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Exercises

Preacher curl alternatives: what to curl when there is no preacher bench

Published October 23, 2026

The best preacher curl alternative is the spider curl: lie chest-down on an incline bench and your arms hang in front of you, so you can't swing the weight. No bench at all? A concentration curl braces your elbow on your thigh and does the pad's job with one dumbbell. If the preacher pad is free but the bars are not, the machine preacher curl puts a low cable on the same pad, and at home with a pull-up bar, close-grip chin-ups load your biceps hard with no weights.

What a preacher curl alternative has to replace

The preacher curl trains your biceps with your upper arms braced on a pad in front of your body. The pad stops any swing, and the curl is hardest in the bottom half, where your arms are nearly straight and the biceps are stretched.

A good swap keeps those two things: your elbows fixed so the biceps do all the work, and a hard bottom half you lower slowly.

How to do the preacher curl

Cables and machines

In a gym, a cable keeps your biceps loaded through the whole curl. Use the preacher pad with a cable when it's free, or stand at a low pulley when it isn't.

Closest match, low cable on the preacher pad

Machine Preacher Curl

Biceps

The same arm position as the preacher curl, with a straight bar on a low cable instead of an EZ bar. The cable keeps pulling near the top, where a free-weight preacher curl goes light. Pick it when the preacher pad is free but the EZ bars are not.

How to do it

  1. Set a preacher bench in front of a low pulley and clip a straight bar on.
  2. Sit with the back of your upper arms flat on the pad and take the bar palms up.
  3. Curl the bar toward your chin, keeping your arms on the pad.
  4. Let it return until your arms are nearly straight and repeat.

Cues

  • Arms flat on the pad
  • Squeeze at the top
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Sitting so far from the pulley that the cable pulls you forward: move the bench close enough that you stay seated.
  • Rounding your shoulders to help the curl: keep your chest up against the pad.
Build a session with Machine Preacher Curl

Cable swap, standing

Cable Curl

Biceps

Standing at a low pulley, the cable keeps tension on your biceps from the bottom to the top. You lose the pad, so the strictness has to come from you: elbows still, no lean back.

How to do it

  1. Set the pulley to its lowest position and clip on a straight bar or EZ bar.
  2. Take the bar with your palms up, hands about shoulder-width, and step back far enough that the stack lifts slightly with your arms straight.
  3. Stand tall with soft knees and your elbows just in front of your sides.
  4. Bend your elbows to curl the bar toward your shoulders, keeping your upper arms still and your torso upright.
  5. Squeeze at the top, then let the bar back down slowly until your arms are straight again.

Cues

  • Elbows stay put
  • No leaning back
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging your body to start the rep: soften your knees, stay tall, and drop the weight if you need momentum.
  • Elbows drifting forward at the top: keep them near your sides so the biceps, not the shoulders, finish the rep.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: straighten your arms fully between reps so you train the whole range.
Build a session with Cable Curl

Dumbbells, at home or in the gym

Dumbbells cover every preacher curl situation. To copy the pad, brace your chest on an incline bench or your elbow on your thigh. To copy the stretch, lean back on an incline.

Best swap with an incline bench

Spider Curl

Biceps

Lying chest-down on an incline bench, your arms hang straight in front of you and your body can't help. It is as strict as a preacher curl, but hardest at the top instead of the bottom, so it trains the squeeze rather than the stretch.

How to do it

  1. Set an incline bench to about 45 degrees and lie face down on it with your chest on the top of the pad and your feet planted on the floor behind.
  2. Hold one dumbbell per hand with your palms facing forward and let both arms drop vertically toward the floor.
  3. Curl both dumbbells toward your shoulders by bending only at the elbows, with your upper arms pointing at the floor.
  4. Squeeze hard at the top for a moment, with your pinkies turned slightly up toward your shoulders.
  5. Lower slowly until your arms are straight again, and start the next rep without letting the dumbbells swing.

Cues

  • Upper arms stay pointing at the floor
  • Chest glued to the pad
  • Squeeze, then lower slowly

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the elbows back as you curl: that turns it into a row and takes load off the biceps; keep your elbows directly under your shoulders and use lighter dumbbells.
  • Cutting the bottom short: let your arms go fully straight on every rep, or you lose half of the range.
  • Lifting your chest off the pad to get the last rep: once your chest moves, the set is over; record the rep you got cleanly.
Build a session with Spider Curl

Best swap with one dumbbell

Concentration Curl

Biceps

Your elbow rests against your inner thigh, so your leg does what the preacher pad does. One dumbbell and a chair are all you need, and training one arm at a time keeps the weaker arm from hiding.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of a bench with your feet wider than your hips and flat on the floor.
  2. Pick up a dumbbell, lean forward slightly from the hips and set the back of your working upper arm against the inside of the same-side thigh, just above the knee.
  3. Let the arm hang straight with the dumbbell near the floor, palm facing the other leg, and rest your free hand on your other knee.
  4. Curl the dumbbell up toward your shoulder while your upper arm stays pressed against your leg, and squeeze for a second at the top.
  5. Lower slowly until your arm is straight again, finish the set, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Arm stays on the thigh
  • Pinky turns up at the top
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the elbow off the thigh: once the arm leaves your leg the shoulder starts to help. Keep the contact for the whole set.
  • Rocking the torso up to finish the rep: if you have to sit up to complete it, stop the set there or use a lighter dumbbell.
  • Stopping short of a straight arm: the bottom of the rep counts, so let the elbow open fully before each curl.
Build a session with Concentration Curl

Stretch-focused dumbbell swap

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Leaning back on an incline bench puts your arms behind your body, which stretches the biceps even more than the preacher pad. Use it to keep the hard bottom half of the preacher curl; expect to use lighter dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Angle an adjustable bench at roughly 45 to 60 degrees and sit back with your head and shoulders against the pad.
  2. Your arms hang straight toward the floor with two dumbbells and your palms turned forward.
  3. Curl both dumbbells up, keeping your upper arms hanging and your elbows pointed at the floor.
  4. Stop when the dumbbells are near your shoulders, squeezing the biceps without letting your elbows drift forward.
  5. Lower slowly until your arms are fully straight again before starting the next rep.

Cues

  • Shoulders stay on the pad
  • Elbows point at the floor
  • Full stretch every rep

Common mistakes

  • Elbows swinging forward as you curl: keep the upper arm hanging; when it moves, the shoulders take over.
  • Half reps that stop short of straight arms: the stretch at the bottom is why you are doing this curl.
  • Using your standing-curl weight: start about a third lighter and add weight only when reps stay clean.
Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Curl

Simplest dumbbell swap

Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

The standard curl works anywhere. Without the pad you have to keep your elbows pinned yourself, so pick a weight you can lift without leaning back.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding two dumbbells, arms straight at your sides, and turn your palms to face forward.
  2. Brace your stomach and pin your upper arms to your sides.
  3. Bend one elbow and bring the dumbbell up toward your shoulder, keeping the palm turned up the whole way.
  4. Pause briefly at the top with your forearm vertical, then lower slowly until the arm is straight again.
  5. Repeat with the other arm, or curl both arms together if you prefer.

Cues

  • Elbows stay at your sides
  • Pinkie turns up
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging your hips and back to get the weight up: take a lighter pair and keep your torso still for the whole set.
  • Letting the elbows drift forward at the top: that hands the work to your shoulders; stop the curl when your forearm is vertical.
  • Stopping short of straight arms at the bottom: lower all the way so the biceps work through their full length.
Build a session with Dumbbell Curl

RIRLift's swap with dumbbells, elbow-friendly

Alternating Hammer Curl

Biceps

A thumbs-up grip trains your biceps plus the muscles on the outside of your forearm, and standing means the bottom of the rep never pulls on a fully stretched elbow the way the pad does. This is what RIRLift puts in the preacher curl's place with dumbbells only.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall holding two dumbbells by your sides, palms facing your thighs.
  2. Keep your elbow at your side and curl one dumbbell toward your shoulder without turning your wrist.
  3. Lower it slowly until the arm is straight, then curl the other side.
  4. Keep alternating, counting each arm, until the set is done.

Cues

  • Thumbs up the whole rep
  • Elbows stay by your sides
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the dumbbell up with a lean back: if your body moves, the weight is too heavy.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: straighten the arm fully before the next curl on that side.
Build a session with Alternating Hammer Curl

Barbell and EZ bar

With only a bar, stand and curl. You lose the pad, so keep your elbows at your ribs and your torso still.

Same bar, standing

EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps

If the bench is taken but the EZ bar is free, curl it standing. The angled grip feels the same in your wrists as on the preacher bench, and you can usually curl more.

How to do it

  1. Load the bar, stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, and take the inner angled grips with your palms facing up and slightly in.
  2. Let the bar hang against your thighs with your arms straight and your elbows tucked by your ribs.
  3. Bend at the elbows to bring the bar up in an arc until your forearms point roughly at the ceiling and the bar sits near your upper chest.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your elbows drift forward.
  5. Lower the bar under control for about two seconds until your arms are fully straight, then start the next rep.

Cues

  • Elbows glued to your sides
  • Ribs down, no lean back
  • All the way down every rep

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the hips to get the bar moving: if the first inch needs a hip snap, the weight is too heavy for the rep target.
  • Letting the elbows travel forward at the top: that turns the end of the curl into a front raise and takes tension off the biceps.
  • Cutting the bottom short: half reps let you lift more but skip the stretched part of the curl. Straighten your arms fully before each rep.
Build a session with EZ-Bar Curl

RIRLift's swap in a home gym

Barbell Curl

Biceps

With a barbell you can load your biceps heavier than on any other curl. This is what RIRLift puts in the preacher curl's place with a home gym. Stand with your back against a wall if you tend to swing.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and hold the bar with an underhand grip, hands a little wider than your hips.
  2. Let the bar hang at your thighs with your arms straight and your elbows touching your sides.
  3. Curl the bar up in an arc by bending your elbows, with your upper arms still and your wrists straight.
  4. Stop when your forearms are vertical and the bar is in front of your shoulders, and squeeze your biceps for a moment.
  5. Lower the bar under control until your arms are completely straight, then start the next rep.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned to your ribs
  • Ribs down, no lean back
  • Straight arms at the bottom of every rep

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back and using the hips: brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes; if the bar only moves with a swing, it is too heavy.
  • Letting the elbows drift forward at the top: that brings the shoulders in and takes tension off the biceps; stop when the forearms are vertical.
  • Half reps that never straighten the arms: lower all the way every time, or the weight on the bar overstates what your biceps can do.
Build a session with Barbell Curl

Bodyweight and bands

No weights at all: your bodyweight on a bar or a door frame, or a band under your feet, is enough to take your biceps close to failure.

Best swap with only a pull-up bar

Close-Grip Chin-Up

Lats, Biceps

A palms-up chin-up with your hands close puts your biceps under your full bodyweight.

How to do it

  1. Grab the bar palms-up with your hands about a fist's width apart.
  2. From a straight-arm hang, pull until your upper chest nears the bar.
  3. Squeeze at the top with your elbows tight to your body.
  4. Lower slowly to a full hang.

Cues

  • Hands close
  • Chest to the bar
  • Three seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging your shoulders to your ears at the bottom: keep a little tension so the shoulders stay set.
  • Swinging between reps: pause in the hang until your body is still.
Build a session with Close-Grip Chin-Up

Curl with no equipment at all

Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Biceps

Gripping a door frame and leaning back, you curl your body toward the frame. Step your front foot closer to the door to make it harder.

How to do it

  1. Face an open door frame and take hold of both sides, hands level with your hips.
  2. Step one foot forward and lean back until your arms are straight and your body weight hangs on your hands.
  3. Keep your elbows pinned to your sides and bend them to pull your body toward the frame.
  4. Straighten your arms slowly to lean back out, then repeat.

Cues

  • Elbows pinned to your sides
  • Body stays straight
  • Front foot closer to make it harder

Common mistakes

  • Pulling your elbows back like a row: keep them fixed at your sides so only your forearms move.
  • Bending at the hips to finish the rep: tense your glutes and keep your body in one line.
Build a session with Bodyweight Bicep Curl

Band swap for high reps

Band Hammer Curl

Biceps

Standing on a band and curling one arm at a time with your thumbs up gets close to failure with no weights. The band is hardest at the top, so pair it with a slow lowering.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of a band, feet about hip-width, an end in each hand with palms facing in.
  2. Keep your elbows at your sides and curl one hand up toward your shoulder, thumb up.
  3. Hold the top for a second, then lower slowly to a straight arm.
  4. Curl the other arm, and keep alternating until the set is done.

Cues

  • Thumbs up the whole rep
  • Elbows still
  • Control the band down

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the lowering: let the band pull for two seconds.
  • Too little tension: shorten the band by stepping wider.
Build a session with Band Hammer Curl

Triceps to pair with them

Each example session ends with one triceps exercise, so it works as a full arm day.

Triceps, to pair in the gym

Cable Triceps Pressdown

Triceps

The example gym session adds one triceps exercise so a single visit covers both sides of your arm.

How to do it

  1. Clip a rope, straight bar or V-bar to a pulley set above head height and pick a weight you could move for about 15 reps.
  2. Grab the attachment, take a small step back and lean your chest slightly forward with your knees soft, so the cable runs just in front of your face.
  3. Pull your upper arms against your sides with your elbows bent and your hands around chest height. This is where every rep starts.
  4. Press the attachment down by straightening your elbows until your arms are fully locked out by your thighs. With a rope, spread the ends apart as your hands pass your hips.
  5. Let your hands rise back to chest height over about two seconds, keeping your elbows in the same spot, then press again.

Cues

  • Elbows glued to your ribs
  • Lock out hard at the bottom
  • Only your forearms move

Common mistakes

  • Leaning over the stack and pushing with your body weight: if your shoulders roll forward to finish a rep, drop the weight until your torso stays still for the whole set.
  • Letting the elbows drift forward on the way up: your shoulders take over and the rep turns into a press. Stop your hands at chest height and keep your upper arms vertical.
  • Cutting the bottom short: the last few inches before lockout are where the triceps work hardest, so finish every rep with straight arms.
  • Letting the stack yank your hands back up: control the return, since a dropped weight gives you half a rep.
Build a session with Cable Triceps Pressdown

Triceps, to pair at home

Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Triceps

The triceps half of a home arm session with dumbbells and a bench.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on a flat bench and press two dumbbells up over your chest, palms turned in.
  2. Tilt your upper arms slightly back toward your head and lock them there.
  3. Bend only at the elbows, lowering the dumbbells beside your ears.
  4. Straighten your elbows to bring the weights back up.
  5. Stop just short of lockout to keep the triceps working.

Cues

  • Upper arms still
  • Lower beside your ears
  • Straighten, do not press

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows drift and pressing the weight up: that is a close-grip press. Keep the upper arms fixed.
  • Elbows flaring wide: keep them about shoulder width.
Build a session with Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Triceps, to pair with no weights

Close-Grip Push-Up

Triceps, Chest

Hands under your shoulders and elbows tucked turn a push-up into a triceps exercise.

How to do it

  1. Get into a high plank with your hands directly below your shoulders.
  2. Lower yourself with your elbows sliding back past your ribs.
  3. Stop just above the floor, then push up to locked elbows.
  4. Drop to your knees for the last reps if your hips start to sag.

Cues

  • Hands under shoulders
  • Elbows travel back
  • Full lockout

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows into a T: that moves the work to your chest.
  • Half reps near the top: lower until your chest is close to the floor.
Build a session with Close-Grip Push-Up

Example sessions without the preacher curl

Session 1

Gym, preacher bench taken

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Adjustable Cable

You train in a commercial gym and the preacher bench is busy or missing.

The spider curl takes the preacher curl's place as the strict curl, because an incline bench braces you the same way. A cable curl adds steady tension, the concentration curl finishes one arm at a time, and a pressdown covers the triceps. 12 working sets.

Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Spider Curl1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Cable Curl 3 × 10–15 2 75 s
Concentration CurlSets are per arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Cable Triceps Pressdown 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Run it once or twice a week, on a day your back or pull work is light.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of its rep range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, dumbbells and a bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench, Flat Bench

You have adjustable dumbbells and a bench that inclines, and no preacher pad.

Home dumbbells are lighter than a gym's EZ bar, so the session runs higher reps and stops closer to failure. Hammer curls go first because they move the most weight, the incline curl keeps the stretched bottom the preacher curl trains, and dumbbell curls finish. 12 working sets.

Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Alternating Hammer Curl1 warm-up set firstCount each arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Curl 3 × 15–20 0 45 s
Dumbbell Skullcrusher 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Rest 60 seconds or less; with light dumbbells the short rest is what keeps the sets hard.
How to progress
Add reps first. Once every set hits the top of its range, move up one dumbbell; at your heaviest pair, lower each rep over three seconds.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No weights, pull-up bar or doorway

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets39 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Resistance Bands

You train at home with a pull-up bar, a door frame and maybe a band.

Close-grip chin-ups load your biceps heaviest, so they go first while you're fresh. Door-frame curls and band curls then push the same muscles to failure with lighter loads, and close-grip push-ups cover the triceps. 13 working sets.

Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Close-Grip Chin-Up 4 × 5–10 2 2 min
Bodyweight Bicep Curl 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
Band Hammer CurlCount each arm. 3 × 15–25 1 45 s
Close-Grip Push-Up 3 × 8–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Two or three times a week. Take the light exercises within a rep of failure, because they only get hard near the end.
How to progress
On chin-ups, add a rep a week until you reach 10 on every set, then lower each rep over four seconds. On the rest, add reps, then step your front foot closer to the door or use a thicker band.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What can I replace a preacher curl with?

A spider curl on an incline bench is the closest free-weight swap, because your chest is braced and your arms can't swing. With one dumbbell, a concentration curl does the same job with your elbow on your thigh.

Can I do a preacher curl at home without a machine?

Yes. Kneel behind a high incline bench or the back of a couch, rest your upper arms on it and curl a dumbbell. With nothing to lean on, a seated concentration curl braces your elbow on your thigh instead.

How do you make a preacher curl without a bench?

Brace your upper arm on something firm in front of you: an incline bench backrest, a high box, or the inside of your thigh as in a concentration curl. What matters is that your elbow stays fixed.

Is the preacher curl better than the standing curl?

Neither is better for growth. The preacher curl stops you cheating and loads the bottom of the rep; the standing curl lets you lift more. Doing one of each covers both.

Are banded bicep curls good?

Yes, if you take them close to failure. A band is hardest at the top and easy at the bottom, so lower slowly and step wider on it to add tension.

Is rope or bar better for bicep curls?

A bar or EZ bar lets you load more. A rope lets your wrists turn into a thumbs-up position, which trains more forearm and is easier on the elbows. Pick the one that feels better and keep it for a few weeks.