are a classic exercise for hypertrophy of the forearm muscles, that is, this exercise is aimed specifically at developing muscle mass, and not strength indicators. If you need grip strength to hold a barbell during deadlifts or other lifts, then static load exercises or exercises that develop hand grip function are better suited for you. The forearm performs 5 main functions: it bends the hand down, extends it outward, pronates and supinates the hand, and also squeezes the fingers. In this case, you will train the function of wrist flexion, which, by the way, will make you stronger in arm wrestling. Is this the optimal way to train the forearm? Yes, bending is included in the mass-gaining set of exercises for hand development.
Wrist curls can be performed at the end of an arm workout, or after a back workout. If you do not allocate enough volume to forearm training from 3-4 exercises, then it is better to train the forearm after you have previously fatigued it. The forearm receives load when it has to hold the weight of the barbell suspended, which is why it is recommended to train it after training the traction muscle groups. The fact is that, despite their size, the forearms are quite durable, they contain a lot of slow-twitch muscle fibers, as a result of which they need to be trained not with heavy weights, but with a careful slow volume load.
Work of muscles and joints
When performing wrist curls, the inner part of the forearm, the so-called wrist flexors, mainly works. The exercise is isolating, so other muscle groups are not involved, but this is good in this case, since the forearm consists of very small muscles, as a result of which, if additional muscles are involved, the target muscle simply will not receive the load, or rather, the load will be insufficient for its hypertrophy . This is why it is not recommended for beginners to train the forearm, since poor neuromuscular connection It simply won’t allow them to be loaded with quality.
Wrist curls load only one joint, so getting injured even with a small amount of weight is quite easy. The predominance of slow muscle fibers, combined with the concentration of the load in one joint, forces you to perform the exercise at a slow pace. It's best to train your forearms for a high number of repetitions until you feel a slight burning sensation. It is important that the burning sensation is light and not excessive, since a strong burning sensation indicates excess lactic acid. Lactic acid breaks down into hydrogen ions and lactate, the latter slows down the recovery of contractile proteins, and the former is necessary for their synthesis. The most favorable ratio of lactate and hydrogen ions is when the burning sensation is moderate.
Wrist curls - diagram
1) Place a bench in front of you, turn your hands with your palms facing you, pick up a barbell, sit on your knees and rest your forearms on the bench.
2) You can also perform the exercise while sitting on a bench with your hands on your feet, or standing with your palms facing away from you and your arms behind your back.
3) Slowly lower your wrist down, inhaling air, then bend your hand up as much as possible and lock in this position.
4) Repeat the curls slowly and under control 15-20 times, each repetition taking 3-4 seconds.
Wrist flexion – notes
1) To deepen the load, you can not only bend and straighten your hand, but also roll the barbell onto your fingers, which will allow you to better stretch the muscles.
2) You need to breathe evenly and deeply, which will allow you to better concentrate on the work of the target muscle group.
3) Keep your back lordosis, that is, bend it in the lower back; this is necessary not to relieve the load on the spine, but for better blood circulation.
4) Instead of a barbell, you can use dumbbells, which will make it possible to alternately bend your wrists. This method of training them can be used if you have trouble feeling the muscles working, or if one arm is lagging behind.
Anatomy
The forearm is a very small muscle group, but it performs important strength functions. In bodybuilding, of course, you can use straps that take the load off your wrists, which eliminates the need for a strong forearm. However, the forearm is always visible, so forearm workout has its place in bodybuilding. The main muscle groups that it makes sense for a bodybuilder to train are the brachioradialis muscle, the pronator muscle and the flexor wrist muscle. It follows from this that the most effective exercises for building forearm muscle mass are reverse-grip barbell curls, wrist curls, and inward wrist rolls with a one-sided dumbbell.
To summarize, we can say that wrist curls are an effective isolating exercise that allows you to specifically load and thereby hypertrophy the inner surface of the forearm. The exercise should be performed only by those athletes who have already sufficiently developed their overall muscle mass and whose forearm lags behind. If you start training the forearm in the very first days of your training, it will be pointless, since you will only waste time and effort on them, instead of devoting sufficient time to large muscle groups. Those athletes who have difficulty feeling the work of the wrist flexor are recommended to work on developing neuromuscular connections.
Purpose of the exercise: Development of internal muscles - flexors of the forearm.
The regular barbell curl puts a lot of stress on your wrists, but curling your wrists allows you to better isolate these muscles.
Performance:(1) Grasp the barbell with an underhand grip, keeping your hands as close as possible. Sit “astride” a bench and spread your legs so that your elbows and forearms are on the bench, but your wrists are poking over the edge of the bench. Tuck your elbows into your knees for stability. (2) Bend your wrists and lower the barbell toward the floor. At the bottom of the movement, carefully straighten your fingers and let the bar roll even lower, towards the phalanges of your fingers. Then roll the barbell back, tense your forearms, and lift the barbell as high as you can without lifting your forearms off the bench. Like your calves, your forearms need a lot of stimulation to grow, so don't be afraid to give them a full workout.
WRIST FLEX WITH DUMBBELL
Purpose of the exercise: Isolation and development of the forearms. This is a variation of the dumbbell wrist curl that allows you to alternately isolate the forearm muscles.
Performance:(1) Take a dumbbell and sit on a bench. Lean forward and place your forearm on your thigh so that the hand with the dumbbell is above your knee, palm facing up. Lean forward and grab your working elbow with your free hand for stability. Bend your wrist and lower the dumbbell to the floor as far as possible, extending your fingers slightly so that the dumbbell rolls down your palm. (2) Curl your fingers and, using the force of your wrist rather than your biceps, lift the dumbbell as high as you can. Having completed the series with one hand, repeat the exercise with the other hand.
WRIST FLEX WITH A BAR BEHIND THE BACK
Purpose of the exercise: Development of the forearm flexor muscles. This is a real strength exercise for the forearm muscles, and you can do it with quite a lot of weight.
Performance:(1) Approach your back to the rack and grasp the barbell. Remove it from the rack and hold it at arm's length behind you, with your hands approximately shoulder-width apart with your palms facing back. (2) Keeping your hands still, extend your fingers slightly and let the bar roll down toward the phalanges of your fingers. Then bend your fingers, grab the barbell and lift it up and back as far as you can, squeezing your forearm muscles. Make sure that only your wrists move during the exercise.
REVERSE WRIST FLEX WITH BAR (seated or on an isolation bench)
Purpose of the exercise: Development of external muscles - extensors of the forearm.
Performance:(1) Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip with your hands about 10 inches apart. Rest your forearms on your thighs or on an isolation bench so they are parallel to the floor and your wrists hang freely in the air. Bend your wrists forward and lower the barbell as far as you can. (2) Then raise your wrists as high as possible, trying to keep your forearms stationary.
REVERSE WRIST CUSHION WITH DUMBBELLS
This exercise trains the extensor muscles of the forearm. By using dumbbells, you allow each hand to work separately without helping each other.
REVERSE WRIST FLEX WITH BAR (STANDING)
Purpose of the exercise: Development of biceps and forearm extensor muscles.
Performance:(1) Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart. Lower the barbell with your arms outstretched in front of you. (2) Keeping your elbows steady, bend your arms with the barbell and lift it up, starting the movement at the crook of your wrist. (3) Bring the bar to your chin, contract your biceps, then slowly lower the bar to the starting position.
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Athletes who love martial arts or weightlifting must have powerful hands and wrists. In this sport, a strong grip and excellent striking power are very important. The most effective way to strengthen your hands is considered to be seated wrist curls.
This exercise is very similar to barbell wrist extensions. When performing exercises, the palmaris longus muscle, as well as the ulnar and radial flexor carpi muscles, are involved in flexion. In addition to the main muscles, secondary muscles also participate in it, which help the main muscles withstand the load.
Part of the load falls on the superficial and deep flexors of the fingers. It is precisely because they are trained that the athlete’s grip strength depends. When the muscles are not very powerfully trained, the athlete is not able to deliver a strong blow and hold a heavy barbell.
This activity is always done together with other activities of the same plan that are aimed at working the muscles. Nobody does curls at the very beginning of a workout because they have a very high load. This is why athletes should first warm up their wrists and forearms with a slightly different type of activity.
How to do this exercise correctly
Barbell wrist curls are a simple exercise, but those just starting to do them should definitely learn the tactics. Since inaccurate execution of this bending can cause serious injury. That’s why, to avoid injury during training, you should follow the correct technique:
- Take the original position. The athlete should sit on a horizontal bench and pick up the barbell with a reverse grip. The forearms are positioned so that they are parallel to each other. The hands should be well tensed under the weight.
- The fingers should hold the bar firmly, preventing it from swinging while the exercise is performed. It is necessary to keep your forearms and elbows motionless. Because every unnecessary body movement tires the athlete very much.
- The wrists should not bend quickly and the bar should be held horizontally. Having reached the highest point, you should take a short break, after which the wrists should return to their original position.
- Forcefully, perhaps without delay, twist the barbell up and bend your arms at the wrists.
- Should be repeated as often as needed.
Bending can be performed with both a straight and curved bar. You just need to choose the most comfortable position, the main thing is not to feel any discomfort in the wrist area. Some find it convenient to perform this task with a straight bar, while others are more suited to perform it with a curved bar.
The choice directly depends on personal preferences. Beginners, for example, are encouraged to replace the barbell with dumbbells.
What muscles work
Beginner men should train with a barbell that weighs no more than 15 kilograms, and beginner girls should train with a barbell that weighs 12 kilograms. It is necessary to do 10–13 repetitions in one approach, this will be enough for the muscles of the forearm and hand to get a good load. Two or three sets should be performed, depending on the athlete’s level of training.
These exercises significantly strengthen your grip using your fingers. Such exercises are necessary for wrestlers and weightlifters, who must have a strong grip. The most important thing is not to overexert yourself during training, since the wrist is the weak point of all people.
Nuances
If you do this exercise incorrectly, there is a risk of injury to your wrist. That is why it is necessary to study bending tactics very carefully. At the very beginning, attention is paid to the working weight.
The first lessons do not need to use a heavy barbell, since every beginner’s wrists are very weak. The most suitable option is to start training with an empty bar or light dumbbells so that the joints get used to the new loads. If you feel that pain, reduce the load.
To create additional protection, you should stop all kinds of swinging with the barbell. If the weight begins to jump in different directions, the athlete will need to use all available forces so that the bar returns to its normal position. It happens that this cannot be done without using a sudden movement, in this case the risk of injury increases.
Most often, inexperienced athletes who do not know the tactics of performing exercises make mistakes. The biggest mistake is a lot of unnecessary back movements. Almost every untrained athlete wants to use his legs and back while lifting the weight.
Conclusion
You should always do a warm-up. Without warming up, it is impossible to prepare the joints; to do this, you should make several rotational movements with your hands.
Seated wrist curls with a barbell are best done on a comfortable flat bench. A curved or straight bar is required. Wrestlers who lift heavy weights should wrap their hands with an elastic bandage.
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Bending the wrists with a barbell, along with extensions, is used to develop the muscles of the forearms and, without which progress in many strength exercises is impossible. Flexion and extension of the hands can be performed in the gym or at home, using either a barbell or any other “heavy” equipment. Let's look at the exercise in more detail.
Features of the exercise
Wrist flexion is provided by small, deeply located muscles of the same name - wrist flexors. The antagonists are, respectively, extensors. Together they provide mobility of the hands, and with proper development, together with the brachioradialis muscle, they give the forearm a characteristic volume and relief. Also, when training the forearms with weights, the finger flexor muscles, which provide grip strength, are stressed.
In everyday life, we make quite a lot of movements with our hands, however, this is not enough for the level of muscle development required by an athlete.
Wrist flexions and extensions are performed with the maximum number of repetitions and approaches. You can use a special cabinet, stand, bench, or your own thighs as support. The weight should be light (the muscles are quite small). You can use:
- A barbell or an empty bar.
- Dumbbells. In this case, it will be more convenient to train the right and left hands in turn.
- An expander that can be secured near the floor.
- Any other weight that is at hand (for home training).
A contraindication to performing wrist flexion and extension is the presence of recent injuries in this area.
Flexion and extension technique
Take your starting position. To do this, you need to stand or sit so that your elbows are supported, the angle at the elbow joints is 90 degrees, and your hands can move freely. You can sit astride a bench and place your forearms on the edge, kneel in front of a bedside table and also rest your forearms on it, or simply sit and rest your hands on your hips. The main condition is the immobility of the shoulder and forearm during the exercise.
To perform barbell curls:
- Take the bar with an underhand grip, placing your hands slightly narrower than your shoulders. Take your starting position. If you work out in the gym, sit on a bench and place your forearms on it so that your hands hang down. To make it more comfortable, you can first sit correctly and then ask your partner to hand you the barbell.
- From the lowest position, bend your arms at the wrists.
The exercise is performed for 15–20 repetitions, in 3–4 approaches. You can do it to failure.
To perform extensions:
- Without changing the starting position, change your grip. You should now hold the weight with an overhand grip. The weight may need to be reduced a little, since straightening your arms is more difficult than bending them.
- Raise your hands up as far as the flexibility of your joints allows, and lower them to the starting position.
The number of approaches and repetitions is similar to curls. That is, do it 15–20 times or until failure in 3–4 approaches.
Despite the fact that the exercise technique is quite simple, following these recommendations will help you train your forearms and grip as effectively as possible:
- While performing the movement, do not lift your forearms from the support. The angle at the elbow joint is always straight. Flexion and extension occur at the wrist joint.
- If you have some skill (if the exercise is new to you), when you perform wrist curls, you can slightly straighten your fingers at the bottom of the movement. The weight will shift closer to the fingertips, the amplitude of movement will increase, and accordingly, muscle development will be more effective.
- Control your feelings during exercise and do not make sudden movements.
You can do wrist extensions and curls in any position (sitting, kneeling, etc.). In terms of efficiency, they are generally the same. The decisive role in this exercise is played by the number of repetitions/approaches and technique.
I. p.: sitting on a bench, barbell with arms extended upward, grip from above, narrow grip.
Lower the barbell behind your head and lift it in a semicircular arc to the starting position. Do not spread your elbows to the sides, keep them closer to your head. Instead of a barbell, you can use a dumbbell (photo 3.142-3.144).
Under development muscles: basic-triceps brachii;
additional - deltoid muscle, forearm muscles.
3. Flexion-extension of arms (sitting on bench with rear support)
I. p.: sitting on a bench, rest your hands on the edge of any elevation behind you, put your feet
to another elevation. Bending your arms, slowly lower your torso down to the extreme position. Then, straightening your arms, return to the starting position. To increase the load, it is recommended to place a barbell disc on your hips (photo 3-145 -3 -147)-
Muscles worked: main - triceps brachii;
additional - posterior deltoid bundles muscles.
4. Retracting the arm with a dumbbell back (standing at an angle)
I. p.: standing bent over on your right leg, lean your left hand and left knee on the bench,
hold the dumbbell in your right bent arm, with your elbow pointing upward. Extend your arm at the elbow joint until fully straightened. Fix the upper end position for 1-2 seconds and lower the dumbbell to its original position (photo 3.148-3.150).
Under development muscles:
additional - posterior bundles of deltoid muscles, latissimus dorsi muscles.
5. Arm extension with a dumbbell (from behind the head up)
I. p.: sitting on a bench, a dumbbell above your head with your arm extended upward, your elbow located closer to your head. Lower the dumbbell behind your head until your forearm is parallel to the floor. Then
raise your hand to the starting position (photo 3-151_3-153)-
Under development muscles: the main ones are the triceps brachii muscle;
additional - deltoid muscle, muscles forearms.
Photo 3.139 Photo 3.140 Photo 3.141
Photo 3.142 Photo 3.143 Photo 3.144
Classification of physical exercises in powerlifting
Photo 3.145 Photo 3.146 Photo 3.147
Photo 3.148 Photo 3.150
Photo 3.151 Photo 3.152 Photo 3.153
Pulldown of the upper block (standing)
I. p.: standing facing the block simulator, feet shoulder-width apart, back straight. Grab the bar from above at chest level, arms bent at the elbow joints and pressed to the body. Extending your forearms, slowly pull the bar of the exercise machine down until your arms are fully straightened at the elbow joints. Fix the position at the lowest point of the range of motion for 1-2 seconds,
then, bending your arms, return to the starting position (photo 3.154-3-15b).
Muscles worked:
the main ones are the triceps brachii muscle; additional - deltoid muscle, forearm muscles
A wide grip mainly loads the long head of the triceps brachii, while a narrow grip loads the lateral head.
Powerlifting. From beginner to master
Photo 3.154 Photo 3.155 Photo 3.156
General preparatory exercises for the development of the biceps brachii muscle
Bending the arms at the elbow joints (with a barbell, standing)
I. p.: standing, feet shoulder-width apart, barbell in lowered hands (underhand grip). Raise the barbell in a wide arc as high as possible (while keeping your elbows motionless and pressed to your body). Pause at the top point. Then lower the barbell down in the same arc until your arms are fully straightened. If during movement the palm is turned upward, then the entire biceps is evenly loaded. If the thumb is directed upward throughout the entire trajectory of movement, then the lower part of the biceps is loaded. This exercise can be performed with dumbbells, bending your arms at the same time
directly or alternately (photo 3-157 -3 -159)-
Under development muscles: main - two-headed muscle shoulder;
additional - shoulder muscle, brachioradialis muscle, anterior deltoid bundles
muscles, forearm muscles