Machine Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip)
What Is the Machine Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip)?
Machine Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip) is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the elbow flexors of the upper arm, led by the brachialis and brachioradialis, and also engages the biceps brachii and the wrist extensors that hold the hands level. It is a beginner-level movement performed seated at a preacher curl machine, with the backs of both upper arms on the angled pad and the hands on the handles in an overhand, palms-down grip.
The machine sets the path for you. The handles ride on a lever arm that pivots at the elbow, so once the seat is adjusted and the elbows line up with that pivot, each rep follows the same arc and the weight stack supplies the resistance. Turning the palms down changes how the elbow flexors share the load rather than bringing in a new muscle. The brachialis attaches to the ulna, so rotating the forearm does not change its pull, while the biceps also works to turn the palm up, and with the forearm pronated it works at a disadvantage. That shifts more of each rep onto the brachialis and brachioradialis, and the wrist extensors have to keep the hands from dropping for the whole set.
It suits lifters who want more brachialis and forearm work than a palms-up curl gives, those whose biceps take over on regular curls, and anyone who wants a strict curl with nothing to balance. It usually sits near the end of an arm or pulling session as an accessory with moderate loads, often alongside the palms-up Machine Bicep Curl or the neutral-grip Machine Preacher Curl (Hammer Grip). Expect to use noticeably less weight than with a palms-up grip.
Compared with the Barbell Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip), there is no bar to take off hooks or balance, and the stack allows small weight changes that are easy to track from session to session. On most machines of this type both handles are joined to one lever, so the arms move together and a stronger arm can quietly carry a weaker one. Lifters who find a fully palms-down grip hard on the wrists can use the EZ Bar Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip), which sets the hands a little short of fully palms-down, or build the same flexors first with the neutral-grip Dumbbell Hammer Curl.
Muscles Worked
- Brachialis
- Primary
- Brachioradialis
- Primary
- Biceps Brachii
- High
- Extensor Carpi Radialis
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Minimal
Instructions
- Choose a light weight on the stack, then adjust the seat so your armpits rest on the top edge of the pad when you sit with your chest against it.
- Sit with your feet flat on the floor and lay the backs of both upper arms flat on the pad, with your elbows lined up with the machine's pivot.
- Grip the handles with an overhand grip, palms facing down, hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Start with both arms extended down the pad, the elbows slightly bent and the wrists straight in line with your forearms.
- Curl the handles up by bending only the elbows, keeping your wrists straight and both arms moving at the same speed.
- Stop when your forearms are close to vertical and the handles are in front of your forehead, knuckles facing you, with your upper arms still on the pad.
- Pause briefly, then lower the handles slowly until your arms are nearly straight, without letting the weight stack touch down.
- Repeat for your target reps, then return the handles to the start position under control before letting go.
Common Mistakes
Letting the wrists drop
Letting the handles pull the backs of the hands down, or cocking the wrists back to finish a rep, shifts strain onto the wrist and the tendons at the outside of the elbow.
Using your palms-up curl weight
The palms-down grip handles much less load, so starting with your usual machine curl weight makes the wrists give way and the elbows lift off the pad.
Elbows off the pivot
Sitting so your elbows are in front of or behind the machine's pivot makes the handles drift and the resistance feel wrong through the rep.
Lifting the elbows off the pad
Raising the upper arms or leaning back to finish a rep hands work to the shoulders and turns a strict curl into a swing.
Letting the stack yank the arms straight
Dropping the last few inches and bouncing off locked elbows loads the front of the elbow at its most stretched point.
Letting the stronger arm do the work
When the handles are joined, one arm can push harder while the other coasts, so the weaker side never gets trained.
Injuries
Machine Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip) is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The machine guides the handles and the pad keeps the upper arms still, so the main strain points are the wrists and the outside of the elbow, which work harder with a palms-down grip, and the front of the elbow at the bottom of the rep, where the pad holds the arms close to straight.
The wrist extensors hold the hands level for the whole set, and their tendons attach at the outside of the elbow, the area affected by tennis elbow, so anyone with a sore outer elbow should start light and stop if the set brings that pain on. Set the seat so your armpits rest on the top edge of the pad and your elbows line up with the machine's pivot, warm up with a light set, keep your wrists straight, and lower the handles under control instead of letting the weight stack pull your arms straight. Stop each rep with a slight bend at the elbows rather than dropping into a locked position.
If the palms-down grip bothers your wrists, switch to the EZ Bar Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip) or the neutral-grip Machine Preacher Curl (Hammer Grip). If the stretched bottom position irritates the elbow, lower the weight and stop a little short of straight for a while. To progress, add one plate at a time or slow the lowering phase before adding load.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain at the outside of the elbow or across the back of the wrist, or numbness or tingling in the hand. Stop immediately and have it assessed if you feel a pop, sudden weakness or a bulge in the upper arm, or sudden pain at the front of the elbow.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is this different from the other machine preacher curls?
Only the grip changes. The Machine Bicep Curl turns the palms up and puts the most work on the biceps, the Machine Preacher Curl (Hammer Grip) uses a neutral grip, and the palms-down grip here moves the most work onto the brachialis, brachioradialis and wrist extensors, so it usually takes the least weight of the three.
- Q: Does the reverse grip work the forearm harder than a regular curl?
Not in the way most people expect. A study of competitive bodybuilders doing standing cable curls found the brachioradialis slightly more active with a palms-up grip than a palms-down one, and the biceps much more so. The forearm takes a bigger share of the work because the biceps does less, and the wrist extensors work to keep the hands level.
- Q: How much weight and how many reps should I use?
Start well below your palms-up machine curl weight and aim for 10 to 15 controlled reps, ending the set when your wrists start to bend or your elbows leave the pad. Lower the handles over about two to three seconds rather than letting the stack drop.
- Q: Should my arms go fully straight at the bottom?
Lower until your elbows are almost straight, keeping a slight bend and tension in the arms. Dropping into a locked elbow on the pad moves the strain from the muscles to the front of the elbow.
- Q: What can I do if the palms-down grip hurts my wrists?
Lighten the load and keep the wrists straight first. If it still hurts, the angled handles of the EZ Bar Preacher Curl (Reverse Grip) or the neutral grip of the Machine Preacher Curl (Hammer Grip) train the same flexors with less twist at the wrist.