Muscles worked
With your palms facing down, the reverse curl moves a large share of the work from your biceps to your forearm. The brachioradialis along the top of the forearm and the brachialis under the biceps do much of the lifting. Your biceps helps, but from a weaker position than in a regular curl, as it also turns the palm up and this grip holds it down. The extensors on the back of the forearm work throughout to keep your wrists straight, which is why the exercise is usually felt most in the forearm.
Common mistakes
- Your wrists bend down. As your forearms tire, your knuckles drop and the bar hangs from your wrists. Keep your knuckles in line with your forearms, and go lighter if you cannot.
- The straight bar feels harsh. Some people find a flat, palms-down grip hard on the wrists, and an EZ bar, with its slight angle, usually feels better. If you get pain, not just tired forearms, stop the exercise and ask a doctor or physiotherapist to check it.
- Never straightening your arms. Heavy weights tempt you to turn around halfway down. Lower until your arms are almost straight before the next rep.
Variations and alternatives
- The hammer curl trains the same muscles with a heavier weight and is often kinder to the wrists.
- The Zottman curl lifts with palms up and lowers with them down, for training biceps and forearm in one exercise.
- The reverse wrist curl trains the wrist extensors on their own, with no movement at the elbow.
Sets and reps
Expect a clearly lighter bar than in a regular curl. To build muscle, 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps works well, and 12 to 15 for more forearm endurance. Heavy sets of few reps are rarely worth it, as your wrists tend to give out before your elbows. There is more in the guide to sets and reps.
Finish each set with one or two reps left, before your knuckles start to drop, as the guide to reps in reserve describes. Add reps first, then put a couple of kilos on the bar once you can do 12 in every set. That is what progressive overload looks like in a curl.