What do you think of when it comes to biceps workouts?
Is it the easiest training part, a muscle that only needs a variety of curls?
In fact, biceps training is far less simple than we thought, and there are not many things to pay attention to.
There are two heads of the biceps: the lateral long head and the medial short head.
The main function of the biceps is the flexion of the elbow. In fact, when practicing the biceps, the training of the brachioradialis and brachioradialis should also be added to it.
The preacher curl is a training method that many fitness professionals love very much. It can exercise the muscles of the whole body and shape the lines very well.
What is a preacher curl?
The preacher curl is a variation of the biceps curl, which can provide more biceps isolation compared to the normal curl. During this kind of controlled exercise, the isolation of the target muscle can maximize the hypertrophy of the biceps and increase the strength of the brachialis and brachioradialis. The preacher curl is different from the biceps curl because it does not allow the body to generate momentum during the curl load because it needs to be practiced on the preacher curl bench.
What muscle does preacher curl work?
The goal of the preacher curl is the 3 elbow flexors of the arm:
Biceps: The largest and most prominent elbow flexor, which works best with the forehand.
Brachialis: The curling muscle found below the biceps, which actually completes most of the curling of the arm.
Brachioradialis: The curled muscle located in the forearm.
All three muscles perform the bending of the arm. The general curling action we see in most biceps exercises. Since the preacher curl is mainly performed with the forehand grip... this will mainly target the largest elbow flexors... the biceps. The other two muscles will also grow because they contribute to the curling movement. Exercising the brachialis will increase the thickness and width of the arm while exercising the brachioradialis will make the forearm appear larger.
As an exercise, the preacher curl specifically targets the brachialis, which is the muscle under the biceps. This muscle is mainly used to help bend the elbow, whether it is standing or sitting for preacher curls, or using dumbbells or barbells. Of course, we all know that our muscle group is a pulley system, often helping each other.
This is obvious here because exercise will push your brachial muscles to seek the help of coordinating muscles (muscles that stabilize the joints during exercise), including brachioradialis and biceps. There are also stabilizing muscles (contraction) and wrist flexors. In short, these muscles generate push and pull forces to help you perform your exercises correctly.
How to preacher curl?
Action description:
- Sit or stand on the preacher bench, or stand up, with the chest resting on the sloping board, upper arms on the sloping board, holding dumbbells/barbells in both hands, arms straight to keep the body stable.
- Lift the dumbbell/barbell to the highest point and stop for a while.
- Then slowly restore, fully extend the arms, and move slowly; when the dumbbell/barbell is lowered to the lowest point, the elbow joint should be slightly flexed, and control the barbell forcefully, but do not fully extend it.
Benefits of the preacher curl
The preacher curl is a good exercise. You can use it to exercise the three main elbow flexors, the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis. Unlike other curls, the missionary curl can prevent cheating because it provides feedback when you swing your arm away from the bench. The preacher curl is also the most challenging end of the exercise, which is not available in other curls-it provides a unique stimulation for biceps hypertrophy.
First of all, the greatest benefit that preacher curl can bring to you is control. This may not sound like much, but when you stay in the gym for a while and you suck it into your workout, you will experience unprecedented muscle fatigue. In addition, this exercise helps to keep your arms in a fixed position, which means that your core biceps are strictly targeted and require all your mental attention and muscle power output.
In essence, a standard curly bench, whether sitting or standing, allows a lot of swings, which means you can easily "cheat" without even knowing it.
Preacher curl provides you with the benefit of stronger isolation, although they may not allow you to curl heavier weights than standard curls. This means your biceps are an effective target. After all, quality is better than quantity, especially when it comes to weightlifting.
Finally, the preacher curl requires you to sit down, which provides a more comfortable resting position for your body.
However, the preacher curl has a disadvantage, that is, you need equipment such as actual loads, machines, mats, or ledges. Basically, if you don't have the equipment, there is no way to do it. Fortunately, most gyms have equipment as standard, so finding one will not be a chore at all.
Women can also do preacher curl
Gone are the days when women avoided weight training in the gym because they believed that this type of exercise would make them big and bulky—just like men. Women all over the world know that weight training has many benefits, such as building muscle—burning a lot of calories at rest—and promoting longevity.
However, what we are seeing is a trend for women to avoid a certain amount of weightlifting because they think it will shape their bodies like men. One of these exercises is the preacher curl. This is known for building a "peak" on the biceps-something men desire but women want to avoid.
Remember, the bodies of women and men are different. They have different types of hormones flowing through their system, which makes their bodies respond to various exercises in different ways. Therefore, no matter how hard an ordinary woman works, when she does a preacher curl, her biceps will not start to bulge like a male bodybuilder!
So ladies, next time you go to the gym, don't go around the preacher bench because you might be scared of all the muscular people around you. Get caught in preacher curls and get the benefits they bring you!
Precautions for preacher curl
- Make the lower arm tightly close to the mat. Can limit the movement of other muscles. Better isolated biceps
- You can also stand up and practice by adjusting the height of the mat. Stand with your feet flush with your shoulders to keep your body in the most stable state.
- With dumbbells, it is easier to maintain stability and balance with one arm.
- Do not stay at the bottom end: When the arm is straightened down, immediately let the biceps contract, and a lot of strength can be increased by stretching the arm
- Weight selection: The weight of each user should be at least so that you can repeat the action 10 times. If the arm feels hard to bend at the bottom end, then reduce the weight of a little item. Don't risk lifting heavy objects and don't let the dumbbells bounce at the bottom end. Good training skills are the key to avoiding injuries during training.
- Maintain a uniform speed during training, spend 2-3 seconds from top to bottom, and then spend 2-3 seconds to bend from bottom to top, keep breathing at the end of the contraction, and inhale when the dumbbells are lowered.
- Suggestion: After the back training, do three biceps training, starting with the priest chair training each time, and then use the barbell standing bending or rope crossing bending training.