Standing Palms-Up Barbell Behind The Back Wrist Curl

Standing Palms-Up Barbell Behind The Back 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. 1Start by standing straight and holding a barbell behind your glutes at arm's length while using a pronated grip (palms will be facing back away from the glutes) and having your hands shoulder width apart from each other.
2. 2You should be looking straight forward while your feet are shoulder width apart from each other. This is the starting position.
3. 3While exhaling, slowly elevate the barbell up by curling your wrist in a semi-circular motion towards the ceiling. Note: Your wrist should be the only body part moving for this exercise.
4. 4Hold the contraction for a second and lower the barbell back down to the starting position while inhaling.
5. 5Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
6. 6When finished, lower the barbell down to the squat rack or the floor by bending the knees. Tip: It is easiest to either pick it up from a squat rack or have a partner hand it to you.

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.