Intermediate

Reverse Barbell Curl

The palms-down grip shifts the load off the biceps and onto the brachioradialis and wrist extensors, building the thick upper forearm that fills a sleeve. It also strengthens wrist extension, which supports every heavy pull. Run it after your main biceps work with strict form and moderate weight.

Equipment
Barbell
Body part
Forearms
Type
Strength
Browse by muscle
Brachioradialis
Browse by movement
Elbow Flexion
Muscles worked
Target
Brachioradialis
Secondary
Extensors, Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head
Tertiary
Extensor Carpi Ulnaris

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand holding a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip, arms hanging straight.

  2. 2

    Keep your elbows tucked against your sides and your wrists firm and straight.

  3. 3

    Curl the bar up toward your shoulders without letting your wrists collapse.

  4. 4

    Squeeze at the top, keeping the knuckles driving upward.

  5. 5

    Lower the bar slowly all the way to full arm extension.

  6. 6

    Avoid swinging your torso to move the weight.

Tips

  • Expect to use around a third less weight than a standard curl. The overhand grip is far weaker.
  • Keep your wrists neutral, not curled under, so the extensors stay engaged and safe.
  • An EZ-bar reduces wrist strain if the straight bar bothers you.
  • Drive with the elbows, not the shoulders, and keep the upper arms motionless.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Holding the bar without the thumbs wrapped, so it rolls back toward the fingertips as you tire and the wrists spend the set fighting to keep it level.
  • Letting the bar swing forward into an arc away from your thighs on the way up, which brings the shoulders into a lift they have no business in. The bar should travel close, almost brushing your body.
  • Checking your hand spacing only at the start. One hand slides along the knurling over a few reps and the bar starts to tip, so glance down and reset if the gap has moved.
  • Ignoring soreness on the outside of the elbow, which this movement pulls on directly. Back the load off and cut the reps rather than pushing through it for another week.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the reverse barbell curl should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Begin with an empty EZ bar or a light straight bar, and expect to handle roughly a third less than your standard curl. Three sets of 10 to 12 at the end of your arm work is the target. Move up in the smallest plates the gym has, usually 1.25 kg a side, because the forearms gain slowly and the elbow tendons slower still. Once or twice a week is enough, and if you row or deadlift heavy, run this afterwards rather than before.
What can I use instead of a barbell for reverse curls?
Dumbbells held overhand let each wrist find its own angle, which is easier on the joint. A low cable with a straight bar keeps the tension on all the way up. At home, stand on a band and grip it palms-down, or hang a loaded bag from the middle of a broom handle. If it is the straight bar that hurts rather than the exercise, try an EZ bar first before switching movements.
Reverse barbell curl or standard barbell curl, what is the difference?
Turning the palms down takes the biceps off its strongest line and puts the brachioradialis and the wrist extensors in charge, so it thickens the upper forearm and strengthens the overhand position you hold a bar in for every heavy pull. It is not a biceps mass builder and it is not a lift to chase weight on; the loads stay small by design. Leave it out while the outside of your elbow is sore, and come back to it light once that has settled.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Forearms exercises