Barbell Wrist Extension

How to Perform the Barbell Wrist Extension

Sit on a bench and hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands about shoulder-width apart, palms facing downward.
Rest your forearms on your thighs with your wrists extending just past your knees.
Let your wrists hang down so the barbell drops as low as comfortable, stretching the wrist extensors.
Extend your wrists upward as high as possible, curling the barbell toward the ceiling.
Hold the top position briefly, squeezing the outer forearm muscles.
Slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position under control and repeat.

Using too heavy a weight

The wrist extensors are smaller than the flexors; use a lighter weight than you would for wrist curls.

Moving the forearms off the thighs

Keep your forearms pinned to your thighs so the movement occurs only at the wrist joint.

Performing the exercise too quickly

Slow, controlled reps are essential for forearm isolation; aim for a 2-second up and 2-second down tempo.

✓Strengthens the wrist extensors for balanced forearm development.
✓Helps prevent common overuse injuries like tennis elbow and wrist strain.
✓Improves grip endurance and wrist stability for all pulling and pressing exercises.

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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