Dumbbell preacher curl

What is a dumbbell preacher curl?

A dumbbell preacher curl is a palm-up curl performed with the upper arms supported on a preacher pad and a dumbbell in each hand or one hand at a time. The pad limits shoulder movement while the biceps and other elbow flexors bend the elbows.

How do you perform a dumbbell preacher curl?

Set up

1. Adjust the seat so your armpits sit near the top of the preacher pad and the backs of the upper arms are fully supported.
2. Hold the dumbbells with palms facing upward and begin with the elbows almost straight without dropping into the bottom.

Execution

1. Curl the dumbbells upward while keeping the upper arms in contact with the pad and the wrists stacked.
2. Stop before the forearms move so far past vertical that the load becomes easy to rest.
3. Lower slowly toward the long bottom position, keeping the shoulders settled on the pad.

Common mistakes

• Lifting the upper arms from the pad

  Reduce the load or stop the curl sooner so the supported setup stays intact.

• Dropping into straight elbows

  Approach the bottom under control and stop short if full extension feels uncomfortable.

• Letting the wrists fold back

  Keep each wrist aligned with its forearm instead of using wrist extension to finish the rep.

Where it fits in a session

Use it after compound pulling or alongside other arm isolation work.

Use a load you can lower smoothly while both upper arms remain supported.

Muscles worked

Variations

• 

  EZ-bar preacher curlUses one bar with angled grips while the upper arms stay on the same type of pad.
• 

  Machine preacher curlUses a fixed lever path instead of independent dumbbells.
• 

  Dumbbell biceps curlRemoves the preacher pad and lets the upper arms hang beside the torso.

Related tools

• One-rep max calculator
• Warmup sets calculator

Frequently asked questions