Bench Dumbbell Forearm Supination
In SetGrip: Dumbbell Forearm Supination (Bench)
Lying chest-down with arms hanging turns supination into a strict drill, because the bench stops the shoulder rotation that usually fakes this movement when standing. Rotating palm-up against an off-center dumbbell hits the supinators and biceps in their twisting role rather than their curling role. Pair it with the pronation version off the same bench.
How to do the Bench Dumbbell Forearm Supination
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing up and your arms fully extended.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the dumbbells towards your shoulders by contracting your forearms.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Use high reps, 15 to 25, and a light weight you can move through the full range with control.
Muscles worked
Common mistakes
- Moving the elbow — the forearm should rest on the bench or your thigh and only the hand should turn; if the elbow lifts, you are using the biceps.
- Rushing through the range — go slowly and pause at each end so the small forearm muscles do the work rather than momentum.
- Going too heavy — these movements use small muscles, so a light dumbbell or plate is plenty; the goal is a burn, not a max.
- Bar rolling off the fingertips — on finger curls let it go to the second knuckle and no further, then curl it back into the palm.
Where it fits in a workout
Forearm work goes at the very end of a session after all gripping is done. Superset finger curls with reverse wrist curls.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
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.
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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.