Few outside as well as within the world of strength sport are aware of or pay much heed to the humble curl as a feat of strength. Nevertheless is the curl among the few singular lifts that has become an sport unto itself, namely in the form of the strict curl:

Yet the strict curl remains largely within its particular niche of sport and fairly unpopular among bodybuilders, for whom most other forms of curl generally find their best adherents:

While the strict curl's closest cousin, the standing barbell curl, certainly is a mainstay of bicep development across all manner of Iron practice, it is perhaps the preacher curl that is best loved as a straightforward way of developing the biceps:

While what seems to make the standing barbell curl popular is precisely what the preacher curl lacks and vice-versa--the barbell curl is loved because it requires only a barbell and brute force to perform, while the preacher curl is loved for its stability and more favorable resistance profile--it is not outside of the realm of imagination to somehow combine these qualities.

While the squatting preacher curl may seem odd or gimmicky at first blush--particularly if you need to perch atop of blocks in order to perform the lift to a full range of motion--it is simply the case that being able to perform such a lift in a self-sufficient manner (i.e., without any need for dedicated equipment like a preacher bench) should prove reason enough to warrant exploration.

For my own part, I began training this lift in a rather peculiar manner due to what seemed a difficulty owed to my proportions where I could not find a comfortable and stable position for my elbows, and so I opted to reset my elbow position for each rep by allowing the bar to hang at the bottom position by raising the hips--a technique facilitated by my use of smaller plates:

It was only after progressing this variation to the point of being on par with my standing barbell curls that I thought to experiment with strict curls, but due to logistical annoyances with that particular experiment, I began to consider whether the squatting preacher curl could be made more strict in a manner which would befit a proper feat of strength. One as might be performed in competition. At the very least did I wish for a curl which could be performed to a consistent standard maximally (as for a max single) as well as submaximally for the purposes of bicep development (<80% of 1RM, though not necessarily at a low RPE).

Prior to this, I had become quite fond of lifts performed from a dead stop (e.g., pin squats and dead bench) as uniquely valuable to my own strength development, being as I am a long-limbed lifter. And so did it occur to me to find out whether with full-sized plates on the bar I might be able to securely wedge my thighs under fully extended elbows such that I could curl the weight from the deck and from full extension without any significant deviation from the bottom of a stable squat position. To my surprise was this quite a trivial thing to accomplish:

And so was born the Squatting Strict Curl. The lift progressed quite quickly from there, as this post a month later puts into perspective:

Though I haven't always adhered to this, I have found that the lift benefits from the use of squat shoes (heels), as should be obvious. I've also found that setting the bar position as I lower into the squat is a reliable way of setting the elbows.

You might be wondering where I get off referring to this lift as "strict" given the obvious dynamism necessitated by the changing center of mass, but it is only a way to distinguish it from a squatting preacher curl in which the bar freely hangs at any preferred degree of extension and in which the hips might be used more purposefully to get the weight moving. This lift is simply strict in requiring the weight to start from the floor, the elbows to be in full extension, and the hips to remain in a full squat (let's say, below parallel).

More-so, however, would I like to see this curl performed as a feat and by lifters far stronger than I. I do believe that most, if not all lifters could achieve the necessary position without significant contortion and perform the lift in way sufficiently comparable to one another for the purposes of competition.

As previously stated, I've lately taken to referring to these as Dead Preachers, mostly for the sake of brevity and clarity (as in deadlift or dead bench), but also because it suits my own wry sensibilities. I hope at some time in the future I might coax others to try this lift and weigh in on their perception of its utility for strength and development as well as the quality of enjoyment one might reap from this lift compared to others of similar ilk.

I do expect that some day I might have to slow down on this one, as I've so far completed six max effort sessions in under two months. But that day is not today.