How many sets and reps of the reverse preacher curl should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start around half the weight of your regular preacher curl for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. The pronated grip and pinned elbows make this considerably harder than the number on the bar suggests.

What can replace the reverse preacher curl with no preacher bench?

A standing EZ-bar reverse curl trains the same pronated grip and brachioradialis without the bench, or a single-arm reverse dumbbell curl works as a one-arm-at-a-time option.

What is the reverse preacher curl good for, and when should you choose differently?

It builds forearm and brachioradialis strength in a strict, momentum-free position rather than serving as a main biceps mass move. If wrist pain shows up with a pronated grip, drop to a neutral hammer grip on the same bench instead.

Intermediate

Reverse Preacher Curl

Turning the grip over on a preacher bench takes the biceps off their strongest line and forces the brachioradialis and deeper elbow flexors to drive the curl, while the wrist extensors work to hold the bar. The preacher pad removes momentum so the target muscles cannot hide. It builds thicker, more complete upper arms and stronger, healthier elbows.

Equipment: Barbell, Bench
Body part: Biceps, Forearms
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Brachioradialis
Browse by movement: Elbow Flexion

How to do it

1
Sit at a preacher bench and rest the backs of your upper arms flat on the pad.
2
Grip a barbell or EZ-bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
3
Start with the arms nearly straight and the bar low, keeping the wrists firm.
4
Curl the bar up toward your shoulders by bending only at the elbows.
5
Pause briefly near the top without letting the wrists collapse back.
6
Lower slowly until the arms are almost fully extended.
7
Keep the upper arms glued to the pad the entire set.

Tips

Use noticeably less weight than a normal curl; the overhand grip is much weaker.
Keep the wrists neutral and strong rather than letting them flex or extend under load.
Do not lift the elbows off the pad to cheat the bar up.

Variations

Common mistakes

The wrists collapse into extension right as the bar approaches the top, letting the load roll onto the joint instead of finishing under muscular control.
Loading the bar the same as a supinated curl overloads the pronated grip badly, since this position is markedly weaker at the same weight.
The elbows lift off the pad in the last couple of reps, turning a strict overhand curl into a half front-raise.
Grip strength runs out before the biceps and forearms do, so the set ends on a failed grip rather than a fully worked muscle.
Once the forearms start burning, the top of the range gets shortened instead of finished there, which is exactly the part of the rep this variation is for.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the reverse preacher curl should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start around half the weight of your regular preacher curl for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. The pronated grip and pinned elbows make this considerably harder than the number on the bar suggests.
What can replace the reverse preacher curl with no preacher bench?: A standing EZ-bar reverse curl trains the same pronated grip and brachioradialis without the bench, or a single-arm reverse dumbbell curl works as a one-arm-at-a-time option.
What is the reverse preacher curl good for, and when should you choose differently?: It builds forearm and brachioradialis strength in a strict, momentum-free position rather than serving as a main biceps mass move. If wrist pain shows up with a pronated grip, drop to a neutral hammer grip on the same bench instead.

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