Barbell exercise

Wrist Curl (Barbell) form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The barbell wrist curl trains the wrist flexors on the underside of the forearm by curling a bar upward through wrist flexion while the forearms rest supported on the thighs or a bench. Lifters use it to build forearm size and grip-supporting strength for deadlifts, rows, and carries, and climbers and athletes use it to bulletproof the wrist and elbow against overuse strain.

Wrist Curl (Barbell) illustration

How to do Wrist Curl (Barbell)

  1. 1Sit on a bench holding a barbell with an underhand grip, and rest your forearms on your thighs with your wrists hanging just past your knees.
  2. 2Let the bar roll down toward your fingertips to lengthen the wrist flexors.
  3. 3Exhale as you curl the bar up by flexing your wrists as high as they will go, keeping your forearms glued to your thighs.
  4. 4Do not lift your elbows or use your arms to bounce the weight.
  5. 5Squeeze at the top, then inhale as you lower slowly back to the stretched, fingertip position for the next rep.

Related exercises

Assisted Chin-up (Machine)

Arms · Assisted Bodyweight

Barbell Glute Bridge

Legs · Barbell

Barbell Shrug

Back · Barbell

Bench Dip

Arms · Reps Only

Track Wrist Curl (Barbell) in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.