Smith Machine Wrist Curl
What Is the Smith Machine Wrist Curl?
Smith Machine Wrist Curl is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the forearms, specifically the wrist flexors on the palm side of the forearm. It is a beginner-level movement performed seated on a bench inside the Smith machine, with the forearms resting on the thighs and the bar held in an underhand grip, so the wrists are the only joints that move.
The Smith machine guides the bar along a fixed path, so there is nothing to balance and no need to lift the bar off the floor. The hooks let you start with the bar at knee height, and the safety stops can catch it if your grip gives out late in a set. The trade-off is that the bar travels on the rails rather than following your hands, so sitting at the right distance from it matters.
Wrist curls are an accessory movement, usually placed at the end of an arm or pulling session and trained for moderate to high reps. The palms-up grip makes this a wrist flexion exercise, while the Barbell Palms-Down Wrist Curl works the extensors on the back of the forearm, and many lifters pair the two for balanced forearm development. The finger flexors that close the hand also help flex the wrist, so the movement adds some grip work, but it complements rather than replaces holding heavy loads in exercises such as the Dead Hang or Dumbbell Farmers Carry.
The exercise suits anyone who wants more forearm size or whose wrist strength lags behind their pulling. Because even an unloaded Smith bar has a fixed starting weight, those new to wrist work or returning from a wrist or elbow complaint can begin with the Dumbbell Palms-Up Wrist Curl, which allows lighter loads and smaller jumps.
Muscles Worked
- Flexor Carpi Radialis
- Primary
- Brachioradialis
- Minimal
Instructions
- Place a flat bench inside the Smith machine and set the bar on the hooks at about knee height.
- Set the safety stops a few inches below the lowest point your hands will reach.
- Sit on the end of the bench with the bar in front of you, feet flat on the floor and knees bent at about 90 degrees.
- Grip the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing up), hands about hip-width apart.
- Rotate the bar to release it from the hooks, then rest your forearms on your thighs so your wrists hang just past your knees.
- Lean forward slightly and lower the bar by letting your wrists bend back until they are fully extended, keeping your hands closed around the bar.
- Curl your wrists up as far as they will go, keeping your forearms flat on your thighs.
- Pause briefly at the top, then lower the bar slowly back to full extension.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps, then rotate the bar back onto the hooks.
Common Mistakes
Using Excessive Weight
Too much load turns the set into short, jerky reps and strains the wrist and inner elbow, so pick a weight you can lower under control.
Cutting the Range Short
Stopping before the wrists are fully extended at the bottom or fully curled at the top leaves much of the wrist flexors' range untrained.
Lifting the Forearms Off the Thighs
Raising the forearms or elbows to help the bar up turns the curl into an arm movement, so keep the forearms pressed into the thighs and move only at the wrists.
Bouncing at the Bottom
Dropping into full wrist extension and rebounding out of it loads the wrist and flexor tendons abruptly, so lower slowly and pause briefly before curling up.
Sitting in the Wrong Spot
A bench set too close to or too far from the bar makes the wrists fight the fixed rail path, so position it so your wrists hang just past your knees beneath the bar.
Injuries
Smith Machine Wrist Curl is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The forearms are supported on the thighs, the load is modest and the safety stops can catch the bar, so most problems come from too much weight, too many sets or bouncing out of the bottom of the range.
The areas most likely to complain are the wrist itself and the inside of the elbow, where the wrist flexors attach. Repeated, heavy wrist flexion is a recognized cause of flexor tendon overuse at that point, so increase load and weekly volume gradually, warm up the forearms first and lower every rep under control rather than rebounding out of full extension.
If the unloaded bar is too heavy or your wrists are sensitive, regress to the Dumbbell Palms-Up Wrist Curl or the Band Palms-Up Wrist Curl, which allow lighter loads and smaller jumps. Progress by adding small plates, slowing the lowering phase or pausing at the top of each rep.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the wrist, pain on the inside of the elbow that lingers after training, or numbness or tingling in the fingers, and have persistent symptoms checked by a clinician before loading the movement again.
- Primary Focus
- Forearms
- Equipment
- Smith machine and bench
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Can I use a barbell instead of a Smith machine?
Yes, the barbell variation offers a similar movement pattern but requires more stabilization, making the exercise slightly harder to control.
- Q: How often should I train my forearms?
Training your forearms once or twice a week is typically enough, especially if your routine already includes grip-intensive exercises.
- Q: Should I let the bar roll down to my fingertips?
It is optional. Letting the bar roll into the fingers and curling it back into the palm adds work for the finger flexors, but it makes the bar harder to hold, so use it with lighter loads and keep a secure grip.
- Q: Will wrist curls improve my grip strength?
Somewhat. The finger flexors that close the hand also help flex the wrist, so wrist curls add some grip work, but holding heavy loads in exercises such as the Dead Hang or Dumbbell Farmers Carry trains grip more directly.
- Q: Should I also train the back of my forearms?
Yes. This curl works the wrist flexors, and the Barbell Palms-Down Wrist Curl trains the wrist extensors on the back of the forearm, so pairing the two gives more balanced forearm development.