Are Wrist Curls & Wrist Rollering Bad Excercises?

[SpyroAndes]

A good friend of mine is well educated in physiology & nutrition (has his Masters I believe) and is a pro trainer.

I was in the gym doing barbell wrist curls and he walks up and calmly states "that is a hooorrrrible excercise". When I finished my set, he simply said "follow me".

We ended up in front of the adjustable pulleys, he had me stand with my elbow to my side and wrist back up by my shoulder. He adjusted the pulley to be level with hand. Standing sideways to the pulley, I proceeded to slowly adjusting my stance, while doing slow full extention curls and maintining my hand is the same alignment with the pulley, until my wrist felt no twisting or torquing pressure from the weight.

For me, that was about a 45 degree angle facing away from the pulley. He claimed that the relief of pressure is because the ulna and radius are in their natural alignment. Further he went on to say that when doing wrist curls, it is virutally impossible to have the ulna and radius properly aligned because wristing curling is an unnatural motion.

It turned out to be an amazing excercise for me... My forearms were absolutely pumped for like an hour... all without pressure on the joint...

I think that he converted me...

[SHRUG]

Wrist curls are the best way to build super strong wrists. Check and see how many guys with world calss hand and wrist strength got it by doing some pansy exercise on a cable machine. You gotta endure some pain to make big gains plain and simple! Stick to wrist curls if you want functional strength. By the way does your friend have extremely strong wrists or even big forearms for that matter, if not why would you listen to him.

[SpyroAndes]

Wrist curls are the best way to build super strong wrists. Check and see how many guys with world calss hand and wrist strength got it by doing some pansy exercise on a cable machine. You gotta endure some pain to make big gains plain and simple! Stick to wrist curls if you want functional strength. By the way does your friend have extremely strong wrists or even big forearms for that matter, if not why would you listen to him.

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My friend is 6'1" amatuer body builder and weighs 278 pounds when he is in competition shape.

He has some of the largest forearms that I have seen in person and does lots of grip work...

His point wasn't "don't do curls"... it was "do them with a better angle."

He claimed that with a barbell, over even dumbells from a preacher position, the joint is having unnecessary stress put on it because it is an unnatural position.

His opinion of wrist rollers was similar... stating that the forearm and wrist are placed in a position that places unnecessary stress on the joint.

The excercise that he showed me to replace wrist curls looked almost like he was going to armwrestle, standing straight up, and then he did wrist curls from that position.

I am willing to admit ignorance on the subject but I will say that I *FELT* that my forearm got a much better workout using his excercise. I did a substantially greater weight with less joint pain.

SA

Edited May 27, 2005 by SpyroAndes

[SHRUG]

My main point is, do you want size or strength. Your way may work well for adding size but for functional strength you got to use freeweights and strengthen your joints. You will get used to the pain and become tougher. Do you understand what I am trying to say.?

Edited May 27, 2005 by SHRUG

[porky]

pump shhmump.

[Scott Styles]

I'd actually be interested to hear some more view points on this exercise. It sounds good to me and I've heard of a number of people injuring themselves doing barbell wrist curls. I'm gonna play around this weekend to see if I can do something like it.

For the record, I don't think a lack of forearm size or strength precludes someone from having a good idea about how to train. People have different goals and tolerances for injury risk. Extreme strength isn't a priority for everyone.

[Roark]

I used to do these pulley wrist curls with my elbow on a bench (lowering the pulled to the same height as my hand). Good exercise.

The back of my hand would be facing the pulley- is that what is being described here (except standing)?

[chrlslee1]

Everybody is an expert! Nothing i hate more than when some know it all bashes an exercise becuase it doesent help accomplish his personal goals. We are training for strength. the wrist curl and wrist roller is the best way to train the wrists for strength. to the person who sayed "it has a higher chance of injury", all strength exercises have a much larger chance of injury.

[climber511]

I'm having trouble really picturing the movement - I think I have it but - any chance of a short video?

[nagual]

I'm growing tired of hearing all the "it puts too much pressure on the joint" etc arguments. In my opinion you WANT to put pressure on the joints to make them STRONGER.

[Roark]

SpyroAndes,

Lately I have been doing preacher bench wrist curls. Would you ask your friend his evaluation of this exercise, please.

Sit at a preacher bench as though about to perform barbell curls. But pull the arms up until the wrists are dangling just below the pad, then with straight arms, perform wrist curls. Whole different feel but I am wondering how safe it is for the biceps tendon.

Thanks.

[Mr.Moose]

I don't think we should write off ANY exersice as useless just because it's not done with free weights.

If your wrists are a bit beat up, you can use this cable wrist-curl to train the forearms without adding more stress to the wrists. In MY book, that's a good thing.

I've learnt the hard way (too many times) that it's not always good to be a man and take the pain and get tougher. We should listen more to our bodies, pain is the body's way to say something in not entirely OK. To back off (or maybe change exercise) instead of working thrue the pain usually gives better results in the long run.

It might work when you're 20 but when passing mid 40s you have to train smarter so you don't **** yourself up.

Just a few points I have learnt during my 32 years of training.

Don't get me wrong, cables can't replace free weights but there's a time and place for cables aswell.

Claes

Ps. Yes, I'm an old fart but with age comes wisdom. At least I hope so.

Moderator Edit: There is an informal request to not use F-bombs and and extreme vulgarity in posts. For me, that includes any diguised forms as well.

Please use restraint in future posts. Thanks for cooperating

[supermagnamon]

i do wrist curls. there's nothing wrong in doing them, unless u were doing them incorrectly, but there's a lot of ways to strengthen the wrist and pump them forearms, though.

[Steve B.]

I feel anyone willing to share an idea to the board members is o.k in my book.

Wether you like or dislike this exercise it was posted to share with all of us here and we should at least have some courtesy for others ideas.

As said some pictures or a vid would help out on understanding how it's done.

[Old Dax]

Spyro,

I'm with Climber I could really use a vid of this exercise - perhaps your buddy could perform?

Failing that could you get him to explain the ins & outs of how to perform it (I'm having trouble visualising it- guess I'm just thick!)

Due to my wrist's inability to fully supinate ordinary wrist curls are impossible for me.

[SpyroAndes]

Spyro,

I'm with Climber I could really use a vid of this exercise - perhaps your buddy could perform?

Failing that could you get him to explain the ins & outs of how to perform it (I'm having trouble visualising it- guess I'm just thick!)

Due to my wrist's inability to fully supinate ordinary wrist curls are impossible for me.

I'll try to get some tape of it tomorrow since I'll be lifting with him.

However, I'll try to give my best discription of the postion.

1) stand up straight

2) put your arm in a position to shake hands

3) bring your elbow to your side

4) raise your hand to your shoulder on the same side as your hand (e.g. right hand means right shoulder).

5) touch your shoulder with the thumb of your hand.

6) rotate your hand so your thumb is now pointing at your ear (e.g. right hand mean right ear).

7) do some practice "full range of motion curls" to get the arc correct

8) adjust the cable pulley so that it is even with the height of your thumb.

You should now be ready to do the exercise!

The theory, as I understand it, behind this exercise is that the muscle fibers are correctly aligned to the stressing movements and, with the correctly alignment of the ulna and radius bones, the wrist joint is under less pressure.

Always got light until you have the form correct and/or your are warmed up... then GO BIG (heavy weight), MAKE EACH REP COUNT (perfect form and speed) and TIME UNDER CONTRACTION (no locking out or stopping)!

SA

PS. Since each person's ulna and radius bones are unique, you might have to adjust your thumb to be slightly higher or lower on the ear or slightly forward or back of the ear.

Edited May 30, 2005 by SpyroAndes

[supermagnamon]

Spyro,

I'm with Climber I could really use a vid of this exercise - perhaps your buddy could perform?

Failing that could you get him to explain the ins & outs of how to perform it (I'm having trouble visualising it- guess I'm just thick!)

Due to my wrist's inability to fully supinate ordinary wrist curls are impossible for me.

I'll try to get some tape of it tomorrow since I'll be lifting with him.

However, I'll try to give my best discription of the postion.

1) stand up straight

2) put your arm in a position to shake hands

3) bring your elbow to your side

4) raise your hand to your shoulder on the same side as your hand (e.g. right hand means right shoulder).

5) touch your shoulder with the thumb of your hand.

6) rotate your hand so your thumb is now pointing at your ear (e.g. right hand mean right ear).

7) do some practice "full range of motion curls" to get the arc correct

8) adjust the cable pulley so that it is even with the height of your thumb.

You should now be ready to do the exercise!

The theory, as I understand it, behind this exercise is that the muscle fibers are correctly aligned to the stressing movements and, with the correctly alignment of the ulna and radius bones, the wrist joint is under less pressure.

Always got light until you have the form correct and/or your are warmed up... then GO BIG (heavy weight), MAKE EACH REP COUNT (perfect form and speed) and TIME UNDER CONTRACTION (no locking out or stopping)!

SA

PS. Since each person's ulna and radius bones are unique, you might have to adjust your thumb to be slightly higher or lower on the ear or slightly forward or back of the ear.

←

or even better, try using it with the EZ Grip.

[the swiss]

I actually think this a great idea.

there are different kinds of pain you can have when training.

one is the good pain of work properly done at the right intensity, and one is the kind of pain leading to injury and limiting the amount of weight one can handle.

many people find wrist curls on a straight bar to be very uncomfortable. I am one, and I always feel like this discomfort does not allow me to take as much weight as I could. I tried to go through the pain once or twice. not a good idea.

If you are not aiming for size or pump, just use this proper alignment idea and as much weight as you can handle!

david

[supermagnamon]

I actually think this a great idea.

there are different kinds of pain you can have when training.

one is the good pain of work properly done at the right intensity, and one is the kind of pain leading to injury and limiting the amount of weight one can handle.

many people find wrist curls on a straight bar to be very uncomfortable. I am one, and I always feel like this discomfort does not allow me to take as much weight as I could. I tried to go through the pain once or twice. not a good idea.

If you are not aiming for size or pump, just use this proper alignment idea and as much weight as you can handle!

david

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i agree with swiss.

[Mikael Siversson]

I also agree. I think wrist curls performed over a bench is simply a bad exercise. Applying a lot of pressure on a joint at bad angles may cost you dearly as you get older. Of all grip/wrist exercises I have done I can't think of any worse than regular wrist curls. Well I suppose that would be the one hand table top wrist curl. Pretty hard to beat that one.

[SpyroAndes]

My main point is, do you want size or strength. Your way may work well for adding size but for functional strength you got to use freeweights and strengthen your joints. You will get used to the pain and become tougher. Do you understand what I am trying to say.?

I understand what you are trying to say... I just believe that it is wrong in many aspects.

1. I believe that a larger muscle is a stronger muscle. Size = Strength. It is why there are weight divisions in competitions of strength.

2. I know that free weights can be inefficient in alot of exercises. Free weights are efficient when the direction of movement is perpendicular to the earth, in other words, when the weight moves straight up from the ground. A cable is efficient regardless of direction of movement because, regardless of the exercise's movement, the weight stack is always being moved straight up and straight down.

3. Joint pain, while it might make you tougher, is not an indication that the joints are strengthening. Again, I just believe it training the muscles and the joints using movements that follow the joint's natural position and range. The wrist's natural position is one that is close to that of a bicep curl bar. A grip the is around 30 degrees from horizontal and the natural motion of the joints, in that natural position, is perpendicular to each palm.

Again, you can train however you want, it is your body, but I am opting to keep my joints working along their natural motion.

SA

[Sean Dockery]

I think I've got the movement pictured...

I guess I'll have to sneak into a gym with cables and give it a whirl.

I've always hated barbell wrist curls. Bad pain. Thanks for the idea.

[climber511]

Maybe I'm just denser than average (don't answer that) but I still can't picture it. Please post a video - I've tried what I thought you described but I'm sure I was wrong.

This is in no way a criticism, except of my ability to understand. I do barbell wrist curls but agree, they hurt in a not so good way.

[towser]

I just set somthing up in my power rack for this and it works pretty good.

set a pin at shoulder height, run climbing rope over it to a loading pin, put the other end of the rope through a 6" piece of copper tube and then tie it back on itself (if that makes sense).

Pretty easy to set up and a much more natural feel to it than BB wrist curls, hit's the muscle without pushing the joints through a bad ROM.

thanks for the info spyro

[Climber028]

That's what it sounds like to me, if so I think I've done this when I'm too lazy to drag the table over to the cable machine. The whole point of this seems to be not supinated or pronate your forearm, which is impossible with a barbell wrist curl so that's why the movement feels better in the wrist joint. 

Tho if that's the case you could accomplish the same thing by wrist curling a dumbbell at your side with a straight arm, that would also allow you to remain fully neutral.