How to do it
- Stand with a barbell behind your back, held at arms length with palms facing back.
- Let the bar roll down into the fingers, then curl it up with the wrists.
- Lower slowly to the full stretch.
Cues that matter
- The behind-the-back position gives a deeper stretch than the seated version.
- Keep the arms completely straight.
Common mistakes
- Bending the elbows to help the bar up.
- Shrugging the shoulders through the rep.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Forearms
- Flexors
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Behind-the-Back Barbell Wrist Curl in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the forearms with different equipment — for a day the barbell is taken, or a gym that does not have one.