The Barbell Wrist Curl is a beginner-friendly barbell strength exercise that targets the forearms. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesForearms
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentBarbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Barbell Wrist Curl
Sit on a bench and rest your forearms on your thighs with your wrists hanging just past the knees.
Hold the bar with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart, and let it roll into your fingertips.
Curl the bar up by closing your fingers and flexing your wrists, keeping the forearms pinned to your thighs.
Squeeze hard at the top with the wrists fully flexed and feel the forearms contract.
Lower the bar back down under control, letting it roll out toward the fingertips at the bottom.
Repeat for high reps, focusing on a slow tempo and a full range from fingertips to top squeeze.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds forearm size and grip strength through direct isolation.
Strengthens wrist flexion for sport, lifting, and climbing.
Improves grip endurance for heavier pulling and carrying work.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Lifting the forearms off the thighs, which lets the biceps take over instead of isolating the forearms.
Using too much weight and shortening the range so the bar barely moves at the wrist.
Skipping the fingertip roll at the bottom, which cuts out half the forearm and grip work.
Rushing the tempo and bouncing the reps, which removes the time-under-tension that builds the forearms.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Barbell Wrist Curl, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
