Reverse Curl

A curl with palms facing down — shifts the work to the forearms and brachialis for elbow resilience and grip.

Setup

Stand tall holding dumbbells at your thighs with an overhand grip (palms facing back/down), elbows tucked to your sides.

How to do it

1. Curl the weights up keeping the palms facing down the entire rep.
2. Elbows stay pinned to the ribs — only the forearms move.
3. Keep the wrists straight and knuckles up; don't let the wrists break back.
4. Lower slowly — the way down is most of the value here.

Common mistakes

• Letting the wrists flex or rotate mid-rep.
• Swinging the torso to get heavy weights moving.
• Going as heavy as a normal curl — expect noticeably less load.

Scale it

Easier: Lighter weights, or curl one arm at a time.

Harder: Slow 3-second lowering, or add a thick-grip attachment.

Pairs well with