Upside Down Wrist Curls

[Roark]

I have decided to return to wrist curling and was experimenting in the gym this morning.

Using an EZ curl lat machine bar at the overhead attachment, the bar will naturally settle with gravity in the opposite position you need, so turn the bar upright so that your hands are on top on the slanted ends, then bring the bar down to about pec level and moving only the wrists (downward) perform wrist curls.

This is superior to using a straight bar because the wrists are not in an un-natural plane and contraction is fuller.

If you try it let me know what you think- it will now be a regular part of my wrist curl workout.

After having done almost no wrist curling for several months (injury) I tried over a pad the other day with barbell and after warm-ups got 155 x 6, 175 x 6, and 195 x 1- I no longer enter the danger zone, but stay safe.

[SilentDude]

I actually used and EZ curl bar for wreist curls, the board started talking about straight bar wreist curls. I never did them becuase they felt akward. but since the board talked about them, I started doing them...

[Roark]

Another few sets with the upside down wrist curls- and showed them to a friend- he was impressed at how natural the movement is.

[SilentDude]

another really hard wrist and forearm workout is reverse plate curls. I decided to try it the otherday with a 10 in each hand, and found I could barely do 1 rep. I layed my forearm on the bench and just did reverse wrist curls with the 10 lbs.

It is a nateral movement on the EZ curl bar. But would it count for maxing out on wrist curls?

[foggymountainmuscle]

I think you've made a keen observation. I have always thought and felt that straight wrist and reverse wrist curls felt ackward and did not stimulate much of the forearm area, not to knock the success many board members have had with them.

One exercise I have found to be challanging is thumbless reverse curls. You use a pinching impliment and attatch it to a loading pin and take a grip with one hand like you were going to tear a deck. The straight bar revers curl favors the contraction to one side of the wrist more than the other. This favors the contraction of the opposite side.

I got the idea for this on benders webpage when I saw he had a hook through a deck of cards to help work the card deck grip.

[bencrush]

Roark, it's good to see your online log up and running again! I enjoyed reading of the monster wrist curling you used to do. One of my favorite logs in fact. I'm going to go out and see what I can do...then I'll take that number and double it...and that's the number I'll report.

[Roark]

bencrush,

Remember, the figure is already doubled if the lat machine has two pulleys...

I am incorporating these upside down wrist curls with EZ curl lat attachment two or three times per week. Worked up to using the stack for six reps. I think the stack is 255 lbs, but divide that by half for the two pulleys yields 128 or so, then divide that by half because I have two hands on the attachment, and that gives 64 lbs- am I a monster or what! Feels like a ton.

Then I move to regular barbell wrist curls; so far no injury.

[bencrush]

I went out to the garage and maxed out on the wrist curl, as promised.

45X10

75X5

95X2

115X1

135X1

No, I didn't double these numbers...wrist curling is hard. Felt like my wrists were going to snap on the 135. I wouldn't mind adding this to my repertoire.

[John Wood]

Joe,

Do you ever do much reverse wrist curling or other wrist extensor work?

[Roark]

I use the EZ curl bar for reverse curls, or I use a thumbless grip on a straight bar- if I put my thumbs under a straight bar there is too much discomfort and ackward positioning.

I prefer to do extensor muscle work on the wrist roller- but not by rolling but by twisting with my forearms vertical beneath the roller and twisting up and down- a great exercise. Then follow this immediately with reverse curls or hammer curls.

[bencrush]

I just bought the Dale Harder book Sports Comparisons and really enjoy the grip strength section of the book. It's too bad that it doesn't have a wrist curl rating. Roark, have you read this book? If so, how would you rate your 200+ wrist curl? How about my 135? Or you can just tell me to shut up.

[Roark]

How long have you been wrist curling? 135 is attainable by anyone willing to work at it- so is 200, and 200 is an absolute toy for many here, though certainly not for me.

I have not read, or seen, Dale's book (wish I had it, but it's out of print, right?)

My best of 6 reps with 225 seems, at this moment, months away from repeating, but steady steps...

Frankly, many, many here could do very well if the wrist curl became a major goal for them, but apparently it remains among the least favored movements discussed.

[bencrush]

I don't wrist curl. I was just inspired by your workout reports. I think the last time I did one was in junior high school. In this workout I did them with the olympic bar and over my knees. Strict as far as I could tell with no raising of the toes during the lift. There sure wasn't very much range of motion (as you know) but they were all full reps. 200 and up seems to be about as out of range as a 600 or 700 squat. So you have my full respect.

The Sports Comparisons book was available through Iron Mind less than a month ago. I would recommend it heartily to anyone who doesn't have it. It's a work of art. He must have spent years researching some of the stats. And grip strength addicts will LOVE the small section on grip. Thanks again.

[Roark]

Took it easier this morning because I had some manual labor to do today, but here is my wrist workout this morning:

Roark wrist curls (sounds better than upside down, and I think I invented them):

warmups, then a set of 6 reps with 225, 180 x 10.

barbell wrist curls warmups, then 135 x 6, 160 x 6, 180 x 6, 200 x 2

That was it, then off to work.

[ianders1]

Roark,

I'm going to try your "Roark" wrist curls tomorrow at the gym and was wondering if you've tried Reverse "Roark" wrist curls? I don't know if it'll work, but with the pulley at the bottom, hands on top and pull up to contract the extensors. Maybe you could rest your forearms on a bench (preacher?) and do this. Also, with the normal "Roark" wrist curls, what about placing your forearms under a bench to really isolate the wrist and take the delts/lats/tris out of the movement?

Without being in the gym I don't know if that's just a bunch of babble, but let me know what you think.

[Roark]

Ian,

I have tried the reverses ones but have not yet found the groove set up that the others instantly give.

I have in the past taken the small EZ curl lat bar attachment and hooked a chain through the plate hole and dangled it from the bar, then sitting on a bench with my knees on the bench so that my forearms are over my knees, I do the reverse wrist curl-slowly-slowly- otherwise the plate starts swinging to and fro and the pendulum negates the exercise.

Regarding placing the hands under something for full feel- I have not tried it, but the regular Roark wrist curl, wherein the forearm is not quite vertical offers the best wrist curl feel I have ever had, and this morning a police officer friend of mine tried the movement and was very impressed.

[Roark]

This morning I used an Arm Blaster across my pecs to block my elbows from pivoting back, so that only my hands could move on my new exercise. Prevents cheating.