Strength · Wrists and forearms
Strength work for the wrists and forearms
The wrist tolerates what it is prepared for. Building that tolerance is slow, boring and one of the highest-value things a lifter can do.
What this trains
This page is about the wrist flexors and extensors, and the grip.
- Wrist flexors
- Wrist extensors
- Finger flexors
- Pronators and supinators
The lifts
- 01Wrist extension curl3 × 15–20, very light
Start with 1–2 kg. The extensors are small and easy to irritate by starting heavy.
- 02Wrist flexion curl3 × 15–20
Forearm supported on a bench so only the wrist moves.
- 03Loaded carry (thick handle)3 × 30 m
Grip fails before the legs do, which is the point of the exercise.
- 04Quadruped wrist rock2 × 10 slow rocks
Body weight through flat hands, rocking gently forward and back. Stop well short of pain.
What this page can't tell you: Wrist pain that has lasted weeks, or any numbness or tingling in the hand, needs a clinician rather than a progression plan.
Other regions
Posturethe upper back, the spinal erectors and the deep abdominal wallDesk workthe hip flexors, the glutes, the upper back and the neck extensorsHipsthe glutes, the abductors, the adductors and the deep external rotatorsHamstringsthe back of the thigh — biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosusBack and spinethe spinal erectors, the lats, the deep trunk and the muscles that resist rotationNeck and shouldersthe rotator cuff, the scapular stabilisers and the neck