Barbell Wrist Extension
The barbell reverse wrist curl is a forearm isolation exercise: with your forearms resting palms-down on a bench, you raise a barbell by bending your wrists back. It works the wrist extensor muscles on the back of the forearm, which also stabilise the wrist in gripping.
Also called: Reverse Wrist Curl, Palms Down Wrist Curl, Wrist Extension, Pronated Wrist Curl · Equipment: barbell · Pattern: isolation
Step by step
- Sit at the end of a flat bench, or kneel beside it, and rest your forearms along the bench or your thighs, palms facing down, with your wrists and hands just past the edge.
- Hold the bar with an overhand grip at about shoulder width, thumbs around the bar.
- Press your forearms down so only your wrists can move.
- Let your wrists bend down under control, so your knuckles drop and the bar travels towards the floor.
- Raise the bar by lifting the backs of your hands, bringing your knuckles as high as your wrists allow. Pause briefly at the top.
- Bring the bar back down slowly and start the next rep with your forearms still on the bench.
- After the last rep, set the bar down on the bench or the floor.
- Forearms pinned to the bench
- Knuckles up to the ceiling
- Slow on the way down
- Light and strict, full range
- Grip only as tight as you need
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Forearm extensors | Prime mover | C |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Forearms lifting off the bench
Fix: Press your forearms into the bench so only your wrists move.
Letting the bar drop at the bottom
Fix: Bring the bar down slowly and reverse smoothly at the bottom.
Short reps at the top
Fix: Use a load that lets you bring your knuckles all the way up.
Squeezing the bar too hard
Fix: Grip just firmly enough to hold the bar and lift with the backs of your hands.
What the research says
Rehab & prehab · first choiceMuscle growthGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Load and reps — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and lighter loads favour muscular endurance. The wrist extensors are small, so light loads and higher reps are the norm.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit; true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Gripping in rows, deadlifts and carries also works the forearm muscles, and counting such indirect work improves volume estimates.
- The evidence gap — There is little direct research on wrist-extension training for strength or size, so programming draws on research from other muscles.
Swap it mid-workout
- Barbell Wrist Curl
- Reverse Barbell Curl
- Cable Hammer Curl
- Dumbbell Wrist Curl
- Dumbbell Zottman Curl
- Hammer Curl
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the barbell wrist extension in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.