Machine Preacher Curls
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a machine.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Machine Preacher Curls
- Sit down on the Preacher Curl Machine and select the weight.
- Place the back of your upper arms (your triceps) on the preacher pad provided and grab the handles using an underhand grip (palms facing up). Tip: Make sure that when you place the arms on the pad you keep the elbows in. This will be your starting position.
- Now lift the handles as you exhale and you contract the biceps. At the top of the position make sure that you hold the contraction for a second. Tip: Only the forearms should move. The upper arms should remain stationary and on the pad at all times.
- Lower the handles slowly back to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Machine Preacher Curls
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Dumbbell Curls
Dumbbell curls are the quintessential arm exercise for building bicep strength and size. The unilateral nature of dumbbells helps identify and correct muscle imbalances between arms.
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2
Reverse Barbell Preacher Curls
An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using an E-Z curl bar.
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3
Barbell Curls Lying Against An Incline
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a barbell.
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4
Cable Hammer Curls - Rope Attachment
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a cable machine.
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5
Cable Preacher Curl
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using a cable machine.
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6
Concentration Curls
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.
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7
Flexor Incline Dumbbell Curls
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.
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8
Hammer Curls
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.
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9
Incline Hammer Curls
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.
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10
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the biceps, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do machine preacher curls work?
Machine Preacher Curls primarily works the biceps.
What equipment do I need for machine preacher curls?
Machine Preacher Curls uses machines.
Machine Preacher Curls: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Machine Preacher Curls is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of machine preacher curls?
Dumbbell Curls, Reverse Barbell Preacher Curls, Barbell Curls Lying Against An Incline train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my machine preacher curls reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; machine preacher curls can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Machine Preacher Curls with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.