Exercise Guide

Wrist Extension

Curling the back of the hand up against a light dumbbell. The other half of forearm training, and the half that matters for cranky elbows.

BeginnerStrengthPullIsolation
Form
Wrist Extension - Start position
Start
Wrist Extension - Mid position
Mid
Wrist Extension - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Forearms

Equipment

Dumbbell

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Pull

Mechanic

Isolation

How to Perform
  1. 1

    Sit with your forearm resting on your thigh or a bench, palm facing down, wrist past the edge.

  2. 2

    Hold a light dumbbell and let your hand drop toward the floor.

  3. 3

    Curl the back of your hand up as far as it goes, keeping the forearm still.

  4. 4

    Lower slowly under control.

Tips
  • ★Much lighter than wrist curls - the extensors are far weaker than the flexors.
  • ★Often prescribed for tennis elbow, so slow and pain-free beats heavy.
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Forearms