Cable Standing Back Wrist Curl exercise animation (Male)

Cable Standing Back Wrist Curl

Target muscle
—
Equipment
Cable
Body part
Forearms
Type
Strength

The cable standing back wrist curl is a forearm isolation exercise that targets the wrist flexors along the inside of your forearms. Performed standing with the cable behind you, the constant tension of the pulley loads the forearm flexors through a full curl, making it a useful finisher for grip strength and forearm size.

How to do the Cable Standing Back Wrist Curl

  1. 1Set a cable pulley to the lowest position and attach a straight bar.
  2. 2Stand with your back to the machine, grip the bar behind you with both palms facing rearward, and step forward until the cable is taut.
  3. 3Keep your upper arms close to your sides and your elbows mostly straight so the work stays in your forearms.
  4. 4Let the bar roll down toward your fingertips, allowing your wrists to extend fully and feel a stretch through the forearm flexors.
  5. 5Curl your wrists upward by closing your fingers and flexing toward your forearms, keeping the rest of your body still.
  6. 6Squeeze at the top where your forearm flexors are fully contracted, holding briefly.
  7. 7Lower under control back to the stretched position, resisting the cable the whole way.
  8. 8Finish your reps, then return the bar to the machine with control.

Form tips

  • Move only at the wrists — keep your elbows and shoulders fixed so the forearm flexors do the work.
  • Let the bar roll to your fingertips at the bottom for a fuller range of motion and a stronger forearm contraction.
  • Use a slow, controlled tempo; the cable keeps tension on the forearms in both directions, so there is no need to rush.
  • Keep the reps light to moderate and high — forearms respond well to higher rep ranges.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and swinging the bar with your arms, which shifts load off the forearms and strains the wrists.
  • Bending the elbows to help curl the bar, which turns it into a partial arm movement and reduces forearm tension.
  • Cutting the range short by not letting the wrists fully extend, which trains only a fraction of the forearm flexors.
  • Letting the bar drop fast on the way down instead of resisting the cable, wasting the most productive part of the rep.

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the cable standing back wrist curl work?

It isolates the forearm flexors — the wrist-flexor muscles on the inside of your forearm that close the hand and curl the wrist. The constant cable tension keeps these forearm muscles loaded through the full range.

How is this different from a regular wrist curl?

The movement is the same wrist-flexion curl, but the cable runs from behind you and provides constant tension instead of a free-weight load that goes slack at the top. That keeps the forearm flexors working through the whole rep.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Forearms respond well to higher reps, so 2–4 sets of 12–20 reps with light to moderate weight is a sensible default. Focus on a full stretch and squeeze rather than heavy loading.

Is the cable standing back wrist curl good for beginners?

Yes. It is a simple isolation move with a fixed, guided path from the cable, so beginners can build forearm and grip strength safely by starting light and keeping the elbows still.

Related exercises