Does it matter where you lift hardest in a bicep curl?
Placing Greater Torque at Shorter or Longer Muscle Lengths? Effects of Cable vs. Barbell Preacher Curl Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Young Adults
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Two groups did preacher curls: one lifted hardest when arms were bent (cable), the other hardest when arms were straight (barbell). Both got stronger and bigger biceps, but only the barbell group got stronger when arms were almost straight.
Surprising Findings
Training with peak torque at longer muscle lengths (barbell) did NOT lead to greater muscle growth.
Many fitness experts claim stretching muscles under load (like in barbell preacher curls) triggers more hypertrophy via mechanical tension. This study directly contradicts that theory for biceps.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to get stronger when your arm is nearly straight (e.g., lifting something from your lap), prioritize barbell preacher curls. For overall bicep size, cable or barbell — either works.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Two groups did preacher curls: one lifted hardest when arms were bent (cable), the other hardest when arms were straight (barbell). Both got stronger and bigger biceps, but only the barbell group got stronger when arms were almost straight.
Surprising Findings
Training with peak torque at longer muscle lengths (barbell) did NOT lead to greater muscle growth.
Many fitness experts claim stretching muscles under load (like in barbell preacher curls) triggers more hypertrophy via mechanical tension. This study directly contradicts that theory for biceps.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to get stronger when your arm is nearly straight (e.g., lifting something from your lap), prioritize barbell preacher curls. For overall bicep size, cable or barbell — either works.
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year
2020
Authors
J. Nunes, J. L. Jacinto, A. Ribeiro, J. Mayhew, M. Nakamura, Danila M. G. Capel, Leidiane R. Santos, L. Santos, E. Cyrino, A. Aguiar
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Claims (10)
If you do preacher curls with a barbell — where it’s hardest when your arm is almost straight — you’ll get stronger specifically at that position better than if you use a cable machine where it’s hardest when your arm is bent.
Whether you use a cable machine or a barbell to do preacher curls for 10 weeks, your biceps will grow about the same amount — the exact way you apply resistance doesn’t matter much for muscle size.
When you do preacher curls for 10 weeks, your strength in the middle and fully bent positions gets better no matter if you use a cable or barbell — the resistance pattern doesn’t make a difference there.
Men and women both gain the same amount of biceps size and strength from preacher curls — whether they use a cable or barbell — so the training works equally well for both sexes.
When resistance is applied such that peak torque occurs at either the longest or shortest muscle length during a movement with identical total range of motion, muscle hypertrophy is not significantly different between conditions.