Muscles Targeted: Including one arm dumbbell preacher curls in your workout routine is a smart choice if you want to build well-developed biceps. It is an effective movement that is used to gain not just mass but strength in the bicep muscles. One of the biggest factors that makes one arm dumbbell preacher curls effective in increasing the bulk of the biceps is the exceptional isolation of the upper arm through stabilization when it is on top of the preacher curl bench. Added stability is seen through the shoulder joint and front deltoids, and more particular on the forearm muscles along with the wrists and hands to keep a firm grip on the dumbbell. Performing this exercise provides a high concentration to target and develop the upper arm muscles since the flexion and extension from the muscles is optimized.
Exercise Instructions: Using a regular preacher curl bench, hold a dumbbell in one hand with a secure underhand grip (palms facing upwards). Lock your elbow firmly in place against the pad of the bench and keep it in a fixed position throughout the entire movement. Using a slow and controlled tempo, curl the dumbbell up while focusing all of your attention on a peak contraction in the biceps. Slowly return the dumbbell back down to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetition and then switch to the other arm.
Why This Exercise is Important: The one arm dumbbell preacher curl exercise is important in many ways. First, because it develops and targets the biceps directly it makes the muscles perform their proper range of movement as well as improve strength and endurance through isolation. Second, the movement engages the stabilizing muscles of the front deltoids (shoulders), triceps (back of the arm) and the forearms. This is important because all of these muscles are necessary to keep the entire upper and lower arm intact. Without this and the entire limb will be unable to move in unison at each joint complex, from the wrist, to the elbow and up to the shoulder. Third, strength and endurance of the arms are key factors to sustain movement within the region and the one arm dumbbell preacher curl acts specific to the right bicep muscles and to the left bicep muscles, improving both sides of the body and making it a point that both right and left arms are in unison when it comes to strength gains and endurance.
Things To Avoid: One arm dumbbell preacher curls are performed in isolation keeping a steady and very well stabilized position for the muscles of the biceps, however it is not an excuse to keep the rest of the body improperly positioned. Keep the chest upright and leaning straight onto the preacher bench at all times and avoid any twisting movements from the torso. Make sure the entire back is aligned straight throughout the entire range of motion and do not round the back or tuck the hips forward. Feet placement is also essential for keeping the whole movement secure and controlled so keep both feet in a solid stance and do not lift your feet off the ground while you are performing this exercise.
Reps and Sets: For muscular endurance using one arm dumbbell preacher curls, 12 to 15 repetitions of around 1-2 sets is a great place to start for beginners. For muscular strength and mass gains, shoot for 6-8 repetitions for 3-4 sets and try to increase the resistance after each set. Only train your biceps once per week for the best results. It’s a smaller muscle group, so don’t overtrain them with tons of sets and lots of exercises multiple times during the week. Hit your guns hard once a week and then let your arms rest and recover so they can grow.
Other Exercises To Use: Together with one arm dumbbell preacher curls, there are some other great exercises that you can add to the mix. Alternating incline dumbbell curls, cable preacher curls as well as the dumbbell concentration curls are all excellent exercises to include in your biceps workout. Hopefully this guide will help you create an effective biceps workout routine that will help you develop bigger and stronger arms. View our extensive database of exercise guides for a comprehensive list of exercises that target the biceps.
