Cable Preacher Curl
Cable Preacher Curl is a beginner-level isolation in the strength category that primarily works the biceps. It also recruits the forearms. It is performed with cable.
How to do it
- 1Place a preacher bench about 2 feet in front of a pulley machine.
- 2Attach a straight bar to the low pulley.
- 3Sit at the preacher bench with your elbow and upper arms firmly on top of the bench pad and have someone hand you the bar from the low pulley.
- 4Grab the bar and fully extend your arms on top of the preacher bench pad. This will be your starting position.
- 5Now start pilling the weight up towards your shoulders and squeeze the biceps hard at the top of the movement. Exhale as you perform this motion. Also, hold for a second at the top.
- 6Now slowly lower the weight to the starting position.
- 7Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles in filled badges, secondary in grey. Tap for more exercises per muscle.
Tips and common mistakes
- •Focus on the muscle contraction and control the eccentric (lowering) phase.
- •Add load only once you complete all reps with good form — progressive overload.
- •Initiate the pull from the target muscle rather than jerking with body momentum.
- •Prioritize full range of motion over heavy weight with partial reps.
Sets and reps
For hypertrophy: 3–4 sets × 8–12 reps with 1–2 reps in reserve (RPE 7–9) and 1–2 minutes rest. For strength: 3–5 × 4–6 with longer rest.