maratoolSeated Two-Arm Palms-Up Low-Pulley Wrist Curl
How to do the seated two-arm palms-up low-pulley wrist curl
- Put a bench in front of a low pulley machine that has a barbell or EZ Curl attachment on it.
- Move the bench far enough away so that when you bring the handle to the top of your thighs tension is created on the cable due to the weight stack being moved up.
- Now hold the handle with both hands, palms up, using a shoulder-width grip.
- Step back and sit on the bench with your feet about shoulder width apart, firmly on the floor.
- Lean forward and place the forearms on your thighs with the back of your wrists over your knees. This will be your starting position.
- Lower the bar as far as possible, while inhaling and keeping a tight grip.
- Now curl the bar up as high as possible while contracting the forearms. Tip: Only the wrist should move; not the forearms.
- After a second contraction at the top go back to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles worked
The prime movers are the forearm flexors and extensors, which move the wrist and keep the hand closed around whatever you are holding.
Every exercise for:Forearms
How this movement works
One joint changes angle and the resistance travels toward you along a single arc. Nothing is positioned to help, so tension stays where you aimed it and the usable load drops sharply against a multi-joint pull for the same muscle. Protect the range of motion; buying weight by shortening the arc defeats the point.
It is filed under strength: produce force against resistance for a countable number of repetitions, and progress the resistance over time.
What you need
A cable holds tension for the whole range, including the point where a free weight would go slack. Moving the pulley changes the angle the resistance arrives from without changing the movement.
Every exercise using:Cable
These train the forearms too, using equipment this one does not:
- Standing Palms-Up Barbell Behind The Back Wrist Curlbarbell
- Wrist Circlesbody only
- Bottoms-Up Clean From The Hang Positionkettlebell
- Dumbbell Lying Pronationdumbbell
Difficulty
Listed at beginner level: the pattern is simple enough to pick up without coaching, and a position that goes wrong mid-set is obvious enough to correct on the next repetition.
Of the 25 forearms exercises in this database, 18 are listed at beginner level.
Photos: free-exercise-db — public domain (Unlicense) Full attribution →
ⓘ Informational only — not a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice.