Exercise library · Forearms

How to Do Finger Curls

Step-by-step instructions, muscles worked and workouts that use the finger curls.

How to do it

1. Hold a barbell with both hands and your palms facing up; hands spaced about shoulder width.
2. Place your feet flat on the floor, at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
3. Lower the bar as far as possible by extending the fingers. Allowing the bar to roll down the hands, catch the bar with the final joint in the fingers.
4. Now curl bar up as high as possible by closing your hands while exhaling. Hold the contraction at the top.

Form tips

• Start light and own the movement before adding weight.
• Control the lowering phase — don't drop into it.
• Keep breathing; exhale on the hardest part.
• Stop if you feel sharp pain (different from muscle burn).

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Gear for this exercise

Barbell and plates setA proper home strength setup for squats and presses.See it on Amazon →Squat rack / power rackThe centre of a serious home gym.See it on Amazon →

Exercise photos and instructions: free-exercise-db (public domain). Animation made from the real start and end photos.