Shoulders
Barbell Wrist Curl
Build forearm thickness and grip strength with a controlled, isolation-focused barbell movement.
How to perform.
Follow the sequence — setup is half the lift.
Sit on the end of a flat bench with your feet planted firmly on the floor at shoulder-width.
Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip, keeping your hands approximately shoulder-width apart.
Rest the back of your forearms on your thighs so your wrists and the barbell hang just past your knees.
Lower the barbell as far as possible by extending your wrists, allowing the bar to roll slightly down into your fingers.
Curl the barbell upward by flexing your wrists as high as possible while keeping your forearms pressed against your thighs.
Squeeze the forearms at the peak of the movement before slowly lowering the weight back to the starting position.
Common mistakes.
Fix these first — they cost reps, kilos, and joints.
- Lifting the forearms off the thighs to use momentum
- Using a range of motion that is too short to engage the muscle
- Gripping the bar too tightly without allowing the full extension
- Performing repetitions too quickly without a controlled eccentric phase
Muscles worked.
The primary movers do the work; the stabilizers keep the path honest.