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Wrist curl weight


Guest Avi

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I normally dislike "how heavy is heavy?" questions, because each person has their own limits (or lack thereof).

However, I was wondering if some of you could post weights that you use for the following lifts:

1) Barbel wrist curl (palms up)

2) Barbel wrist curl (palms down)

I ask because I want to know at what weight I can consider my wrists strong enough to start practicing card tearing & nail bending, so if whoever posts could give insights on that, it would be great!

Tom, I noticed that in your last workout log you mentioned 5x155, but I have no idea whether that's a one-handed dumbel or a barbel, and whether it's palms up/down/sideways.

Thanks!

Avi

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     As far as I’m concerned you can start practicing card tearing & nail bending long before you ever do serious wrist curls (I did).  Just use smaller nails and a half deck and work your way up. I only started wrist curls lately, the last time I did them was 5 years ago with only about 80-pounds.  I jumped 70-pounds without even training the lift!   Nail bending and leverage bar work will build the wrists without any barbell work.  I added the wrist curls again because they really are great, and I shouldn’t have ignored them.  

    I think I mentioned my technique in an earlier log, but I should be more careful describing what I am doing.  Sitting on a bench,  I do a 2-handed wrist curl with my wrists on my knees, palms up.  For the heavier sets I have my thumbs on the same side as my fingers (thumbless grip).  This enables me to do more weight.  I think David Horne mentioned recently on the board to not roll the bar down your fingers like bodybuilders recommend, and I agree.  It’s too much stress on the tendons with really heavy weight.  I don’t consider the weights I’m doing to be that high, but I do them strict.  One thing I can tell you that I’ve done these in 2 different gyms and I get quite a few stares, 150 pounds is a lot more than the average person does, but not much for a grip trainer.  As usual, the hard trainer sticks out in any commercial gym.  

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Guest John Thorpe

By no means am I any grip master. I use only 100 pounds on a solid olympic type curl bar,  ( I don't know the weight of the bar ) for two sets to failure palms up. I don't even do palms down and if I did would probably only do 1/4 of that weight. But I am able to rip several 1 inch phone books on a good day and can bend most galvanized nails from home depot. ( normal fence type nails about 3-4 inches long 12d to 40d.

John

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  • 6 months later...

Recently I have begun performing wrist curls again.

Years ago when I really worked at it, I could do

bodyweight (200 lbs) for six to ten reps, in pretty

good style, and could cheat (raise on toes suddenly)

a couple reps with 225.

Currently, after a months return to wrist curls (thumbs

under bar- the other way hurts my hands), and using

a decline by sitting on a pad on the bench so my knees

are a couple inches lower than my upper thighs, I

got 160 for six reps this morning, and could have done

a couple more reps.

Not bragging; David Horne probably thinks in a case

of mistaken identity I am inadvertently describing his

wrist curl warm-up session. But as Tom said, seldom

does anyone use 135-150 or so for wrist curls- perhaps

they could, but they don't show up at our local gym.

One time some young guys were using 135 for bench

presses and I asked if I could get a set or two of

wrist curls in, and they snidely said something to the

effect that I could work in but they didn't have time

for me to be changing a bunch of plates- that I'd have

to use the 135. Then they smiled at each other. I said

thanks and knocked off a dozen reps, and they were

stunned. Then they took the same weight and did

benches. Then I was smiling.

Anyway, I am hoping by my birthday in a few weeks to

be back at 180 to 200 for a set. Except for my warm-up

sets, starting with the empty bar and making 20 lb

jumps, I seldom do more than six reps, or fewer. I

am no longer interested in singles- too dangerous.

Regarding nail bending, that's out of my league.

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I only do wrist curls with dumbells, one wrist at a time. I do one set of 3 to 5 reps with each weight. The weights I use are 55, 65, 75 and 85 pound dumbells. So 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps total. Currently I am not doing wrist exercises or bending because of an injury. At this level, I could occasionally bend a 60d nail and the 50d's usually went pretty easily. I cannot tear cards or phone books. They still seem impossible.

-Mike M.

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Forgot to mention: when doing reverse wrist curls,

I always do them from a standing position, my arms

straight in front of me, parallel to the floor at shoulder

height, with my forearms supported on some structure.

A swingbell (weights centered on the bar, with hands

on each side) works best for me.

In good slow style, with a tiny pause at the top for

full contraction, 30 - 35 lbs (doesn't that sound puny?)

is about all I can do.

Negatives are easier in this position also by simply

lowering your body with the forearms pivoting.

Somehow the awkward positioning of the thumbs

when trying seated reverse wrist curls is more

trouble than it's worth.

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Guest todd_xxxx

I broke my left wrist doing palms-up wrist curls with 225 lbs.  I believe it broke because if you look at the path your hand travels if you simulate a palms-up wrist curl, you hands travel in a path far from a straight line.  If you use a heavy barbell, you are forceing your hands to move in a relatively straight line.  I now do my wrist curls with dumbells.  I bend my arm to an angle of about 45 degrees between my upper and lower arm, kneel beside an bench and lay my shoulder and the entire outside of my arm, upper and lower, on the bench.  When you wrist curl the weight up, your entire arm is supported and its a much more natural wrist movement.  I've never seen it duplicated, so I think I invented it :)  If you try it, I think you'll be very happily surprised with the results.  I hope my explanation was good enough to understand the movement.  Its quite easy, but kind of hard to describe in writing.

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Todd_XXXX,

The reason you describe for doing wrist curls with dumbells is exactly why I too use only dumbells. I never broke my wrist but I felt a lot of bad forces when using a barbell and two hands at once. Particularly when going heavy. I don't get all the way over on my shoulder, but pretty close. Also, if you are very much right handed, as I am, your less coordinated hand gets an equal workout with dumbells. Actually I have to do everything with dumbells for this reason.

-Mike M.

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Guest rockblaster

I simply do wrist curls with weight plates--the way John Brookfield suggested.  By pinch gripping the plate(s) and the leverage factor--or lack thereof, this exercise is superb--and it's simple.  It also works the thumb not to mention the entire lower arm (including the hand).  If anyone is interested, look on Ironmind's site under "John Brookfield's Grip Tip of the Month"

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tom, roark and toddxxx...

what is your range of motion? as suggested earlier, i no longer let the weight roll into my fingers, but i've noticed that the stress on my wrists is still high if i fully contract my forearms-(go all the way up) in palm-up wrist curls...

Toddxxx-it seems like a full rom increases the natural twisting of the wrists...anyway i only use about 60-70% of the total rom of my wrists how about everyone else?

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Guest Dimitri

Very curious as to what part of the movement Todd broke his wrist on..........up ,down?Also how was Todd positioned.....forearms on bench,on thighs?Heavy wrist curls are one of my stronger exercises....going up to 200 lbs on the Appolon

axle.I never thought of the possibility of snapping a wrist........kinda scary.

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Guest Dimitri

Hey sorry Todd......I've been contorting here at my desk trying to figure out your style of DB wrist curls.......I don't get it.If you can manage to post a diagram,I'd be interested in giving it a try.

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