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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
- 01Set the Smith bar at roughly hip height.
- 02Stand facing away from the bar and grip it behind the body, palms facing back.
- 03Rotate the bar off the hooks and stand tall with arms straight.
- 04Keep the shoulders relaxed and the bar resting against the back of the thighs.
Execution
- 01Let the wrists open so the bar rolls toward the fingers.
- 02Curl the wrists upward behind the body as far as they will go.
- 03Squeeze the forearms hard at the top.
- 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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