Finger Curls
Also known as: finger curl
Chasing muscle you built on purpose? Finger Curls uses heavy bilateral barbell loading to get there.
How to do Finger Curls
- Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
- Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge.
- Slowly curl your fingers towards your palms, squeezing the barbell tightly.
- Hold the contraction for a moment, then slowly release your fingers back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Finger Curls Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Keep a rep or two in reserve on the heaviest sets.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing.
Endurance
3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Take the smallest plate jump available once the reps are clean.
Common Finger Curls Mistakes
Loading the bar unevenly or skipping the collars
Match the plates side to side and clip collars on every set.
Moving through the easy half of the range only
Work the part of the range that feels hardest, not the part that feels good.
Adding weight faster than technique can absorb it
Hold a weight until every rep looks identical, then move up.
Easier and Harder Than Finger Curls
Swap Finger Curls For
Finger Curls — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Finger Curls?
Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and hold a barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up. Rest your forearms on your thighs, allowing your wrists to hang off the edge. Slowly curl your fingers towards your palms, squeezing the barbell tightly. Use a barbell and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Finger Curls work?
The Finger Curls primarily targets the forearms. It is classified as a arms exercise and is performed with a barbell.
How many sets and reps of the Finger Curls should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Reset the bar between reps rather than bouncing. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Finger Curls good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic arms patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Finger Curls?
Try the Smith Seated Wrist Curl, Cable Standing Back Wrist Curl or the Weighted Standing Hand Squeeze. Each trains the forearms with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
Is the Finger Curls the same as the finger curl?
Yes. The Finger Curls is also commonly called the finger curl. Different gyms and training programs label it differently, but "finger curl" refer to this same movement.
