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Dumbbell One Arm Revers Wrist Curl animation

How to do the Dumbbell One Arm Revers Wrist Curl

ForearmsDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell one arm reverse wrist curl is one of the most direct tools for building the extensor muscles along the top of your forearm, a region most lifters chronically neglect. Developing this strength balances your grip, protects your elbows, and builds the kind of thick, complete forearm development that sets serious athletes apart.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Forearms
Secondary
Grip

Step-by-step

  1. Sit at the edge of a bench, rest your forearm palm-down across your thigh with your wrist hanging just past your knee, and grip a light dumbbell with an overhand hold.
  2. Let the dumbbell lower under control as your wrist drops toward the floor, feeling a full stretch in the forearm extensors.
  3. Drive the dumbbell upward by curling your wrist toward your shin as high as your range allows, squeezing the extensors hard at the top.
  4. Lower slowly over two to three seconds and repeat for the full set before switching arms.

Common mistakes

  • Rocking the elbow off the thigh to compensate for too much weight, which removes tension from the extensors — pin your forearm firmly against your leg throughout every rep.
  • Using a load that is far too heavy, forcing a shortened choppy range of motion — drop the weight until you can achieve full wrist flexion at the bottom and full extension at the top.
  • Rushing through reps and losing the eccentric — the lowering phase is where much of the adaptive stimulus lives, so control every descent deliberately.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, pause for a full one-second isometric hold and actively think about pulling your knuckles toward your forearm rather than just lifting the dumbbell, this recruits the extensor digitorum more completely and accelerates strength gains in the often-missed upper forearm.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

More Forearms exercises

Barbell Wrist Reverse Curl (VERSION 2)Barbell Wrist Reverse Curl (VERSION 2)Barbell Reverse CurlBarbell Reverse CurlBarbell Reverse Preacher CurlBarbell Reverse Preacher CurlBarbell Reverse Wrist CurlBarbell Reverse Wrist CurlBarbell Standing Reverse Grip CurlBarbell Standing Reverse Grip CurlBarbell Wrist Curl (VERSION 2)Barbell Wrist Curl (VERSION 2)
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