Stronger

Wrist Curl

Wrist Curl demonstration

Category

isolation

Difficulty

beginner

Equipment

barbell

Force Type

pull

How to Perform the Wrist Curl

  1. Sit on a bench and rest your forearms on your thighs with your wrists hanging just past your knees, palms facing up.
  2. Grip a barbell or pair of dumbbells with an underhand (supinated) grip.
  3. Allow the weight to roll down to your fingertips by extending your wrists fully for a deep stretch.
  4. Curl the weight upward by flexing your wrists as high as possible, squeezing the forearm muscles.
  5. Hold the top contraction for a one-second squeeze.
  6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position, allowing a controlled stretch at the bottom.
  7. Keep your forearms pressed firmly against your thighs throughout the movement to isolate the wrist flexors.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using too much weight and moving the forearms off the thighs

Choose a weight that allows you to isolate the wrist flexors; your forearms should remain stationary throughout.

Using a partial range of motion

Allow full wrist extension at the bottom and full flexion at the top for maximum forearm development.

Performing reps too quickly

Use a slow, controlled tempo to maximize time under tension on the forearm muscles.

Muscles Worked

Benefits

  • Directly targets the wrist flexors for forearm size and aesthetics
  • Improves grip strength and endurance for pulling exercises like deadlifts and rows
  • Contributes to wrist stability and resilience for everyday and athletic activities

Pro Tips

  • Allow the bar to roll down to your fingertips at the bottom for an even greater range of motion and forearm stretch.
  • Try higher rep ranges (15-25 reps) as the forearm muscles respond well to endurance-style training.
  • Alternate between barbell and dumbbell variations to work each wrist independently and address imbalances.

Variations

Recommended Sets & Reps

Strength

4-5 sets of 8-10 reps at heavy weight

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 12-15 reps at moderate weight

Endurance

2-3 sets of 20-30 reps at light weight

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