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Smith Standing Back Wrist Curl

A behind-the-back wrist curl on the Smith machine that trains the wrist flexors with a heavy fixed bar and no balance demand.

ArmsMachineWrist flexion
GoLightWeight mediasmith-standing-back-wrist-curl

Demonstration coming soon

Primary

Wrist flexors

Secondary

Finger flexorsGrip musclesUpper trapezius

Equipment

Machine

Pattern

Wrist flexion

Setup

  1. 01Set the Smith bar at roughly hip height.
  2. 02Stand facing away from the bar and grip it behind the body, palms facing back.
  3. 03Rotate the bar off the hooks and stand tall with arms straight.
  4. 04Keep the shoulders relaxed and the bar resting against the back of the thighs.

Execution

  1. 01Let the wrists open so the bar rolls toward the fingers.
  2. 02Curl the wrists upward behind the body as far as they will go.
  3. 03Squeeze the forearms hard at the top.
  4. 04Lower slowly back to the open-hand start.

Checkpoints

  • -Arms stay straight; only the wrists and fingers move.
  • -Shoulders stay down rather than shrugging the weight up.
  • -The bar stays in contact with the body on the fixed rail.
  • -Each rep uses the full roll-out and curl-up range.

Common mistakes

  • -Shrugging or bending the elbows to move the bar.
  • -Cutting the range and never letting the bar reach the fingers.
  • -Standing too far from the rail so the wrists work at an awkward angle.
  • -Rushing reps and losing the top squeeze.

Programming notes

  • -Use 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps for forearm size and grip endurance.
  • -The behind-the-back position suits heavier loads than seated wrist curls.
  • -Chalk helps keep the fingers secure during the roll-out portion.

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