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Dumbbell Seated Palms Up Wrist Curl animation

How to do the Dumbbell Seated Palms Up Wrist Curl

ForearmsDumbbellIntermediate

The dumbbell seated palms-up wrist curl is one of the most direct ways to build forearm flexor strength and thickness that translates to a stronger grip in every lift you do. Mastering this simple movement with strict form separates athletes who plateau from those who keep progressing.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Forearms
Secondary
Grip

Step-by-step

  1. Sit on a bench, rest your forearms on your thighs with wrists hanging just past your knees, palms facing up holding a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Let the dumbbells roll to your fingertips under control, fully extending the wrists toward the floor.
  3. Curl the dumbbells upward by flexing your wrists as high as possible, squeezing the forearm flexors hard at the top.
  4. Lower slowly back to full extension over two to three seconds, keeping your forearms pinned to your thighs throughout.

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the forearms off the thighs during the curl, which shifts stress away from the wrists and reduces isolation — keep your forearms anchored firmly on your legs the entire set.
  • Using too much weight and skipping the bottom range, which eliminates the stretch that drives forearm development — choose a load that allows full wrist extension on every rep.
  • Rushing through reps with momentum instead of muscular control, which wastes the time under tension that makes this exercise effective — slow the lowering phase down deliberately.

Pro tip — Allow the dumbbell to roll all the way to your fingertips at the bottom of each rep, then re-grip as you curl up — this finger-flexion component recruits the full length of the forearm flexors and significantly increases the training stimulus compared to a fixed grip.

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

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