Working the forearms and grip pays big dividends for your overall strength.
This technique is a very simple way to hit the wrist extensors in your forearms (the muscles that bring the back of your hand towards your elbow...i.e. extension) by using offset loading to provide just enough assistance to keep the weight moving.
And even though it's a reverse curl, you won't actually be working the brachialis all that much...primarily the forearms.
First, you'll need a bar...either a regular Olympic bar or an EZ curl bar (which is lighter). And that's it.
You're going to hold the bar with a slight offset on your grip.
One hand will be on the smooth part of the bar in the center (full grip, not false grip). The other hand will be on the rough, knurled part of the bar, so that your grip is just a little offset.
The hand on the smooth part is going to be the focus of the tension in that rep. The other hand further out is going to be more of an "outrigger" and spotter that helps to balance the bar and spot yourself.
Once you've got your grip set, just do a reverse curl movement.
You will instantly feel most of the load being placed on the forearm of the closer-to-center grip arm.
Come all the way up to the top.
Lower back down to the bottom, then shift your grip over so that the OTHER hand is on the smooth side and the one you just worked is on the rough side. No need to set the bar down. It's easy to just slide one hand over, then the other (it's just an empty bar after all!).
Now do another rep. You'll feel the loading primarily in the other forearm now.
Switch back to the original setup again and repeat.
Alternating reps like this keeps the loading balanced between the two forearms.
Perform reps until you ALMOST hit failure. We want to stay a little short because if you DO hit actual failure, you're going to drop the bar on the floor (and potentially your toes).
This method is a great end-of-workout burnout to finish off the forearms with basically NO setup. Just grab a bar and go.
Now...if you're super strong in the forearms, do you need to add extra weight? If you're very strong, go for it.
Alternatively, you can also load just one side of the bar and do reverse curls without the offset grip. The offset loading is really what we're looking for, regardless of how you accomplish it.
Need extension training for your hands and fingers, too? Try Finger Extension Reverse Curls.
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Want more unique and challenging exercises to work your entire body with simple equipment? All you need is just a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. Check out The Best Home Gym Exercises You've Never Heard Of!
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