Preacher curls have their advantages but you may want something different. Discover a few alternatives with similar positive effects.
One of the benefits of preacher curls is that they help you avoid using the rest of your body to lift the weights. This leads to more of a challenge for your bicep muscles.
In turn, you might be able to get faster and more muscle growth compared to a bicep exercise like the regular curl.
If you don’t have a specialized bench, keep in mind that you can do preacher curls without a machine. Simply use an incline weight as an alternative instead.
On the other hand, you may also not enjoy preacher curls, want to engage your bicep muscles in slightly different ratios, or want an alternative for any other reason.
Most of the alternatives will be described as dumbbell bicep exercises since they are so common and effective.
Even so, you can also use other free weights like kettlebells, a barbell, sandbags, and even a cable machine for many of the exercises.
1. Concentration curl
For concentration curls, you don’t need a preacher curl bench but you do need something to sit on at about knee height. A regular weight lifting bench is great.
Once you have that, take the following steps to do a concentration curl:
- Sit on the object with your upper legs at about a 90-degree angle with the dumbbell right next to the foot of the arm you want to work out.
- Put the lower back of your upper arm of the dumbbell side on the inside of your leg on the same side. Hold the dumbbell but keep your arm slightly less than stretched.
- Slowly fold your arm with the dumbbell at the elbow as far as comfortable. Keep your upper arm in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbell back into the position of step 2 in a controlled motion.
- Repeat the same number of repetitions on the other side.
Concentration curls are a great alternative to preacher curls you make your biceps work harder by avoiding momentum and using the rest of your body.
The position of your upper arm to your body is also similar to a preacher curl.
Like many of the exercises on this list, you can also use a cable machine, kettlebells, sandbags, etc. to do a concentration curl.
2. Seated curl
For the next exercise, you will need a flat weight bench or something else narrow to sit on. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a seated bicep curl:
- Sit down on the weight bench so that you can let your arms hang beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
Similar to a preacher curl, by doing a regular dumbbell curl sitting down you avoid using your legs to move the dumbbell. This leads to more focus on your biceps and can in turn help you grow more muscles faster.
3. Wall curl
Take the following steps to do a wall curl:
- Stand up straight with your back against a wall with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with a supinated grip which means with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
Because you stand with your back against a wall, it becomes easier to keep your upper arms and the rest of your body in the same position during the curl.
Your upper arm is not in the exact same position as the preacher curl but the wall curl still makes a good alternative.
4. Spider curl
For spider curls, you need an incline bench at about a 45-degree angle. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a spider curl:
- Lie on the bench on your front, your chest should just reach the top of the bench. Let your arms hang down with a dumbbell in each hand with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
In the starting position of the spider curl your upper arms are at about the same angle as a preacher curl. It is also harder to use your body to lift the weights since it rests against the incline bench.
One downside of the spider curl compared to the preacher curl is that your upper arms are still relatively free during the curl. Make sure you keep your upper arms in the same position to really focus on your bicep muscles.
5. Supine bicep curl
For the next exercise, you will need a flat weight bench. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a supine bicep curl:
- Lie down on your back on the weight bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let your stretched arms hang down slightly more than a horizontal line.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows until your forearms are pointing straight up. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise. Twist your hands 90 degrees throughout the movement so that at the top of the movement your hand palms are facing backward.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
The supine bicep curl can be a good alternative to the preacher curl in that it is hard to use your body to lift the dumbbells. A downside is that your upper arms can still move freely.
Supine bicep curls work your biceps similar to incline bicep curls but with a smaller range of motion.
This position of the upper arm makes the supine bicep curl focus more on the long head, the outer part, of the bicep muscle compared to the preacher curl.
6. Standing bicep curl
Take the following steps to do a standing bicep curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with a supinated grip which means with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
Standing bicep curls are likely the first exercise that comes to mind if you think about dumbbell exercises to train your biceps.
This exercise does not offer isolation to the same extent as the preacher curl but the standing bicep curl is still a good overall bicep exercise.
7. Drag curl
Take the following steps to do a drag curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Throughout the movement, you move your elbows back. The dumbbells basically follow the same line as your body.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
The drag curl is an alternative to preacher curls in that it engages your biceps brachii in a slightly different way. By moving back your elbows you focus more on the long head, the outer part, of the muscle.
8. Reverse curl
Take the following steps to do a reverse curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with a pronated grip which means with your hand palms facing backward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the dumbbells back into starting position in a controlled motion.
The reverse curl is again an alternative for focusing on a different part of your upper arm muscles.
By changing your grip compared to a preacher curl you target your brachialis muscle more. This muscle helps your arms achieve more power and look bigger.
9. Crossbody curl
Take the following steps to do a crossbody curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Each hand holds a dumbbell with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly bring the dumbbell of one side to the shoulder of the opposite side as far as possible by folding your arms at the elbow. Keep your upper arm as much in the same position as possible but it will inevitably have to move to be able to do the movement.
- Lower the dumbbell back into starting position in a controlled motion.
- Repeat with the dumbbell on the other side.
Crossbody curls change the upward angle compared to regular bicep curls and preacher curls.
This leads to more focus on the long head of the brachii bicep muscle, the outer of the two brachii muscle heads.
10. Wide-grip barbell bicep curl
Take the following steps to do a wide-grip barbell bicep curl:
- Stand up straight with your arms hanging beside you. Hold a barbell with your hands further away from each other than shoulder width with a supinated grip which means with your hand palms facing forward in starting position.
- Slowly fold your arms at the elbows as far as you can. Keep your upper arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Lower the barbell back into starting position in a controlled motion.
By shifting the position of your hands you target the short head of the brachii bicep muscle, the inner of the two brachii muscle heads, more compared to regular bicep curls and preacher curls.
A downside compared to the preacher curl is that you can still use your body and upper arms to lift the barbell.
