Seated Two-Arm Palms-Up Low-Pulley Wrist Curl
This move isolates the wrist flexors on the underside of your forearm using a low pulley cable, which keeps steady tension on the muscle through the whole range instead of the tension dropping off at the top like it can with a barbell. It's a straightforward way to build forearm size and grip endurance for anyone whose grip gives out before their back or biceps do on pulling work.
Why it works
Curling your wrists upward against resistance is a pure isolation movement for the wrist flexors, the muscles that run along the palm side of your forearm. Because the cable pulls at a constant angle rather than straight down like a free weight, the muscle stays under tension even near the top of the curl, where a dumbbell or barbell version would start to lose resistance. That constant pull is what makes the low pulley version worth choosing over the free weight options when forearm size or grip endurance is the specific goal.
Set up
- Sit on a bench facing a low pulley with a straight bar or EZ-bar attachment.
- Rest your forearms on your thighs or the front edge of the bench, wrists just past your knees.
- Grip the bar with both hands, palms facing up.
- Let your wrists drop into a fully extended position before the first rep.
How to do it
- Keeping your forearms pinned to your thighs, curl your wrists upward as far as they'll go.
- Squeeze at the top of the curl for a moment.
- Lower the bar back down slowly until your wrists are fully extended again.
- Repeat for the full set without letting your forearms lift off your legs.
Form cues
- Forearms stay glued to your thighs.
- Only the wrists move, not the elbows.
- Curl high, lower all the way down.
- Keep the tempo slow on the way down.
Breathing: Exhale as you curl your wrists up, inhale as you lower them back down.
Common mistakes
Letting the forearms lift off the thighs to help swing the weight up.
Fix: Press your forearms down into your legs for the entire set so the wrists do all the work.
Only curling through a short, partial range near the top.
Fix: Let the wrists drop into a full stretch at the bottom of every rep before curling back up.
Using too much weight and relying on momentum to jerk the bar upward.
Fix: Drop the load until you can curl and lower with a controlled, even tempo.
How to program it
- Two to three sets of 12 to 20 reps works well, since forearm flexors recover fast and respond to higher rep ranges.
- Tack this onto the end of a pull day, after your rows or pulldowns, so grip fatigue doesn't limit those lifts first.
- Doing it two or three times a week is fine given how quickly the forearms bounce back between sessions.
Safety notes
- Stop short of pain in the wrist or elbow; forearm work can aggravate existing tendon irritation if pushed too hard.
- Keep the range controlled rather than snapping into full extension, which can strain the wrist joint over time.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many sets and reps for wrist curls?
Two to three sets of 12 to 20 reps is a solid range. Forearm flexors handle higher reps well and recover quickly, so you can train them a bit more often than a big compound lift.
Can I do wrist curls without a cable machine?
Yes. A barbell or a pair of dumbbells resting on your thighs while seated works the same wrist flexors, just without the constant cable tension.
Why do my forearms feel tired before my back on pulling exercises?
Grip strength often lags behind back strength. Adding dedicated wrist curl work builds the forearm and grip endurance that rows and pulldowns demand, so grip stops being the limiting factor.