How to Do the Finger Curl

The finger curl is a wrist curl variation where you let the bar roll down to your fingertips and then close your fingers before curling your wrists. It adds finger flexor work on top of normal wrist curls. It suits lifters who want a stronger grip.

Forearms BarbellBeginner

Log every set of your Finger Curl in Superlift

Muscles worked

Primary

Forearms

Secondary

None to speak of

How to do the Finger Curl

1
Sit on a bench with forearms resting on your thighs, palms up, holding a barbell.
2
Let your wrists hang over your knees.
3
Open your fingers so the bar rolls to your fingertips.
4
Curl your fingers closed first.
5
Curl your wrists up as far as you can.
6
Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly.

Form cues to remember

Roll the bar to your fingertips
Close fingers, then curl wrists
Keep forearms planted
Control the lowering

Finger Curl video tutorial

FINGER CURL TUTORIAL · I AM LINSPIRATION on YouTube

Common mistakes

Using too heavy a bar

Pick a weight you can control for 12–20 reps.

Skipping the finger roll

Let the bar go to your fingertips each rep.

Lifting the forearms

Keep your forearms pressed to your thighs.

Bouncing the bar

Use a smooth tempo with a pause at the top.

Sets and reps

Muscle growth	3 sets of 12–20 reps, 60 seconds rest
Endurance	2–3 sets of 20–30 reps
Strength	3 sets of 10–12 slow reps

Light loads work best. Skin or finger joints can get sore if you ramp up fast, so stop if you feel sharp pain.

Superlift for iPhone

Track your Finger Curl and watch it go up

Superlift shows what you lifted last time, times your rest, and charts your strength week by week, so you always know what to beat. Every exercise in this library is built in, with the same demos and tutorials.