10 Best Palms-up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench Alternatives for Home or Gym

If you can't do palms-up barbell wrist curls over a bench, choose movements that still isolate the wrist flexors and forearm. Effective options include seated dumbbell wrist curls, cable wrist curls, forearm rollers, and farmer carries. Cue: support the forearm, lead with the knuckles and perform a controlled 2–3s eccentric while moving only at the wrist.

Original Exercise: Palms-up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench

Palms-up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench
Primary Muscle
Forearms
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
How to Perform Palms-up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench
  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.
  6. Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise.
  7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Pull
  • Movement type: Isolation

Ranked Palms-up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell Wrist Curl

1. Barbell Wrist Curl

99.9% 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.
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 Palms-up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench Alternative

You may swap this exercise because of wrist or elbow pain, lack of a bench or appropriate barbell, or a desire for different loading patterns. Substitutes let you change leverages and grip to reduce joint stress while maintaining flexor carpi radialis/ulnaris activation. For example, a seated dumbbell wrist curl keeps the forearm supported to isolate wrist flexors; lower weight and slower eccentrics reduce shear at the distal radioulnar joint. If your goal is grip endurance instead of pure isolation, moves like farmer carries shift demand to finger flexors and overall forearm stabilizers. Cue: keep the elbow fixed and move only the wrist to preserve isolation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Pick a substitute based on available equipment, specific muscle emphasis, and your injury history. If you want pure wrist flexor isolation and bilateral loading, use seated dumbbell or standing barbell wrist curls with a supinated grip to bias flexor carpi radialis and ulnaris. Choose cable wrist curls to maintain constant tension and control eccentric speed; cue: hold a light weight and extend for 2–3 seconds on the down phase. If you lack weights but need grip strength, use a forearm roller or farmer carry which increases finger flexor and brachioradialis activation. Match the exercise to the biomechanics you want, support the forearm for isolation, use loaded carries for integrated strength.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

It primarily targets the wrist flexors, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor digitorum superficialis, plus the finger flexors to a lesser degree. When executed with a supinated grip and a supported forearm, the movement isolates wrist flexion while minimizing biceps or shoulder involvement; keep the wrist as the only moving joint for maximal flexor recruitment.

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

Fingertip holds and fingertip push-ups are the most practical bodyweight choices to load the finger and wrist flexors. Cue: perform fingertip holds with straight arms and squeeze the fingers into the floor for 10–30 seconds, or do controlled fingertip push-ups with a slow 2–3s descent to emphasize forearm flexor activation.

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

Yes, you can hypertrophy forearms using alternative loading schemes and exercises that stress the same wrist flexors, such as seated dumbbell wrist curls, cable wrist curls, and forearm rollers. Use progressive overload, controlled eccentrics, and maintain strict wrist-only motion to maximize muscle tension and growth.

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