Stronger

Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl

Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl demonstration

Category

isolation

Difficulty

beginner

Equipment

barbell

Force Type

pull

How to Perform the Barbell Standing Back Wrist Curl

  1. Stand upright and hold a barbell behind your back with an overhand grip, hands about shoulder-width apart, with the bar resting against your glutes.
  2. Let the barbell roll down to your fingertips by extending your wrists and relaxing your grip slightly.
  3. Curl your fingers to grip the bar, then flex your wrists upward as high as possible, squeezing the forearms at the top.
  4. Hold the peak contraction for a brief moment to maximise muscle engagement.
  5. Slowly lower the bar back down by extending your wrists in a controlled manner.
  6. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps, keeping your arms and body stationary throughout.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using too much weight, reducing range of motion

Use a moderate weight that allows full wrist flexion and extension through the complete range of motion.

Moving the arms or swinging the body

Keep your upper body still and arms straight; only your wrists should move during this exercise.

Rushing through repetitions

Perform each rep slowly and deliberately to maximise time under tension on the forearm muscles.

Muscles Worked

Benefits

  • Builds grip strength essential for heavy pulling exercises like deadlifts and rows.
  • Increases forearm mass and definition.
  • The standing behind-the-back position allows a natural wrist path with less wrist strain.

Pro Tips

  • The behind-the-back position allows for a greater range of motion than the seated version.
  • Let the bar roll to your fingertips at the bottom for extra finger flexor work.
  • Pair with wrist extensions for balanced forearm development.

Variations

Recommended Sets & Reps

Strength

4-5 sets of 8-10 reps

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 12-15 reps

Endurance

2-3 sets of 20-30 reps

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