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Smith Seated Wrist Curl animation

How to do the Smith Seated Wrist Curl

ForearmsSmith MachineBeginner

The Smith machine gives you a fixed, stable bar path that makes the seated wrist curl one of the most controlled ways to load your forearm flexors as a beginner. Build grip strength and wrist integrity here and every pulling and pressing movement you do will feel stronger for it.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Forearms
Secondary
Grip

Step-by-step

  1. Sit on a bench in front of the Smith machine, set the bar low, and drape your forearms along your thighs with your wrists hanging just past your knees.
  2. Uncurl your fingers slightly to let the bar roll to your fingertips, then curl it back up by flexing your wrists as high as possible.
  3. Hold the peak contraction for one count, feeling the forearm flexors fully shorten.
  4. Lower the bar slowly under control back to the starting position and repeat for the full set.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows lift off the thighs during the curl, which turns it into an arm movement rather than isolating the wrist flexors — keep your forearms pinned flat to your legs throughout.
  • Using a weight so heavy that you can only move a few degrees of range, cheating yourself of the full flexion arc — drop the load and curl through the complete range of motion every rep.
  • Rushing the lowering phase and letting the bar drop, which discards half the stimulus — take at least two seconds on the way down to maximise time under tension in the forearm muscles.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, consciously try to roll your knuckles toward your forearm rather than just lifting the bar — that extra degree of flexion fully recruits the wrist flexors and accelerates strength gains in the range that matters most.

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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