The seated dumbbell wrist curl is an isolation exercise which works all of the wrist flexors and forearms muscles. Now, many people might be opposed to doing wrist curls since the belief is heavy compound exercises work the forearms sufficiently. But, isolation work is always a good idea to target individual muscles and work a muscle through its full range of motion.
So, the dumbbell wrist curl is a great option for those who might be lacking in forearm development especially. And the options are endless as you can also use barbells and cables as well to make some serious forearm gains.
In This Exercise
- Target Muscles Group: Wrist flexors
- Type: Strength
- Mechanics: Isolation
- Equipment: Dumbbell, Bench
- Difficulty: Beginner
Exercise Instructions
- Grab two light dumbells and sit on the end of a bench with feet planted flat on the floor.
- Then, rest the top of your forearms on your thighs so that the dumbbells are hanging off the end of your knees.
- Now, slowly curl the dumbbells up while flexing your forearms.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back down so they are hanging below your wrists.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Variations & Tips
- You can also perform wrist curls by resting your arms on a bench. You’ll be on your knees for this variation.
- Use light to moderate weight and try to perform higher reps to protect the wrists from excessive strain.
- Do the exercise slow and always squeeze your forearms at the top of the exercise.
- Try to perform reps in the middle range of the movement to keep tension on the forearms.
