Zottman Preacher Curl

Plant your arms on the preacher pad like a bear hugging a tree. Curl up with palms facing the sky, then flip to bear-claw overhand and lower slowly. The pad keeps you honest, the slow descent builds mighty forearms, and your biceps get a cozy, focused workout.

Instructions

1. Set a preacher bench so your upper arms rest fully on the pad and your elbows are near the pad’s edge.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a supinated grip (palms up), wrists neutral, chest against the bench.
3. Curl the dumbbells up by bending the elbows while keeping your upper arms pinned to the pad.
4. At the top, pause briefly and rotate your forearms to a pronated grip (palms down) without letting the elbows drift.
5. Lower the dumbbells slowly under control with the pronated grip until elbows are nearly straight.
6. Rotate back to a supinated grip at the bottom and repeat for reps.

Benefits

• Builds biceps strength and size with strict preacher-bench isolation
• Increases forearm and brachioradialis involvement via pronated eccentric
• Improves wrist and forearm control through deliberate supination-pronation transitions
• Reduces body swing and momentum compared to standing Zottman curls

Key Points

• Keep upper arms glued to the preacher pad; only the forearms move.
• Rotate the grip at the top (or near the top) with control; do not jerk the wrists.
• Emphasize a slow, controlled eccentric on the pronated lowering phase.
• Stop just short of full elbow lockout to keep tension and reduce elbow strain.
• Use lighter loads than standard preacher curls due to the harder eccentric and grip change.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the elbows slide forward or lifting the upper arms off the pad
• Using too much weight and bouncing out of the bottom position
• Rotating the wrist aggressively or letting wrists collapse into extension
• Lowering too fast and losing tension on the eccentric
• Locking out hard at the bottom, irritating the elbows