Palms-Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench
This is the barbell version of the reverse wrist curl: you rest both forearms on a bench, grip a barbell with your palms facing down, and lift it using only your wrists. Because both arms work together under one bar, you can load the wrist extensors more heavily than with dumbbells, which makes it a useful next step once single-arm work feels easy. It targets the same extensor muscles on top of the forearm that most pulling and gripping exercises leave undertrained.
Why it works
With your forearms pinned flat to the bench, your elbows and shoulders are locked out of the movement, so the wrist extensors have to do all the lifting on their own. A barbell links both wrists to one load, which means you can't favor a stronger side the way you sometimes can with dumbbells, and it lets you add weight in small, controlled increments once bodyweight-only wrist range starts to feel too easy. Building this extensor strength gives your forearm a more even push-pull balance, since flexor-dominant grip work rarely trains this side of the joint.
Set up
- Sit at the end of a bench and rest both forearms on it, palms facing down.
- Grip a barbell with a shoulder-width, overhand grip, letting your wrists and hands hang past your knees.
- Start with the bar hanging low at the bottom of your wrist's range.
How to do it
- Begin with your wrists bent down and the bar hanging at the bottom of the range.
- Keeping your forearms pressed into the bench, curl the bar upward by bending your wrists.
- Lift until your wrists are fully extended, without letting your forearms lift off the bench.
- Hold for a brief pause at the top.
- Lower the bar slowly and under control back to the start.
- Let your wrists drop into a light stretch at the bottom before the next rep.
Form cues
- Forearms stay flat against the bench through the whole set.
- Movement comes only from the wrist joint.
- Control the descent, don't let the bar drop.
- Keep your grip wide enough that the bar doesn't dig into your fingers.
Breathing: Exhale as you curl the bar up with your wrists, inhale as you lower it back down.
Common mistakes
Rocking the forearms off the bench to generate extra lift.
Fix: Keep constant downward pressure through your forearms into the bench for every rep.
Loading more weight than the wrists can move through a full range.
Fix: Choose a weight that lets you complete the full range of wrist motion on every rep before adding more.
Gripping the bar too tightly with the fingers instead of letting the wrist extensors lead.
Fix: Loosen your grip slightly so you can feel the top of your forearm, not your fingers, doing the lifting.
How to program it
- This stays light, isolated work even with a barbell, so training it two or three times a week is realistic without interfering with other lifts.
- Two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps is a solid range, since heavier, lower-rep loading tends to stress the wrist tendons more than the muscle.
- Program it after your grip-dependent lifts, like deadlifts or rows, so you're not fatiguing the extensors before work that needs a strong grip.
Safety notes
- Any sharp pain along the outside of the elbow means stop and reduce the load; that's a common overuse site for this movement.
- Increase weight in very small jumps since the wrist tendons adapt more slowly than the forearm muscle itself.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many sets and reps of barbell wrist curls should I do?
Two or three sets of 10 to 15 reps works well for most people. Prioritize full range of motion over adding weight quickly.
What's the difference between this and the dumbbell version?
The barbell links both wrists to one load, so you build strength more evenly and can add small increments of weight. The dumbbell version lets each wrist move independently, which is gentler for a weaker side.
Can I do this without a bench?
You can rest your forearms on your thighs while seated on a chair or the edge of a platform if no bench is available; the setup just needs a stable surface for your forearms.
Why does the outside of my elbow bother me during this move?
That's usually a sign of too much weight or too much volume too soon on the extensor tendons. Drop the load, keep the reps moderate, and let the tendons adapt gradually.