Forearms
Wrist Roller
The Wrist Roller is a strength exercise for your forearms. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: forearm extensors 44%, forearm flexors 40% and front delts 10%.
How to do it
- Tie a small plate to the rope of a wrist roller and hold the handle with both hands, palms down.
- Stand tall and raise the straight arms in front of you to shoulder height.
- Roll the handle toward you one hand at a time to wind the plate up.
- Keep rolling until the plate reaches the handle.
- Reverse the rolling slowly to lower the plate back to the floor.
Tips
- Keep the arms level the whole set, the shoulders tire first if they drop.
- Lower the plate under control, the unwinding works the forearms too.
Common mistakes
- Letting the plate spin down freely.
- Bending the elbows and pulling the handle toward the chest.
Muscles worked by the Wrist Roller
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Rolling a weight up and down alternates flexion and extension with the arms held out. Extending the wrist against load isolates the forearm extensors; the flexors only co-contract.
Wrist Roller alternatives
Different equipment
- Dumbbell Wrist Roll
- Cable Reverse Wrist Curl
- Cable Wrist Extension
- Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curl
- Finger Extension
- Reverse Wrist Curl
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Wrist Roller work?
Mainly the forearm extensors and forearm flexors.
Is the Wrist Roller good for beginners?
Yes. The Wrist Roller is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.
What is a good alternative to the Wrist Roller?
For example the Dumbbell Wrist Roll, Cable Reverse Wrist Curl and Cable Wrist Extension. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.
Log your sets in Zulta
Zulta tracks your sets, weights and muscle load next to your running, riding or Hyrox training. The app opens soon.