BicepsEZ barBeginner

How to Do Preacher Curls (Scott Curls)

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Sep 30, 2026

A preacher curl, or Scott curl, is a biceps curl done with the backs of your upper arms on an angled pad, so you cannot swing the weight. On a standard 45-degree pad it is hardest near the bottom, where the biceps is stretched. It trains the biceps and brachialis. Most lifters do 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Sets x reps 3 x 8-15

Median 10-rep weight 6027.5 lbkg men 3014 lbkg women

Muscles Biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis

Setup Armpits on a 45-degree pad

1Start. Armpits on the top edge of the pad, the backs of your upper arms flat on it, underhand grip, arms straight.
2Top. Curl by bending only at the elbows until your forearms are close to vertical, then lower until your arms are straight.

Watch 1 video demonstration

Technique

How to do a preacher curl

Set the seat so your armpits sit on the top edge of the pad and the backs of your upper arms lie flat on it, chest against the pad.
Take an EZ bar or barbell with an underhand grip at about shoulder width. On an EZ bar, use the angled grips.
Curl the bar toward your shoulders by bending only at the elbows. Stop when your forearms are close to vertical; past that the load is gone.
Lower over 2 to 3 seconds until your arms are straight. Do not bounce out of the bottom.
Keep your upper arms and chest on the pad for the whole set. If your elbows lift, the weight is too heavy.

Setup

Where the preacher curl is hardest

A bar pulls straight down, so a curl is hardest when your forearm is level with the floor. On a preacher bench your upper arm already slopes forward, so your forearm reaches level early in the rep. The flatter the pad, the closer to arms-straight the hardest point sits, and the sooner the top of the rep goes light.

Resistance through the rep by pad angle

Standard 45-degree pad. Loaded from the first inch. Hardest a third of the way up, nothing once your forearms are vertical.

Vertical side of the pad. Upper arm hanging straight down. Almost nothing at the bottom and hardest halfway, like a standing curl.

Flat pad. Upper arm level with the floor. Hardest with your arm straight, and the top half carries no load.

What to do

Use the 45-degree side and lower to straight arms every rep, because the bottom half carries most of the load. In an 8-week trial, training only that half grew the biceps more near the elbow and raised the full curl max 43%, against 19% for the top half (Pedrosa 2023).

Gravitus data

How much weight should you preacher curl?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 60 lb (27.5 kg) for 10 reps on the preacher curl, and the median woman 30 lb (14 kg).

Men, typical 60 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 45 to 75 lb
Top 10% lift: 90 lb or more
Starting out: under 45 lb

Women, typical 30 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 25 to 40 lb
Top 10% lift: 50 lb or more
Starting out: under 25 lb

Men, typical 27.5 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 20 to 32.5 kg
Top 10% lift: 40 kg or more
Starting out: under 20 kg

Women, typical 14 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 11 to 18 kg
Top 10% lift: 22.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 11 kg

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 12,695 men and 1,463 women who log the preacher curl on Gravitus, computed Oct 11, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	60 / 45 lb	32.5 / 25 lb
Median	80 / 60 lb	40 / 30 lb
75th	95 / 75 lb	55 / 40 lb
90th	120 / 90 lb	65 / 50 lb

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 12,695 men and 1,463 women who log the preacher curl on Gravitus, computed Oct 11, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	27.5 / 20 kg	15 / 11 kg
Median	35 / 27.5 kg	19 / 14 kg
75th	45 / 32.5 kg	25 / 18 kg
90th	55 / 40 kg	30 / 22.5 kg

These are total bar weights. At the median, Gravitus lifters log preacher curls a little lighter than barbell curls. Dumbbell and machine preacher curls are tracked as separate exercises, and machine stacks do not compare between brands.

Research

What the research says

Four growth trials have tested the preacher curl. Over 8 weeks, preacher curls grew the elbow flexors more near the elbow and incline curls more near the shoulder (Kassiano 2025). In a 9-week trial, the preacher group's arms grew near the elbow and the incline group's did not grow measurably, though the gap between groups was not significant (Zabaleta-Korta 2023). Over 10 weeks, barbell and cable preacher curls grew the biceps 8% and 7% (Nunes 2020), and one-arm cable preacher and Bayesian curls 6% to 7% and 9%, a gap too small to call (Attarieh 2025).

Five common claims the research does not back:

It builds the biceps peak. The extra growth from preacher curls showed up near the elbow (Kassiano 2025), and so did the extra growth from their bottom half (Pedrosa 2023).
It targets the short head. With your arm in front, the long head is shorter at the shoulder, so guides say the short head works harder. When two 10-week trials changed only the shoulder angle and matched the resistance, the biceps grew about the same (Attarieh 2025, Larsen 2026).
Stop short of straight arms. The bottom is where a preacher curl carries its load, and the arms that grew most trained down to a straight elbow (Pedrosa 2023). Lower slowly and do not bounce.
Cable preacher curls keep constant tension. In the cable version tested, the load peaked with the elbows bent, the reverse of a barbell. Both grew the biceps about the same (Nunes 2020).
Lengthened partials beat full reps. Bottom-half reps beat top-half reps (Pedrosa 2023), but in an 8-week program that included two curls, lengthened partials and full reps grew trained lifters' elbow flexors the same (Wolf 2025).

Anatomy

Muscles worked

Biceps, long and short headBend the elbow and turn the palm up. Both heads work. Preacher curls grew the elbow flexors most near the elbow.

Primary

BrachialisBends the elbow in any grip, under the biceps.

Primary

BrachioradialisHelps bend the elbow, more with a neutral or reverse grip.

Secondary

Forearms, front deltsGrip the bar and keep your upper arms pressed into the pad.

Stabilizer

Equipment

Which preacher curl to use

StandardEZ barThe classic Scott bench curl. The angled grips are easier on the wrists than a straight bar.

One armDumbbellTrains each arm alone. On the 45-degree side it loads the bottom; on the vertical side it does not.

Loads the topCableA low pulley in front usually makes the top of the rep hardest, the reverse of a bar. It grew the biceps about as much (Nunes 2020).

Depends on the camMachineThe cam sets where the rep is hardest. If the bottom feels light, pick the 45-degree bench instead.

On free weights, the pad angle sets the resistance curve. On a cable or machine, the pulley or cam does.

Compare

Preacher vs incline dumbbell vs Bayesian curl

Attribute	Preacher curl	Incline dumbbell curl	Bayesian cable curl
Upper arm	In front of your body	Behind your body	Behind your body
Hardest point	A third of the way up, bottom loaded	Halfway, nothing at the bottom	Near the bottom, set by your stance
Extra growth	Near the elbow	Near the shoulder	None found, level with a cable preacher curl
Cheating	Hard, the pad holds your arms	Hard, the bench holds your back	Easy to swing

Verdict

None wins outright. Over 8 weeks the preacher curl grew the elbow flexors more near the elbow and the incline curl more near the shoulder (Kassiano 2025), and the Bayesian curl matched a cable preacher curl (Attarieh 2025). If you do two curls, pair the preacher with one that puts your arm behind you.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3Sets

8-15Reps

0-2Reps left

Stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), so pick a range you can keep strict on the pad.

Add reps first. When every set reaches the top of your range, add 5 lb (2.5 kg) to the bar and drop back to the bottom of the range.

Form

Common mistakes

Seat at the wrong heightIf the pad digs into your armpits or sits well below them, your shoulders creep into the lift. Set the seat so your armpits rest on the top edge and your upper arms lie flat.
Stopping short at the bottomThe bottom half carries most of the load and grew the biceps most (Pedrosa 2023). Lower until your arms are straight.
Bouncing out of the bottomThe stretched position is where the bar is heaviest. Lower over 2 to 3 seconds and start each rep from a stop.
Curling past verticalOnce your forearms pass vertical the bar rests on your joints and the biceps get a break. Stop just short.
Lifting your elbows or chest off the padYour shoulders start to help and the curl turns into a swing. Go lighter until your arms stay down.

Variations

Preacher curl variations

EZ-bar preacher curlThe standard version, with angled grips for the wrists.

Dumbbell Preacher CurlOne arm at a time on the 45-degree side. Turns the palm fully up.

Cable Preacher CurlHardest near the top instead of the bottom. Grew the biceps about as much as a barbell (Nunes 2020).

Machine preacher curlA fixed path with a cam that sets the resistance curve.

Hammer Preacher CurlPalms facing each other. More brachioradialis, less biceps.

Bottom-half preacher curlReps from straight arms to halfway only. Grew the biceps near the elbow more than top-half reps (Pedrosa 2023).

Spider CurlFace down on an incline bench with your arms hanging. The same curve as the vertical side of the pad.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What is a descending preacher curl?

A preacher curl whose resistance is highest near the bottom, with your arm straight, and falls as you curl up. A dumbbell preacher curl on a sloped Scott bench is one; researchers class it as a descending profile (Zabaleta-Korta 2023). On a machine the cam sets the profile, and a cable preacher curl usually runs the other way (Nunes 2020).

Why is it called a preacher curl?

The sloped pad looks like a preacher's pulpit or lectern. It is also called the Scott curl after Larry Scott, the first Mr. Olympia in 1965, who made it famous training at Vince Gironda's gym.

What muscles do preacher curls work?

The biceps, both heads, and the brachialis, with the brachioradialis helping. In growth trials, preacher curls grew the elbow flexors most near the elbow (Kassiano 2025).

Is preacher curl push or pull?

Pull. You bend your elbow to pull the weight toward you, so it belongs with pull or arm work.

Should I do preacher curls first or last?

Either works for muscle growth. A meta-analysis found exercise order did not change hypertrophy, but strength rose most in whichever exercise came first (Nunes 2021). Put the preacher curl first if getting stronger on it is your goal.

Should you fully extend your arms on preacher curls?

Yes, under control. The bottom of a preacher curl carries the most load, and training that half grew the biceps near the elbow more than training the top half (Pedrosa 2023). Lower slowly to straight arms and do not bounce.

How much weight should I preacher curl?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 60 lb (27.5 kg) for men and 30 lb (14 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 75 lb (32.5 kg) and 40 lb (18 kg) or more.

Gravitus See where your preacher curl ranks

Log every set and see your percentile on every lift, preacher curl included.

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References