How to do the Barbell Wrist Curl
Step by step
- Sit and rest your forearms on your thighs, palms up, holding a barbell.
- Let your wrists drop back off your knees so the bar hangs freely.
- Let the bar roll down toward your fingertips at the bottom.
- Curl the bar back up by closing the fingers and bending the wrists.
- Lower the bar slowly back to the fingertips-open position.
The thing people get wrong
The finger roll at the bottom is what makes this work the whole forearm. Keep your forearms flat on your thighs, wrists free.
Coaching cue
Keep the reps slow and light; the wrists move through a small range here.
Stay safe
Keep a firm grip as the bar rolls to your fingertips so it cannot slip onto your feet.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Forearms
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