Zottman Preacher Curl

Zottman Preacher Curl is a intermediate-level isolation in the strength category that primarily works the biceps. It also recruits the forearms. It is performed with dumbbells.

How to do it

1. 1Grab a dumbbell in each hand and place your upper arms on top of the preacher bench or the incline bench. The dumbbells should be held at shoulder height and the elbows should be flexed. Hold the dumbbells with the palms of your hands facing down. This will be your starting position.
2. 2As you breathe in, slowly lower the dumbbells keeping the palms down until your upper arm is extended and your biceps are fully stretched.
3. 3Now rotate your wrists once you are at the bottom of the movement so that the palms of the hands are facing up.
4. 4As you exhale, use your biceps to curl the weights up until they are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder height. Again, remember that to ensure full contraction you need to bring that small finger higher than the thumb.
5. 5Squeeze the biceps hard for a second at the contracted position and rotate your wrists so that the palms are facing down again.
6. 6Repeat 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.