The next time you're heading to the gym to pump arms - think back to this article!
Preachers curls (as seen above) look terrific, and we love being able to watch our biceps fill with flood as we bring the weights up and grunt like a grizzly.
But is it as good as some of the other bicep exercises we can do?
To answer this very question, 22 subjects who'd been training for at least a year did THREE different types of biceps curls, with bicep activation measured via EMG. (1).
They did either dumbbell biceps curls (standing), incline dumbbell curls or dumbbell preacher curls.
Check out these exercises below:
Inclinde Dumbbell curls
Dummbell Biceps curls
Dumbbell preacher curls
So what did they find?
They found the preacher curl wasn't as good as the other exercises, allowing for a shorter range of motion with only 11.2 degrees compared to the incline curl (19.5 degrees) and the standard curl (18.3 degrees)
The researchers don't conclude by saying we should never do them, but just that other exercises may be better.
They write:
"For the Dumbbell Preacher Curl cycle, the activation of biceps brachii long head was maximal only for elbow joint angles close to full extension, and the elbow joint range of motion was shorter."
So with a shorter range of motion and the bicep activation quite limited compared to the other exercises, I'd be suggesting preacher curls stay out of your bicep workouts until further notice.
The authors also add:
"The Incline Dumbbell Curl and the Dumbbell Biceps Curl resulted in a considerable neuromuscular effort throughout the whole elbow range of motion and, thus, may be preferable for the improvement of biceps brachii force in training programs."
So there we go - stick to the dumbbell curls (standing and incline) and you'll be on the money.
Also, allow me to remind you of earlier literature you can read about here - that found the concentration curl to be the best in terms of EMG activity. Oh, and the preacher curl finished last in that research, too!
Setting Up Your Biceps Workout - The Best Plan For Muscle Growth
Our current conclusion is to use the standing dumbbell curl, incline dumbbell curl and concentration curls to make up our bicep workouts - and use the preacher curl only very sparingly, if ever at all!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
Reference
(1) Oliveira LF, Matta TT, Alves DS, Garcia MA, Viera TM. Effect of the shoulder position on the biceps brachii emg in different dumbbell curls. J Sports Sci Med. J Sports Sci Med. 2009 Mar 1;8(1):24-9. eCollection 2009.
Author
Dayne Hudson