Leaning Wrist Curls - A Forearm BLAST

The wrist curl is a very effective forearm exercise - it's a classic for very good reason...it works! But if there's one thing I've discovered in my years of training, there is ALWAYS a better way to do even the most common and effective exercises. The Wrist Curl is no exception.

To do this unique variation of the wrist curl, you're going to need two dumbells, a flat bench and another raised surface (it can be another bench, a chair, a machine or even the rails of a power rack - it should be the same height or a little higher than the bench you're using). I will use a chair as the example for this exercise.

Use a weight you could do about 12 to 15 reps with on regular dumbell wrist curls. Place the bench about 3 feet in front of the chair - when you see how the exercise is done, you'll be able to adjust how far apart you place the bench and chair. The bench should be perpendicular to the chair as you'll be doing the wrist curl exercise with your forearms across the WIDTH of the bench.

Stand between the bench and the chair - you should be facing the bench. Pick up your two dumbells. Rest your forearms on the bench with your palms facing up, and kneel down in front of the bench, just as though you were about to do a wrist curl. I prefer to set the forearms on the bench just far enough apart so that the dumbell ends are pressed together during the exercise. I find this helps increase the force you're able to generate during the exercise.

So now you're kneeling in front of the bench, your wrists are extended down and you're about to do a wrist curl. STOP! Here's the trick. You're going to set your feet up on that chair behind you!

When your feet are up on the chair, keep your body completely tight and straight. Let your bodyweight lean forward and down onto your forearms. Bend your elbows so that they are as bent as they can be and your entire bodyweight is leaning forward and supported on your forearms.

NOW start doing wrist curls. You'll find, with your forearms not only performing the wrist curl movement but also supporting your bodyweight AND with the elbows in the completely flexed position, your forearms will get a MUCH harder workout than with just plain wrist curls alone.

I recommend that you do this exercise with dumbells rather than a barbell simply because dumbells allow your wrists and forearms greater freedom of movement to not only find their best path for the exercise but also to increase the stabilizing requirement as you're leaning down onto your forearms. Barbells just lock you into the movement too much.

Use this exercise at the end of your workouts - don't do it first or your forearms will be exhausted and you won't be able to grip as well during your workout. It's a killer forearm exercises that takes full advantage of your biomechanics and anatomy to place greater tension on the forearm muscles.

Word of advice, don't try and do anything that requires any degree of fine motor control in your hands for at least a few minutes after you're done (like writing in a training log). Your forearms will be trashed and your handwriting will end up looking like mine on a good day!

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of BetterU, Inc., an internet- based personal training company. He has been training for more than 14 years and has been a personal trainer for more than 8 years. He is the author of the training eBooks "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of", "Gluteus to the Maximus" and "Specialization Training". Go to his Web site for more information on these books.

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