10 Best Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl Alternatives for Home Gyms
If you can’t perform the dumbbell standing preacher curl, use close-grip barbell curls, incline dumbbell curls, cable preacher curls, concentration curls, or chin-ups. Each preserves elbow flexion and biceps tension; e.g., for incline curls keep your elbow behind the torso and drive the forearm to the shoulder to emphasize the long head.
Original Exercise: Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl
How to Perform Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Rest the back of your upper arms against the preacher bench or an incline bench, with your elbows slightly bent.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the dumbbells until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl Alternatives
1. Dumbbell Standing One Arm Curl (over Incline Bench)
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing forward.
- Place your other hand on an incline bench for support.
- Keeping your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the dumbbell towards your shoulder by contracting your biceps.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch arms.
2. Dumbbell Waiter Biceps Curl
98.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Keep your upper arms close to your body and your elbows tucked in.
- Slowly curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, keeping your wrists straight.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Dumbbell Standing Concentration Curl
98.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand, with your arm fully extended and palm facing inwards.
- Place your opposite hand on your thigh for support.
- Keeping your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the dumbbell towards your shoulder by contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the dumbbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
4. Dumbbell Standing One Arm Concentration Curl
98.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand, palm facing up.
- Place your free hand on your thigh for support.
- Keeping your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the dumbbell towards your shoulder by contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the dumbbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
5. Dumbbell One Arm Standing Curl
97.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in one hand, palm facing forward and arm fully extended.
- Keeping your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the weight upward while contracting your biceps.
- Continue to raise the dumbbell until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbell is at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
6. Barbell Standing Concentration Curl
97.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in one hand, palm facing up.
- Rest your opposite hand on your thigh for support.
- Keeping your upper arm stationary, exhale and curl the weight up towards your shoulder.
- Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your biceps.
- Inhale and slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position.
7. Cross Body Hammer Curl
96% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Your hands should be down at your side with your palms facing in.
- While keeping your palms facing in and without twisting your arm, curl the dumbbell of the right arm up towards your left shoulder as you exhale. Touch the top of the dumbbell to your shoulder and hold the contraction for a second.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell along the same path as you inhale and then repeat the same movement for the left arm.
- Continue alternating in this fashion until the recommended amount of repetitions is performed for each arm.
8. Dumbbell Cross Body Hammer Curl
95.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body.
- Keep your elbows close to your torso and your upper arms stationary.
- Exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps, bringing the dumbbells across your body towards your opposite shoulder.
- Continue to raise the dumbbells until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
9. Dumbbell Standing One Arm Reverse Curl
94.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand with an overhand grip.
- Keep your arm fully extended and close to your body, with your palm facing down.
- Slowly curl the dumbbell up towards your shoulder, keeping your upper arm stationary.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
10. Dumbbell Standing Zottman Preacher Curl
94.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
- Place your upper arms against the preacher bench and keep your elbows slightly bent.
- Curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders while keeping your upper arms stationary.
- At the top of the movement, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing downward.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, rotating your wrists back to the starting position as well.
Why You Might Need a Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl Alternative
You may substitute the dumbbell standing preacher curl because of equipment limits, elbow discomfort, or to change stimulus for growth. A preacher-style set-up biases the short head by fixing the upper arm; alternatives recreate that fixed upper-arm position or increase range of motion to target the long head. For joint issues choose cables or slow eccentrics to reduce shear — cue: pause at 90° and lower under control to limit impulsive torque. If you lack a preacher bench, concentration or incline curls reproduce isolation while allowing different forearm angles and muscle activation patterns.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Pick a substitute based on which biceps head you want to target, available equipment, and joint tolerance. Want long-head emphasis? Use incline dumbbell curls and keep elbows back so the shoulder is extended; cue: maintain a slight scapular retraction to increase stretch on the long head. For short-head peak use close-grip barbell or rope curls with a more upright elbow and slight shoulder flexion. If you have elbow pain choose cables or machine curls with a neutral wrist and slower 3–4 second negatives to reduce joint compression.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl work?
The exercise primarily isolates the biceps brachii, with secondary activation of the brachialis and brachioradialis. The fixed upper-arm position minimizes shoulder contribution, so cue: keep your upper arm against the pad or body to maximize elbow flexor loading.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl?
A supinated-grip chin-up is the best bodyweight option because it drives high biceps activation through combined elbow flexion and shoulder extension. Cue: pull with the elbows and keep the chin over the bar, emphasizing a controlled descent to maintain time under tension.
Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell Standing Preacher Curl?
Yes — hypertrophy depends on progressive overload and mechanical tension, not a single exercise. Use alternatives like incline dumbbell curls or cable curls and cue: maintain full range of motion and controlled eccentrics to ensure consistent biceps activation and progressive load increases.
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