Exercise Comparison
Barbell Curls Lying Against An Incline vs Zottman Preacher Curl




Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Zottman Preacher Curl
Instructions
Barbell Curls Lying Against An Incline
Lie against an incline bench, with your arms holding a barbell and hanging down in a horizontal line. This will be your starting position.
While keeping the upper arms stationary, curl the weight up as high as you can while squeezing the biceps. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Only the forearms should move. Do not swing the arms.
After a second contraction, slowly go back to the starting position as you inhale. Tip: Make sure that you go all of the way down.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Zottman Preacher Curl
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and place your upper arms on top of the preacher bench or the incline bench. The dumbbells should be held at shoulder height and the elbows should be flexed. Hold the dumbbells with the palms of your hands facing down. This will be your starting position.
As you breathe in, slowly lower the dumbbells keeping the palms down until your upper arm is extended and your biceps are fully stretched.
Now rotate your wrists once you are at the bottom of the movement so that the palms of the hands are facing up.
As you exhale, use your biceps to curl the weights up until they are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder height. Again, remember that to ensure full contraction you need to bring that small finger higher than the thumb.
Squeeze the biceps hard for a second at the contracted position and rotate your wrists so that the palms are facing down again.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Verdict
Both exercises target the biceps. Barbell Curls Lying Against An Incline is a beginner exercise using barbell, while Zottman Preacher Curl is intermediate and uses dumbbell. Choose Barbell Curls Lying Against An Incline if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Zottman Preacher Curl for a greater challenge.