10 Best Barbell Wrist Curl Alternatives for Limited Equipment

What can I do instead of Barbell Wrist Curl V. 2? Use dumbbell wrist curls, reverse barbell wrist curls, cable wrist curls, plate pinches, or farmer carries to hit wrist flexors and grip. Cue: rest your forearm on a bench with palm up and flex only at the wrist to isolate the flexor muscles.

Original Exercise: Barbell Wrist Curl

Barbell Wrist Curl
Primary Muscle
Forearms
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Brachialis
How to Perform Barbell Wrist Curl
  1. Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
  2. Hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and your hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge.
  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.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Barbell Wrist Curl Alternatives

Best Match
Palms-Up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

1. Palms-Up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

99.9% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start out by placing a barbell 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 the barbell 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.
Palms-Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench

2. Palms-Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench

96% Match
Forearms Barbell Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start out by placing a barbell 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 the barbell with a pronated grip (palms down) 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.
Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

3. Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

90% 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.
Dumbbell Finger Curls

4. Dumbbell Finger Curls

88.6% 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.
Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl

5. Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl

88% 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.
Finger Curls

6. Finger Curls

86.4% 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.
Palms-Down Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

7. Palms-Down Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

86.4% 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 pronated grip (palms facing down) 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.
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl

8. Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl

86% 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 overhand grip, palms facing down.
  2. Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge.
  3. Slowly curl your wrists upward, bringing the barbell towards your body.
  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.
Band Wrist Curl

9. Band Wrist Curl

85.4% 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.
Seated Palm-Up Barbell Wrist Curl

10. Seated Palm-Up Barbell Wrist Curl

85% 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.

Why You Might Need a Barbell Wrist Curl Alternative

You may substitute Barbell Wrist Curl V.2 for several practical reasons: wrist pain from loaded wrist extension, lack of a suitable barbell, or a goal to train grip endurance rather than pure wrist flexion. Biomechanically, the barbell wrist curl isolates wrist flexors (flexor carpi radialis/ulnaris, palmaris longus) and minimizes elbow involvement. Switch to a unilateral dumbbell wrist curl to correct imbalances, choose reverse curls to bias the brachioradialis, or use plate pinches and carries for functional isometric strength. Cue: keep elbows pinned and allow only wrist motion to preserve forearm isolation and minimize compensatory shoulder or elbow movement.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on equipment, pain tolerance, and desired adaptation. If you lack a barbell, choose dumbbell wrist curls for identical wrist flexion mechanics; cue a 2-0-2 tempo with full concentric squeeze and controlled eccentric. For brachioradialis emphasis pick reverse curls or hammer-style carries to shift activation toward wrist extensors and brachioradialis. For grip endurance or rehab use plate pinches and timed farmer carries; keep scapula neutral and squeeze the load for maximum forearm recruitment. If wrist mobility or pain limits movement, favor neutral-grip holds or isometrics to load without painful wrist flexion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Barbell Wrist Curl V. 2 work?

Barbell Wrist Curl V.2 primarily targets wrist flexors: flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, and palmaris longus, with secondary activation in the finger flexors and forearm pronators. To feel the target muscles, rest your forearm on a bench with the palm up and perform pure wrist flexion without moving the elbow.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Wrist Curl V. 2?

The best bodyweight alternative is towel or fingertip hangs and towel pull-ups, which build isometric forearm and grip strength while stressing the flexors. Cue: grip the towel with thumbs opposed, retract the scapula, and squeeze through the fingertips during each hang or pull to maximize forearm recruitment.

Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Wrist Curl V. 2?

Yes, you can achieve forearm hypertrophy using dumbbell wrist curls, reverse curls, cable wrist curls, heavy plate pinches, and loaded carries. Use progressive overload (increase load, reps, or time under tension) and tempo control, for example, a 2-second concentric and 3-second eccentric, to stimulate muscle growth.

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