Wrist Curl: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The wrist curl isolates the forearms, specifically the flexor muscles that run along the underside of the forearm, by curling the wrist upward while your forearms rest still on your thighs. It's a direct way to build forearm size and grip endurance without any elbow or shoulder involvement.
- Primary muscle:
- Forearms
Muscles worked
Your forearms do all the work in this exercise. The wrist flexors on the palm side of your forearm shorten to curl the bar upward, and lowering it back down under control stretches the same muscles through a full range. Because your upper arms and elbows stay resting on your thighs, no other muscle group shares the load.
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How to do it
- Hold a barbell with both hands and your palms facing up; hands spaced about shoulder width.
- Place your feet flat on the floor, at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
- Lean forward and place your forearms on top of your upper thighs with your palms up. Tip: Make sure that the front of the wrists lay on top of your knees. This will be your starting position.
- Lower the bar as far as possible while inhaling and keeping a tight grip.
- Now curl bar up as high as possible while flexing the forearms and exhaling. Hold the contraction at the top for a second and Tip: Only the wrist should move.
Form tips
- Rest your forearms fully on your thighs or a bench so only your wrists move.
- Lower the bar as far as your wrists comfortably allow before curling back up.
- Curl the bar up using only your wrists. Don't lift your forearms off your legs to help.
- Use a lighter weight than you'd expect. Small forearm muscles fatigue fast.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Barbell |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a wrist curl and a reverse wrist curl?
A standard wrist curl, done palms up, trains the forearm flexors on the underside of your forearm. A reverse wrist curl, done palms down, trains the extensors on top instead. Training both keeps the forearm balanced.
How many reps should I do for wrist curls?
Since this is a small isolation muscle group, most lifters use higher reps, 12 or more per set, with a light to moderate weight rather than chasing a heavy, low-rep set.
What else builds forearm and grip strength?
A reverse curl also loads the forearms, but through elbow flexion with a pronated grip rather than isolated wrist movement, giving you a second angle to train them from.
More forearms exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
