Reverse curls are grip training, not forearm vanity — deadlifts feel it first
In short
The reverse curl is a pronated-grip curl that moves only at the elbow, and the prime mover is the brachioradialis on the front of the forearm rather than the biceps. Because a loose grip drops the bar, the grip stays under tension for the whole set, and that endurance shows up as a few extra reps on deadlifts and pullups. There is no reason to go heavy — half the weight you use for biceps curls, three sets of eight to 12 reps, placed as one of the last exercises of an arm workout.
A deadlift set usually ends at the hands, not the back or the legs. The reverse curl goes straight at that limit. You hold the bar in a pronated (overhand) grip and move only at the elbow — and if the squeeze goes, the bar goes with it. Load is modest: half what you curl with a supinated grip, three sets of eight to 12.
Does it actually help your deadlift grip?
With a standard curl or a hammer curl the palms face up or inward, so the bar can sit cradled in your hands — you can hold it without squeezing hard the whole way. That is the distinction Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel draws: flip the bar over and there is nothing left to cradle, so the moment your hands relax the bar hits the floor. The set becomes uninterrupted grip time under tension, and that endurance comes back as a few more reps on the lifts where the grip quits first, like deadlifts and pullups.
If your deadlift one-rep max is capped by your grip, your relative strength score is capped in the same place. A number produced by your hands opening while the back and legs still had more in them measures forearm endurance, not strength. The cheapest way to move the deadlift figure you feed into the score calculator is often the grip.
Which muscles does it train?
Biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis are all involved, but not in the usual proportions. Beyond bending the elbow, the biceps also supinate the forearm — rotate the palm outward — and the reverse curl never rotates, so that function sits out. The biceps take a smaller share and the load shifts onto the brachioradialis at the front of the forearm.
Barbell, dumbbells, or EZ bar?
All three work, but the EZ curl bar is the best of them. A straight barbell locks the wrists into one angle and starts to feel restrictive, while dumbbells let your palms rotate without you noticing, turning the set into a hammer curl by the back half. The EZ bar's bend keeps the palms facing the ground throughout while giving the wrists a comfortable angle.
What do people get wrong in the execution?
- Keep the elbows pinned to your torso — arms stay against the body, movement happens at the elbow joint only.
- Do not shift the elbows forward — as the weight gets hard the instinct is to push the arms out in front, which hands the forearms' job to the shoulders.
- Do not flip your wrists — no wrist extension to start the rep. Keep the wrist straight and strong, pause briefly at the top, and lower under control.
- No swinging — once the forearms fatigue you will start heaving the weight up with your body. That is where the set ends.
If you are already pulling a dozen plates on the deadlift, your forearms are doing a serious amount of work as it is, and adding reverse curls may not change much. Forearm training does not need the ferocity you bring to biceps and triceps work — a little goes a long way, which is exactly why it belongs among the last exercises of the session rather than at the top of an arm day.
For how many accessory back exercises to run and at what volume, see how many back exercises you need.
Frequently asked questions
Which muscles do reverse curls work?
They involve the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis, but the brachioradialis on the front of the forearm does the most work. Because the palms stay pronated and never rotate, the biceps' supination role drops out and the load moves onto the forearm.
Do reverse curls actually build grip strength?
Yes. A pronated grip gives you nothing to cradle the bar with, so you have to squeeze for the entire set or the bar falls. That constant time under tension adds a few reps of endurance to grip-limited lifts like deadlifts and pullups.
How much weight and how many sets should you use for reverse curls?
Start with about half the weight you would normally use for biceps curls. Three sets of eight to 12 reps works well, and because the load is light the movement fits best as one of the last exercises of the workout.
Should you do reverse curls with a barbell, dumbbells, or an EZ bar?
The EZ curl bar is the best option. A straight barbell can become too restrictive because the wrist angle is fixed, and dumbbells tend to let your palms rotate involuntarily, which turns the movement into a hammer curl.
Source: Men's Health