Arms · Machine
Machine Preacher Curl
How to do the machine preacher curl, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Machine
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Curl
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Adjust the seat and place your arms on the pad. Grip the handle and curl it toward you, squeezing your biceps, then lower.
- 1Position your upper arms on the pad and curl the handle toward you, feeling an isolated contraction in your biceps
- 2Lower the weight slowly to feel a stretch at the bottom without losing tension
- 3Use a full range of motion while keeping your upper arms pinned to the pad
Common mistakes
- Don't lift your elbows off the pad or swing your body to move the weight
- Avoid cutting the range short; extend almost fully for a complete stretch
- Don't let your wrists bend backward or forward excessively
Muscles worked
The machine preacher curl mainly works the biceps, with the forearms assisting.
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Front DeltsMinor
Machine Preacher Curl strength standards
See how your machine preacher curl ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM42.5 lb
Silvere1RM72.5 lb
Golde1RM110 lb
Platinume1RM152.5 lb
Diamonde1RM175 lb
Champione1RM197.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the machine preacher curl for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More biceps exercises
- How to do the resistance band bicep curl
- How to do the resistance band hammer curl
- How to do the barbell bicep curl
- How to do the cable bicep curl
- How to do the cable hammer curl
- How to do the overhead bicep curl
Last reviewed April 2026.