Incline Curls vs Preacher Curls: Which is Best for Muscle Growth?
When it comes to increasing the size of your biceps as much as possible, plenty of recent evidence suggests that focusing on training in the stretched position could help you reach your goals faster – whether that's training with full range of motion or using techniques such as lengthened partials.
In light of the new evidence surrounding training the muscle in the stretched position, researchers have put two variations of bicep curls to the test: incline curls and preacher curls. And while we're fans of any variety of curls, and not splitting hairs over bicep training, the research sheds light on how our exercise choice can influence how the muscle grows.
The Study
In the study, researchers compared performing preacher and incline biceps curls on changes in elbow flexors muscle size and strength.
The Methods
The researchers conducted a randomised, between group clinical trial involving:
63 untrained participants aged 18-35.
Randomly assigning participants to either a preacher curl or incline curl group.
Both groups training twice a week for 8 weeks, completing 3 sets of 8-12 reps per training session.
The researchers assessed muscle thickness at different points of the elbow flexors (primarily the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis) before and after the intervention. They also measured the participants 3-rep max before and after. Nutritional intake was recorded throughout the intervention to ensure there were not significant differences between groups.
The Results
Muscle Growth
Proximal site (point closest to shoulder): Both groups showed significant increases. However, the incline curl group demonstrated a greater mean increases (11.2 per cent) than the preacher curl group (8.3 per cent)
Middle site (middle portion of the muscle between shoulder and elbow): Both groups increased muscle thickness similarly.
Distal site (point closest to elbow): The preacher curl group exhibited significantly greater growth (10.3 per cent) compared to the incline curl group (6.4 per cent).
Strength
In the 3-rep max tests, each group performed better when performing their assigned exercise. For example, the preacher curl group had greater strength gains compared to the incline curl group performing preacher curls, and vice versa.
Volume
The preacher curl group had a significantly higher total training volume.
The Conclusion
The researchers concluded: 'Our findings can be used to guide exercise selection in resistance training programs aiming to optimise muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Given the apparent complementarity of the two exercises induced adaptations, it is reasonable to recommend that strength and conditioning professionals and practitioners consider both biceps curl resistance exercises, particularly when the objective is to optimise the hypertrophy of the different muscle sites and strength improvements in both tasks.'
The researchers explain that different exercises can target the muscle at different points. This corresponds with additional research supporting the same claims.
They also mention that when it comes to muscular strength, exercise selection influences the amount of strength we can gain for that specific exercise. For example, incline biceps curl training elicits greater strength gains in the incline biceps curl exercise while preacher biceps curl training elicits greater strength gains in the preacher biceps curl exercise.
What's Better: Preacher Curls or Incline Curls?
The exact answer to this question is still undecided in light of the additional published evidence we have available. Most lifters are interested in growing muscle at the middle portion of the biceps muscle, in which case both exercises increase hypertrophy at that point similarly. Instead we should ask 'which is the best exercise, for you?' The answer will come down to your own preferences, individual needs and available equipment.
When it comes to choosing between two exercises that are fairly similar like the incline curl and preacher curl, for muscle growth we should first make sure we have the following principles in place:
A well-rounded programme that follows the principle of progressive overload including sufficient biceps exercises.
Training the biceps with 20-30 sets per week.
Working within close proximity to failure at the end of those sets.
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