# Preacher curl: Does it work the bicep peak or lower bicep??



## FarhanK (Sep 7, 2010)

hey there mate,

quick question: My gym mate( has some amazing biceps!) told me to do more preacher curl along the bicep standing and sitting curl with barbell to get peak.

Now my cousin, who is living in the state ( also with amazing bicep) told me that preacher curl works ur lower bicep. :S

Now whats myth and whats truth to the bones??


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## Fit4life (Sep 16, 2011)

well I do it and I have more tone than most in my gym.

kaza


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## Mighty.Panda (Oct 5, 2011)

Fit4life said:


> well I do it and I have more tone than most in my gym.
> 
> kaza


Diet and bodyfat? :whistling:


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## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

I believe bicep "peak" is purely genetic. Like most muscles, you either work it or you don't.


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## bdcc (Aug 15, 2011)

Any emphasis you are going to make on certain parts of a muscle is going to be very small in terms of aesthetic results.

Shape of the muscle as you seek hypertrophy is going to be largely genetic.

Exceptions to this would be where the muscle fibres change direction and can act like more than one muscle i.e. traps have three directions of muscle fibres and you can shrug to hit your upper traps without recruiting the lower traps to an appreciable degree.


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## MasterBlaster (Dec 6, 2008)

I find seated incline curls work the best but I don't see how you could say a specific excersize ie preacher curl works the lower aspect of the bicep when it's the muscle belly that you are trying to breakdown and multiply the muscle fibers to gain mass in the said belly.

Doesn't make sense.


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## BBaddict (Dec 2, 2008)

FarhanK said:


> hey there mate,
> 
> quick question: My gym mate( has some amazing biceps!) told me to do more preacher curl along the bicep standing and sitting curl with barbell to get peak.
> 
> ...


Preacher curls are definatly one of the best isolation exercises for biceps, however you are going to be wanting to concentrate on the outer head of the bicep as this is the one which gives the appearance of the 'peak', to do this you are going to want to use a grip which puts most emphasis on the outer head (close grip), so IMO use an EZ bar for this exercise with a close grip and curl to your hearts content.


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## Goldigger (May 28, 2011)

I'm not a fan of doing preacher curls with a barbell..I cant get a full squeeze at the top part of the movement..

I drag the preacher bench over to a floor level cable and attach a straight bar to the cable..You can get a nice stretch on the bicep at the bottom and a really nice squeeze at the top..

i was able to put on more muscle and got my bi's up to 18inches..by including this into my bicep workout.. I normally start with either standind dumbell curls or barbell.. I dont go mad as there a small musle (about a 3rd of your arm) 8 sets max..and not on the same day as back for me..

Not the best picture but gives you an example of what i mean..


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## MasterBlaster (Dec 6, 2008)

Recent studies have shown that straight bar bicep curls engage 60% more of the bicep brachii than using the Ez bar or (cheater bar)


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## Mighty.Panda (Oct 5, 2011)

MasterBlaster said:


> Recent studies have shown that straight bar bicep curls engage 60% more of the bicep brachii than using the Ez bar or (cheater bar)


This is true straight bar is a lot better. But my wrists are slightly less than 5inch incredibly thin.. Can't do dumbell curls either or proper lateral raises (have to be slightly angled to the front) otherwise my wrists do literally pop out.


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## MasterBlaster (Dec 6, 2008)

Mighty.Panda said:


> This is true straight bar is a lot better. But my wrists are slightly less than 5inch incredibly thin.. Can't do dumbell curls either or proper lateral raises (have to be slightly angled to the front) otherwise my wrists do literally pop out.


That's why the EZ bar was created... For wrist comfort. I don't use them cause I can feel that I'm more resistant to the rep range and I can deal with a lil wrist pain to finish my 4 sets.

I would try and use straps if I were you to help with the control while lifting and keeping more stress off of your wrists alone.

The benefits are worth it.


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## ttquatro1 (Feb 18, 2011)

straight bar , nice and heavy with wrist straps


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## BodytorqueGym (May 11, 2012)

tom17 said:


> Preacher curls are definatly one of the best isolation exercises for biceps, however you are going to be wanting to concentrate on the outer head of the bicep as this is the one which gives the appearance of the 'peak', to do this you are going to want to use a grip which puts most emphasis on the outer head (close grip), so IMO use an EZ bar for this exercise with a close grip and curl to your hearts content.


Agreed


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## Speedway (Nov 25, 2011)

Spider curls, one of my favourite exercises.


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## George-Bean (Sep 8, 2010)

Im gonna add spider curls, looks good.


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## Super_G (Feb 20, 2012)

I don't know what the difference between preacher curls and spider curls are, look close to identical to me. One sitting and one standing, both isolating the bicep....


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## Speedway (Nov 25, 2011)

Gordie1876 said:


> I don't know what the difference between preacher curls and spider curls are, look close to identical to me. One sitting and one standing, both isolating the bicep....


Yes both are isolating the bicep but with spiders you arms hang free and for me they hit the spot way better, after 3 sets to failure my arms don't feel like belong to me, not sure if they make any difference to the peak of the bicep but for me it's spiders all the way.


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## Laurieloz (Apr 8, 2013)

Depends on your incline. I find the lower the better. As always take it slow and flex and hold at the top. Two dumbbells held together can be even more effective, building the front inner bicep to great effect. Try it!


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## goodison1972 (Mar 18, 2012)

Robbie said:


> I believe bicep "peak" is purely genetic. Like most muscles, you either work it or you don't.


nail on head ^^^


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