10 Best Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over Bench Alternatives

If you can’t perform the barbell palms-up wrist curl over a bench, use alternatives that preserve wrist flexion and loaded grip. Options like dumbbell wrist curls, wrist rollers, farmer carries, plate pinches and reverse curls target the flexor carpi muscles. Cue: rest your forearm on a flat surface and move only at the wrist to isolate the flexors.

Original Exercise: Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench

Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench
Primary Muscle
Forearms
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Shoulders
How to Perform Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  2. Rest your forearms on the bench, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge.
  3. Keeping your forearms stationary, exhale and curl your wrists upwards as far as possible.
  4. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause, then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell Palms Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench

1. Barbell Palms Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench

96% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your forearms resting on your thighs, palms facing down.
  2. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Lower the barbell towards the ground by flexing your wrists, keeping your forearms stationary.
  4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly raise the barbell back up by extending your wrists.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Wrist Curl

2. Barbell Wrist Curl

91% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your forearms resting on your thighs, holding a barbell with an underhand grip.
  2. Allow the barbell to roll down to your fingertips, keeping your wrists straight.
  3. Slowly curl the barbell up towards your forearms by flexing your wrists.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Finger Curls

3. Finger Curls

85.4% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  2. Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge.
  3. Slowly curl your fingers towards your palms, squeezing the barbell tightly.
  4. Hold the contraction for a moment, then slowly release your fingers back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Smith Seated Wrist Curl

4. Smith Seated Wrist Curl

85.4% Match
Forearms Smith-machine Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench in front of a Smith machine with your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off.
  4. Slowly curl your wrists upward, bringing the barbell towards your forearms.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
Barbell Revers Wrist Curl V. 2

5. Barbell Revers Wrist Curl V. 2

82% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
  2. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, palms facing down, and your hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge.
  4. Keeping your forearms stationary, exhale and curl your wrists upward as far as possible.
  5. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause, then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

6. Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

81.9% Match
Forearms Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start out by placing two dumbbells on one side of a flat bench.
  2. Kneel down on both of your knees so that your body is facing the flat bench.
  3. Use your arms to grab both of the dumbbells with a supinated grip (palms up) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the flat bench. Your wrists should be hanging over the edge.
  4. Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling.
  5. Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling. Make sure to inhale during this part of the exercise.
Seated Palm-Up Barbell Wrist Curl

7. Seated Palm-Up Barbell Wrist Curl

81% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Hold a barbell with both hands and your palms facing up; hands spaced about shoulder width.
  2. Place your feet flat on the floor, at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
  3. Lean forward and place your forearms on top of your upper thighs with your palms up. Tip: Make sure that the front of the wrists lay on top of your knees. This will be your starting position.
  4. Lower the bar as far as possible while inhaling and keeping a tight grip.
  5. Now 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.
Dumbbell Finger Curls

8. Dumbbell Finger Curls

80.5% Match
Forearms Dumbbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the ground and your back straight.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in one hand with an underhand grip, resting your forearm on your thigh, palm facing up.
  3. Allow the dumbbell to roll down to your fingertips, then curl it back up by flexing your fingers.
  4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other hand.
Band Wrist Curl

9. Band Wrist Curl

80.4% Match
Forearms Band Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Hold the band with both hands, palms facing up, and rest your forearms on your thighs.
  3. Slowly curl your wrists upward, squeezing your forearms.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl

10. Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl

79% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip.
  2. Rest the barbell on the back of your hands with your palms facing down and your fingers pointing towards your body.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl your wrists upwards as far as possible.
  4. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause, then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench Alternative

You might substitute this isolation move for several reasons: wrist pain from heavy bilateral loading, lack of a bench or suitable barbell, or a training goal that prioritizes grip endurance or functional strength. For wrist irritation choose single-arm dumbbell curls to reduce shear and allow neutral wrist alignment; cue a slow 2-0-2 tempo and stop when you feel joint pinch. If you lack equipment, a wrist roller or towel hangs shift demand to sustained grip and forearm endurance while recruiting flexor digitorum and brachioradialis differently than a barbell curl.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select alternatives based on available gear, pain history, and desired adaptation (strength, hypertrophy, or endurance). For strict wrist flexor hypertrophy pick seated dumbbell wrist curls, keep the forearm flat on a bench, wrists hanging off the edge, and curl only at the wrist. For grip strength choose farmer carries or plate pinches: maintain scapular retraction, drive through the heels, and hold tension in the forearms. If you have wrist discomfort favor neutral-grip hammer curls or wrist rollers to reduce pronation/supination stress while still loading wrist flexors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench work?

That movement primarily targets the wrist flexors, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris and palmaris longus, plus the finger flexors and secondary loading of brachioradialis. Biomechanically it isolates wrist flexion by stabilizing the forearm on a bench and moving only at the radiocarpal joint.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench?

A strong bodyweight option is towel hangs or fingertip hangs from a bar, which train grip and forearm flexors under prolonged isometric load. Cue: hang with shoulders down, elbows straight, and aim for sets of 20–60 seconds to develop endurance and connective tissue resilience.

Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Palms Up Wrist Curl Over A Bench?

Yes. You can build forearm muscle using dumbbell wrist curls, wrist rollers, plate pinches, hammer curls and farmer carries, each emphasizes different fibers and grip patterns. Use progressive overload, controlled reps (2–3 second concentric, 2 second eccentric), and proper forearm bracing to stimulate hypertrophy without that specific barbell variation.

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