Bodybuilding Veteran Lee Priest Shares Biceps-Focused Preacher Curl Tips for Better Pump 

Australian IFBB Pro Lee Priest developed a reputation for his freaky and full physique in a career that lasted over two decades. Priest recently appeared on the Sam’s Fitness – Gym Equipment YouTube channel, to offer an in-depth guide on building biceps with preacher curls. 

Lee Priest shocked his competition with extraordinary detail and conditioning as an active competitor. Having qualified for the Mr. Olympia competition more than five times, Priest pushed giants of the Open class like eight-time winner Ronnie Coleman, six-time champ Dorian Yates, and four-time titleholder Jay Cutler.

Known for some of the best arms in the game, fans have wondered about Priest’s diet, training, and steroid cycles. Priest revealed compounds like Winstrol were an important part of his arsenal when he was at the height of his career. However, the bodybuilding veteran currently sticks to a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) program. 

Considering his impressive physique at 50 years old, speculation about a comeback surfaced when the Masters Olympia announced its return after an 11-year absence. Even though fans would love to see him back on stage, Priest shared that chest atrophy has prevented him from considering a return to competition. 

In his latest endeavor, Priest offered tips for maximizing preacher curl gains. He discussed ideal rep ranges, equipment, and different grip variations. 

Lee Priest Prefers Standing/Kneeling for Preacher Curls, Offers Ideal Rep Ranges

Priest prefers to stand or kneel while performing preacher curls as sitting down changes the angle of his contraction. 

“I personally find not only because I’m shorter, I prefer to stand and do them. Because, back in the old days we never had ones with seats, we just had one with pads like this bolted to the floor. Just because my arms are shorter, I just prefer to stand and squat. If I sit, it puts my arms like this, so my arms go there, and I get more pull on my delt.”

With basic weights, Priest advised for rep ranges between 6-8 whereas cable variations demand 10-15. 

“You can do variations to where if you got a bench like this, you can move it and put it like you’re in front of a cable machine. Then, if I was using cables, 10-15 [reps], But if I’m using actual weight itself, basic – or – two if you got the bench like this, like you use the bar, or you can get dumbbells as well. Anything like the basic weights, six to eight. Cables, like I said, 10-15.” 

“Well, I’d probably warm up with about two or three. Again, my warmup sets – I still squeeze them and get the blood there. I won’t say they’re working sets but you still get a good pump, and you can feel it. But probably like four to five actual working sets and maybe two or three just warming up but I don’t count them as the actual. So, it’d be like five actual sets.” 

“It won’t give you a peak. Peaks on biceps are genetic. If you don’t have a peak, doing this, doing that, won’t. If you injected oil in your arm you might get a peak, but some people have like a Robby Robinson big peak, some have a longer,” shared Priest. “You see someone like Kevin Levrone, he has a good bicep, but not a peaky one. You figured all the years after he did the preachers, he’d have a peak on there by now.” 

 

“It’s even like your biceps, someone asked me the other day, what gives your biceps thickness. It’s just genetics. Some people have a thinner biceps, some people have the real like Arnold’s, his biceps this way are really thick. That’s all just genetics.” 

Priest Talks Equipment and Reverse Grips for Preacher Curls

Priest said he likes using straight bars or EZ curl bars with reverse grips for preacher curls. 

“You ought to just use a straight bar or an EZ curl, but like I said, when you go heavier in this position, your hands just naturally go that way. The EZ curl is just easier than having to hold a straight bar like that.” 

“I’d be in here [brings arms into the bar’s center], I just feel it there, I get a really good squeeze. And also too, you can remember, even doing these if you want, you can also do reverse on here: which is nice and strict. That works like your forearms plus I always feel, not the whole biceps, but you will feel a bit of the lower part. Generally, when I do any type of hammer curl or anything like that, I pretty much just feel from about here to here [forearms to biceps].” 

 

“You’re still going to work your biceps but you’re still going to feel a bit more forearm due to your hand angle being like that,” Lee Priest said. 

Watch the full video below: 

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