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Wrist Circles

A dynamic mobility drill rotating the wrists through full circles to warm up the forearms and wrist joints before lifting.

ArmsBodyweightJoint mobility
GoLightWeight mediawrist-circles

Demonstration coming soon

Primary

Forearm flexors

Secondary

Forearm extensorsWrist stabilizers

Equipment

Bodyweight

Pattern

Joint mobility

Setup

  1. 01Stand tall with elbows bent and hands in front of the chest.
  2. 02Make loose fists or interlace the fingers.
  3. 03Relax the shoulders so movement comes only from the wrists.

Execution

  1. 01Rotate the wrists slowly through the largest pain-free circles you can make.
  2. 02Complete the target reps in one direction.
  3. 03Reverse and circle the same number in the opposite direction.
  4. 04Gradually increase the circle size as the joints warm up.

Checkpoints

  • -Circles cover the full available range, not tiny wiggles.
  • -Movement stays smooth without catching or clicking pain.
  • -Both directions get equal reps.

Common mistakes

  • -Spinning fast through a small range instead of slow full circles.
  • -Moving the forearms instead of the wrists.
  • -Skipping the reverse direction.
  • -Pushing through sharp joint pain.

Programming notes

  • -Do 10 to 15 circles each direction as part of the warm-up.
  • -Use before curls, presses, and front-rack work where wrists load heavily.
  • -Pair with light wrist curls if the forearms feel chronically stiff.

Related exercises

Side Wrist Pull Stretch

Bodyweight / Arms

Wrist Curl

Barbell / Arms

Reverse Wrist Curl

Barbell / Arms

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