Seated One-Arm Dumbbell Palms-Up Wrist Curl
The seated one-arm dumbbell palms-up wrist curl trains the wrist flexors, the muscles on the underside of your forearm, by curling a dumbbell upward while your palm faces the ceiling. It is the classic wrist curl and the version most people picture when they hear the name, since the flexors are the stronger half of the forearm and handle most grip-related tasks. Training one arm at a time lets you feel exactly how each wrist is doing instead of letting a stronger side carry the set.
Why it works
The wrist flexors run along the palm side of your forearm and are responsible for curling your wrist down and gripping tightly, work they already do constantly during pulling exercises like rows and deadlifts. Resting your forearm on your thigh and curling the dumbbell up with your palm facing the ceiling isolates that flexor group directly, without your biceps, shoulder, or fingers taking over the movement. Because they are the stronger half of the forearm, the flexors usually tolerate more weight and volume than the extensors on the back side.
Set up
- Sit on a bench and rest your forearm along your thigh, palm facing up, wrist and hand hanging just past your knee.
- Hold a dumbbell with your fingers wrapped around the handle.
- Brace your forearm against your thigh so only your wrist moves.
- Start with your wrist relaxed and slightly extended downward.
How to do it
- Curl the dumbbell up by bending your wrist, keeping your forearm pinned to your thigh.
- Squeeze at the top of the curl for a moment.
- Lower the dumbbell back down slowly, letting your wrist extend past neutral into a light stretch.
- Keep the motion isolated to the wrist; do not let your forearm lift or your elbow bend.
- Complete all reps on one side, then switch arms.
Form cues
- Forearm stays pinned to your thigh the whole rep.
- Curl with the wrist only, not the elbow or shoulder.
- Squeeze briefly at the top.
- Let the stretch happen slowly at the bottom.
Breathing: Exhale as you curl the dumbbell up, inhale as you lower it back down.
Common mistakes
Letting the forearm lift off the thigh to help curl the weight.
Fix: Pin your forearm down for the whole set; if it keeps lifting, the dumbbell is too heavy.
Using a full grip squeeze on every rep instead of curling with the wrist.
Fix: Keep your grip steady and let the wrist joint do the lifting, not a fresh squeeze each rep.
Cutting the range short at the bottom.
Fix: Let the wrist extend fully into a light stretch at the bottom before curling back up.
Rushing through reps with a fast, bouncy tempo.
Fix: Slow down both the lift and the lowering phase so the flexors do the work instead of momentum.
How to program it
- Two or three sets of 12 to 15 reps per arm, two or three times a week, builds grip and forearm strength without demanding much recovery time.
- Since the flexors already work hard during rows, pull-ups, and deadlift grip, you may not need much added weight here to feel it working.
- Progress by adding reps before adding weight; forearm tendons often adapt slower than the muscle itself.
- Pair it with the palms-down version in the same session to train both sides of the forearm evenly.
Safety notes
- Keep the range of motion controlled rather than snapping the wrist at either end, since that jerks the tendons at the wrist and elbow.
- If you already do a lot of gripping work that session, such as deadlifts or heavy rows, reduce the weight here since your forearms are already partly fatigued.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How much weight should I use for the palms-up wrist curl?
Most people can handle more here than on the palms-down version, but start conservatively, often 5 to 8 kilograms per hand, and add weight gradually as your grip and forearm adapt.
Is this the same as a standard wrist curl?
Yes, this is the classic wrist curl most people picture, just performed one arm at a time instead of with a barbell across both hands.
What can I use instead of dumbbells for this exercise?
A low-pulley cable wrist curl or a barbell version across both wrists works the same flexor muscles if dumbbells are not available.
Will this exercise improve my grip strength for deadlifts?
It can help, since the wrist flexors contribute to grip, but grip strength for deadlifts depends more on your total hand and finger strength. Treat this as a supplement to grip work, not a replacement for it.