FAST-ATTACH FITNESS

EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

PREACHER CURL

Primary Muscle Targeted:

Biceps Brachii

Learning Difficulty Level: Beginner

Setup Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Performance Difficulty Level: Beginner

DEMONSTRATION VIDEO

EQUIPMENT & ATTACHMENTS

Equipment Needed To Perform This Exercise

• Adjustable-height single or adjacent dual cable machine

• Adjustable bench

• AbMat Preacher Pad

• Fast-Attach All In 1 Fitness Strap

Equipment Shown Here

Body Masters Adjustable-Height Single Cable Machine

Prime Fitness Adjustable Bench

AbMat Preacher Pad

Fast-Attach All In 1 Fitness Strap

• Click the links above to purchase

Choose One Attachment Option To Perform This Exercise

• Long curl bar

• Horizontal handles

• Specialty handles

• Wrist straps

Attachments Shown Here

Bells Of Steel Double Hook EZ-Curl Bar

• Click the link above to purchase.

SETUP

Equipment Setup

**• 30* decline bench**

Equipment Distance From The Cable Pulley

• Approximately 3 feet

Attachment Setup

• Connect the All In 1 Fitness Strap to an adjustable-height single or adjacent dual cable machine.

• If you are using a single cable machine, connect the center anchor ring to the cable pulley.

• If you are using an adjacent dual cable machine, connect the side anchor rings to the adjacent dual cable pulleys.

• Attach the long curl bar or handles to the All In 1 Fitness Strap.

• Place the long curl bar or handles on the bench pad.

All In 1 Fitness Strap Attachment Setting Shown Here

• Loop 9

Angle Of Resistance

**• Approximately 20* downward**

EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

Getting Into Starting Position

• Sit on the seat pad with the seat pad at an upward angle.

• Grab the preacher pad and wedge it under your arms and on top of your thighs.

• Grab the curl bar or handles.

• Lean back and place your feet on top of the bench pad.

Starting Position

• Seated on the seat pad in a reclined position with your feet on the top portion of the bench pad

• Face the cable pulley

• Spine slightly rounded to keep the preacher pad in place

• Torso angled back aligned with the angle at which you set the seat pad

• Knees bent to hold the preacher pad in place

• Feet flat against the bench pad

• Elbows point straight ahead so that arms are parallel to each other

• Arms straight and angled slightly upward aligned with the angle of the preacher pad

Performing The Concentric Portion Of The Movement

• Initiate the movement by hinging at your elbow to curl the resistance.

• Do not initiate the movement by hinging at your wrists.

• Use a slow-to-moderate, controlled tempo that works best for you.

• Your primary focus and concentration should be on using your mind-muscle connection to visualize your forearms moving in a circular motion as you feel your bicep muscles contracting. You may count the number of seconds to control your rep speed as long as this doesn't interfere with your concentration on your technique.

**• Focus on contracting your biceps concentrically by bending your arms as much as you can to pull the attachment(s) into you at approximately a 20-30* cable angle.**

Finish Position

• Arms fully bent

Performing The Eccentric Portion Of The Movement

• Initiate the eccentric by slowly straightening your arms.

• Do not initate the eccentric by letting your arms quickly straighten out.

• Maintain constant control of your arms throughout the entire eccentric movement as you feel the tension in your bicep muscles. Do not relax and let the resistance do the work during the eccentric portion of the movement, as this reduces the work on your bicep muscles and decreases the effectiveness of the exercise.

Getting Out Of Position And Returning The Attachment

• Place one leg on the ground, followed by the other leg.

• Place the attachment(s) on the bench pad.

• Stand up to remove the preacher pad.

Safety And Injury Prevention

• Do not use a straight bar attachment as this forces your wrists into extreme supination which can cause excessive stress on your wrists and elbows. Using an ez-curl bar puts your hands in a more anatomically correct position, while using handle attachments allows your wrists to move freely.

• Do not lock your elbows out. Keep a slight bend in your elbows. Locking your elbows out may cause your elbows to hyperextend during the eccentric and may result in a pulled or torn biceps muscle as you initiate the concentric.

• Do not use too much resistance, as this can result in a pulled muscle or even a torn muscle, especially for exercises like this where you start in a stretched position.

• Do not bounce or use momentum at the bottom of the movement, especially for an exercise like this that puts you in a deeply stretched position with a higher risk of injury.

• Maintain good form, and do not use an excessive amount of resistance that may cause you to neglect proper posture and lose control.

• Stop immediately if you feel any significant pain beyond normal muscle burn, fatigue, and soreness, such as a sharp pain, joint pain, and pain that increases with movement and/or limits movement.

Exercise Setup Limitations

• Positioning the preacher pad may be a little awkward at first, but this should be resolved quickly.

• This exercise may be difficult to get into position for people who have balance issues.

Common Mistakes

• Do not leave a gap between your armpits and the preacher pad as this can cause your elbows to slide around and shift some tension to your front shoulders. position your armpits snugly over the crest of the preacher pad.

• Do not curl your wrists as this will fatigue your forearms before you can adequately stimulate your biceps. Keep your wrists in a neutral position.

• Do not fully straighten your arms at the bottom of the movement. Keep a slight bend in your elbows to prevent injury.

• Do not use momentum in an attempt to move the resistance, as this will reduce the work on the target muscle and shift the work to your joints and other body parts and may result in injury. control the resistance at a steady pace that is comfortable for you.

Tips

• Do not perform the movement with your wrists bent forward as this will shift additional tension onto the forearms. Keep your wrists aligned with your forearms.

• If you do not position the preacher pad properly at first, you can use your legs to wedge it into place.

• It is recommended to use attachments with a thicker diameter for more hand comfort as this distributes the weight across a larger surface area of your hands which decreases any pressure on your hands from attachments with a smaller diameter.

• Use your mind-muscle connection to visualize your upper biceps contracting and expanding rather than just bending your arms up and down.

Set Extenders And Exercise Progressions

• Once you reach the point of muscular failure, you can extend the set further to increase the intensity by pausing and resting long enough to perform at least 1 more rep.

Progress by:

• adding more resistance while maintaining good form.

• performing chin-up variations.

Benefits Of This Exercise

• Using a cable machine for circular movements provides continuous tension throughout the entire movement as opposed to free weights which have an uneven tension distribution with the most tension at your weakest point at the bottom half of the movement and the least tension at your strongest point at the top half of the movement.

• Simulates commercial preacher curl machines in a different plane of motion that allows for greater progressive resistance as a result of using a downward cable path.