Seated Palms-Down Barbell Wrist Curl

Seated Palms-Down Barbell Wrist Curl is a beginner-level isolation in the strength category that primarily works the forearms. It is performed with barbell.

How to do it

1. 1Hold a barbell with both hands and your palms facing down; hands spaced about shoulder width.
2. 2Place your feet flat on the floor, at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
3. 3Lean forward and place your forearms on top of your upper thighs with your palms down. Tip: Make sure that the back of the wrists lay on top of your knees. This will be your starting position.
4. 4Lower the bar as far as possible while inhaling and keeping a tight grip.
5. 5Now curl bar up as high as possible while flexing the forearms and exhaling. Hold the contraction at the top for a second and Tip: Only the wrist should move.

Muscles worked

Primary muscles in filled badges, secondary in grey. Tap for more exercises per muscle.

Tips and common mistakes

• •Focus on the muscle contraction and control the eccentric (lowering) phase.
• •Add load only once you complete all reps with good form — progressive overload.
• •Initiate the pull from the target muscle rather than jerking with body momentum.
• •Prioritize full range of motion over heavy weight with partial reps.

Sets and reps

For hypertrophy: 3–4 sets × 8–12 reps with 1–2 reps in reserve (RPE 7–9) and 1–2 minutes rest. For strength: 3–5 × 4–6 with longer rest.