Arms / Beginner / Isolation (single joint)

Palms-Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench

A barbell isolation exercise for the forearms.

At a glance

Primary

Forearms & grip

Equipment

Barbell, Bench

Movement pattern

Grip

Level

Beginner

Type

Arms, Isolation (single joint)

Loads the wrist. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Start out by placing a barbell on one side of a flat bench.
2. Kneel down on both of your knees so that your body is facing the flat bench.
3. Use your arms to grab the barbell with a pronated grip (palms down) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the flat bench. Your wrists should be hanging over the edge.
4. Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling.
5. Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling.
6. Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise.
7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Using heavy weights with fast reps.

  Why it hurts: The small forearm tendons are easily irritated, leading to tennis or golfer's elbow.

  ✓ Instead: Use light weights for 15–20 slow reps through a full, comfortable range.

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