How to Preacher Curl for Bigger Biceps (Perfect Form)

We are going to be showing you the perfect setup and execution of a preacher curl and also my favorite implements to use on a preacher curl. So we have Jason here today, he's getting ready for a comp. Jason, jump on the preacher curl. Now we purposely haven't set this machine up so you can see what an incorrect setup may look like, so that way you can see what the correct setup will look like. So you can see here Jason isn't in the correct setup because what we actually want here is I do want him to be pull and depress his lats down. So it is a little high as he does this. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get him to hop up and I'm just gonna prop him up a little bit, actually prop him up probably 2 whole points. So that way, when he sits in it, he can sit in and retract nice and comfortably and pull. So I'm gonna use the same principles of pulling his lats into his armpits, which you may have heard me talk about previously on different videos. So Jason, sit up this, and this may be even different to the way you've done it, previously as well, Jason. So set up again, it's elbows. Now I want you really nice and proud. So you want to sit proud. See, even without any weight, right, as Jason is sitting nice and proud, you can see the lever arm of the bicep. And this is why the preacher curl, because it is about controlling the angles. So you may have seen a previous video of mine before, which was the incline curl. The incline curl places the elbow behind the body into this position. So we have the elbow behind the body. Which creates obviously a different resistance profile than when we create a preacher curl, which places the elbows in front of the body. So when we are manipulating resistance profiles and tension points inside of the muscle, in this case the bicep, we're manipulating it by manipulating the joint angle of where the muscle will contract from. So in here we are in a very, very disadvantaged— you can see here he's pulled everything nice and tight and he's going to be moving in through this action here. So let's start with what most people do, which is the standard implement, which is the thin bar, the normal bar. I call it the thin bar because I don't use a— I don't normally traditionally use a thin bar on a preacher curl, and I'll show you why in a second. So pull everything in, off you go, Jason. Just demonstrate a few reps. So this is a pretty standard way as most people would do their preacher curl. So what I want you to do is bring your hips forward a little bit more for me, Jason. I want you to really stand up nice and proud. So again, as he stands up proud, he gets more tension point at that end range of the bicep. The next thing I want you to do is the same principle is I want you to— yeah, pull that. And I'm just going to get you to position that a little bit there. So there we go. So that's really creating a lot more tension. It alleviates all of the forearm flexors and your biceps are already lighting up and there's no weight on the bar. And the reason why his biceps are already lighting up with no weight on the bar is we've got the tension angle set up in a way where the only thing that he's going to be able to utilize right now is his biceps. So this is beautiful. We just keep going, getting a bit more of a warm-up. And I do like on the preacher curl to going through that full range of motion. Now, what most people will do on a preacher curl is they don't respect it, that it is creating strength through end range, is they stop there, right? We don't want to stop there because then it does create inconsistencies, but there also might be that fear of going all the way if you're going to snap your bicep. So what do you do? And I'll show you my favorite way of doing preacher curls. So Jason, you can pop that one down. So my absolute favorite way of doing preacher curls using the fat bar and not using the way most people will do, I prefer a reverse grip. So grab it as a reverse grip, Jason, using the fat bar, and I'll show you why this is my favorite go-to with preacher curl bar none. Other way I really use a preacher curl is with a hammer grip, because it is also safer this way too. So grab that in a more— yep, there you go. Pull the wrist back. That's it. So what we're doing here as Jason does this, so if he does a couple reps, you'll see, is we are lighting up his bicep brachialis. And you can see this forearm flexor, this bicep brachialis muscle, which is deep, goes all the way through. And once it is hypertrophied and does get bigger, it is going to pop out the bicep even more so. You can see the strength and strain that it places on wrist. This is alone, this is what, 13 kilos? We wrote it on a couple of years ago, we wrote the weight. So 13 kilos of load, just the bar by itself. This is a bar from Watson's. It's a fat grip bar. I love it in the reverse preacher grip position. Again, up nice and proud, Jason. And again, the reason why I love it all the way down is because look at this, look at this activation that he's getting through that bicep brachialis, his forearms. Most people neglect their forearms and neglect the strength through their forearms, they neglect the bicep brachialis. Up nice and tall. And this really places this exercise here places you at such a disadvantaged angle where the only thing you can really work— he's having to work here— the only thing you can really work is this bicep brachialis. So I love this variation and it's super safe. You don't have to worry and fear if it— if you do need to let it go, you can let it go straight in front of you. Up nice and proud, up nice and proud. And that's my preferred way to do the preacher curl. Again, the other way is I like dumbbells, but using it as a neutral grip and all the way down, Jason. Up nice and tall, up nice and tall, and I'll grab you. Awesome, I gotcha. If you've enjoyed this video, consider subscribing to our channel. Want more videos to learn how to build your superhuman? Click here or here.