Do incline curls and preacher curls produce the same muscle growth with blood flow restriction and light weights?

Blood flow restriction involves partially limiting blood flow to a muscle during exercise, often using a band or cuff, which allows people to use lighter weights while still triggering muscle adaptations. Incline curls work the biceps with the arms stretched behind the body, while preacher curls fix the upper arm in place on a pad, changing how the muscle is loaded. Despite these differences in movement, the evidence we’ve reviewed suggests that when blood flow restriction is applied and light weights are used, both exercises may stimulate similar levels of muscle growth across the biceps.

It’s important to note that this conclusion is based on a single assertion, and no studies were found that directly compared the two exercises under these exact conditions. We don’t have data on long-term results, individual differences, or how this might affect strength gains. The evidence we’ve reviewed so far leans toward similarity in muscle growth between the two movements, but we can’t say this applies to everyone or under all conditions.

If you’re using light weights and blood flow restriction to train your biceps, either incline curls or preacher curls may be effective — choose the one that feels better for your body and lets you maintain good form.