Banded Reverse Wrist Curl
Also known as: resistance band reverse wrist curl
- Primary muscleForearms
- EquipmentResistance Band
- DifficultyBeginner
- TypeIsolation · Pull
- Secondary muscles
- None
- Body part
- Forearms
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed
Wrist extensors on the back of your forearm are far weaker than the flexors, and a band suits them well because resistance starts near zero and builds as you lift your knuckles. Wrap the band around your fingers with palms down and work off your thighs. A light band outperforms plates for most lifters here.
How to do the Banded Reverse Wrist Curl
- Sit on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the ground.
- Hold the band with an overhand grip, palms facing down, and wrap it around your fingers.
- Rest your forearms on your thighs, with your wrists hanging off the edge.
- Slowly curl your wrists upward, squeezing your forearms.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Use higher reps, 15 to 25, and lower the weight through a full three-second descent.
Muscles worked
Primary
Forearms · Arms
Wrist curls work the flexors on the palm side and reverse wrist curls the extensors on the back, and both should burn deeply by the end of a set of 15 to 20.
Secondary
Mostly isolated — few other muscles assist this movement.
Common mistakes
- Using the whole arm — the forearms should rest on a bench or your thighs with only the hands moving; if the elbows lift, you are cheating.
- Gripping hard on the descent — let the bar roll down to the fingertips at the bottom of a wrist curl for the full range before curling back up.
- Reverse curls too heavy — the wrist extensors are small, so use about half of what you use for regular wrist curls.
- Fast, short reps — go slowly through the full range and feel the stretch at the bottom, since jerky reps with a heavy weight are how wrists get irritated.
Where it fits in a workout
Wrist curls go last in a session after all the pulling and gripping work is done. Superset regular and reverse wrist curls back to back.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without resistance band
Easier and harder
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
Track the Banded Reverse Wrist Curl in SetGrip
All 1,100+ exercises with animations are in the app. No account, no sign-up — your history stays on your iPhone and in your private iCloud. Works with Apple Watch.
More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.