Muscles worked
The reverse wrist curl trains the back of your forearm: the muscles that straighten your wrist and raise the back of your hand towards the ceiling. They run along the top of the forearm and attach near the outside of the elbow. These extensors are much weaker than the flexors on the inside, so the weight here is far lighter than in a regular wrist curl.
Common mistakes
- Using your wrist curl weight. Start with a light bar. If you cannot manage 12 clean reps with it, switch to dumbbells or a lighter fixed bar if the gym has one.
- Flicking the bar up and dropping it. The movement is short, and momentum soon takes over. Lift smoothly and take two to three seconds to lower.
- Carrying on through pain. A straight bar locks your hands in one position, which does not suit every pair of wrists. If it feels awkward, try dumbbells. If your wrist or the outside of your elbow hurts (not just heavy or tired), stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.
Variations and alternatives
- The dumbbell reverse wrist curl lets each hand find its own angle and lets you start really light.
- The wrist curl trains the inside of the forearm, and the two work well alternated in the same session.
- The reverse curl also trains the top of the forearm, but with movement at the elbow and a heavier weight.
Sets and reps
This is an exercise for light weights and high reps. Two to three sets of 12 to 20 reps suit most people, with about a minute's rest. A light first set at half the weight is enough of a warm-up for your wrists. How to pick reps and sets is covered in the guide to sets and reps.
End each set one or two reps before the movement turns jerky, which is called leaving reps in reserve. Once you can do 20 reps in every set, go up one small step in weight and start again at 12. That is how progressive overload works, even for small muscles.