Barbell Wrist Curl (version 2)

1. Sit on the end of a bench holding a light barbell with an underhand grip, hands about shoulder width apart.
2. Rest your forearms on your thighs so your wrists and hands hang just past your knees.
3. Let the bar roll down toward your fingertips, opening your hands slightly to stretch the flexors.
4. Curl your fingers to regrip the bar, then flex your wrists to raise the bar as high as it will go.
5. Squeeze the forearms hard at the top for a one second pause.
6. Lower the bar back down over two to three seconds until you feel the stretch again.
7. Repeat for 12 to 20 reps, keeping your forearms glued to your thighs the whole set.

Common Mistakes

• Lifting the forearms: Letting the elbows and forearms rise off the thighs turns the movement into a curl. Only the wrists and fingers should move.
• Loading too heavy: Heavy bars cut the range in half and strain the small wrist tendons. Forearms grow best with light weight and long sets.
• Skipping the finger roll: Keeping a closed fist the entire time removes the stretch portion where much of the growth stimulus lives.
• Rushing the reps: Bouncing the bar up and down uses momentum, not muscle. Slow lowering is what makes the flexors work.