After ten weeks of preacher curls using either a cable machine or a barbell, young adults who had never trained before gained the same amount of biceps muscle thickness, regardless of whether the...

We analyzed the available evidence and found that, after ten weeks of preacher curls, beginners gained similar increases in biceps muscle thickness whether they used a cable machine or a barbell [1]. Both tools led to comparable results, even though the way resistance changes throughout the movement differs between the two. With cables, tension stays more constant, while barbells place more load at certain joint angles. Yet, in this case, those differences didn’t lead to one method being more effective for muscle growth than the other. What we’ve found so far is limited to one study involving young adults who had never trained before. We don’t yet know if the same pattern holds for experienced lifters, older adults, or over longer time periods. The evidence we’ve reviewed doesn’t show one tool clearly outperforming the other for biceps growth in this specific group. This suggests that, for someone just starting out, choosing between cable and barbell preacher curls may come down to personal preference, equipment access, or comfort — not which one builds more muscle. There’s no clear advantage in muscle growth based on the type of equipment used in this context. Our current analysis shows that both can be effective options for building biceps size in beginners, but we don’t have enough data to say whether this applies beyond this group or this timeframe.