preacher Curls.

For that, you can do both arms at the same time or one at a time. However, if you’re using one arm, keep the other arm on the bench for balance and stability. If you make the exercise more intense by using a heavier dumbbell, the free arm can support the other towards the end of the set, probably in the last few reps.

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4) Resistance Band Curls

If you want to use the Preacher Curl Bench for a warm-up set, you can use resistance bands to do the workout.

If you’re using resistance bands, you should use a band with less resistance. That's because if you’re doing a warm-up set, you shouldn't tire your bicep muscles before the actual workout.

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5) Cable Preacher Curl

Another good bicep exercise done using the cable pulley machine is the Cable Preacher Curl.

To do it, place the Preacher Curl Bench near the cable pulley machine. Attach the straight bar, and proceed with doing preacher curls. It’s better to start with a light weight to understand the posture and exercise before moving on to heavier weights.

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6) Preacher Hammer Curl

Hammer curls are an excellent isolation exercise for the bicep muscles. It targets the bicep long head, which is responsible for a large part of how your biceps look. Moreover, hammer curls help with wrist and grip strength as well.

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7) Reverse Grip Preacher Curl

A unique exercise in the list of best bicep exercises is the reverse grip curl. For this exercise, you can use a straight bar or EZ-bar, but use an overhand/pronated grip.

This exercise helps with the joint between the upper arm and the forearm, which is usually an area that doesn’t receive much focus during other exercises. The grip helps activate the muscles and release soreness