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Machine preacher curls are an excellent way to build bicep peak and are a great variation to add to your usual bicep workout routine.
However, machine preachers may not be available in every fitness establishment. If you’re interested in doing preacher curls, you can either do them on an incline bench, or use a preacher curl pad. The best course of action is to opt for dumbbell incline preacher curls if the machine is unavailable.
Usually, preacher curls target the bicep long head more than the short head. As the long head is responsible for the bicep peak, it’s important to do exercises that activate the long head more than the short head. Machine preacher curls allow you to add intensity or volume at ease, as you can adjust the weights easily.
How to Do Machine Preacher Curls?
The machine comes with a seat, back rest, front pad, bars, and a weight stack.
To get into position, adjust the seat so that you can place your arms on the front pad. Adjust the backrest so that you can use it as support without having to move from your seat.
Choose a weight your muscles can support. If it's the first time you’re using the machine, it’s better to begin with a light weight. After selecting the weight, place your triceps on the front pad, and hold the handles with each hand. Usually, an underhand grip is used for this exercise.
To do the exercise, pull the handles towards yourself using your biceps, but your elbows and triceps shouldn’t leave the front pad. Hold the position, and squeeze your biceps at the top of the motion before lowering the handles.
Tips for Using Machine Preacher Curl
When you’re using the preacher curl, you shouldn’t dive into heavy weights. It’s important to understand the motion and form before you do so. Moreover, exercising with lighter weights can help you develop a muscle-mind connection, which helps you when you increase the weight.
You must control your breathing when using machine preacher curls. You need to exhale as you pull the handles towards you and inhale when you lower the handles.
If you’re struggling with balance during the exercise, you can keep your core engaged. That'll help you with stability and balance during the exercise. However, you must first ensure your feet are firmly on the ground, and you’re not rocking back and forth while doing the exercise.
Benefits of Machine Preacher Curl
Preacher curls entail benefits conventional bicep curls do not. First, preacher curls allow you to control the negative much better than bicep curls. The more you control the negative, the better it's for muscle growth and strength.
Second, preacher curls are completely done using your biceps. You cannot use the body’s momentum or swing your hands to do the curls, which you can in case of dumbbell bicep curls. Therefore, this exercise ensures all the work is done by the biceps, with no other muscle group for support.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, preacher curls allow you to focus more on the bicep long head and develop the bicep peak.
Bottom Line
If you have access to a machine preacher curl, you must use one. However, remmeber that preacher curls are a variation of bicep exercises. You can use other exercises, such as concentration curls, incline curls, cable curls, and others, along with preacher curls to properly develop your biceps.
At the end of the day, you must do exercises that allow you to work on both the short head and long head of the bicep muscles.
