Forearm supination is the movement that turns your palm from facing down to facing up, the way you turn a doorknob or hold out your hand to take something. In this exercise you sit at a table with both forearms resting on it and a resistance band held between your hands. One hand holds the band still while the other turns palm up against it. It is a common exercise after wrist, forearm and elbow injuries, when turning the palm up has become weak.

How to do the forearm supination with band

Sit at a table with both forearms resting on it in front of you, palms facing down.
Hold one end of a resistance band in each hand, with the band running across the table between your hands. Take up the slack so there is light tension.
Keep your other hand still, palm down on the table. It anchors the band while the working arm moves.
Turn the palm of your working hand up toward the ceiling, rolling the forearm against the pull of the band. The forearm stays on the table.
Pause, then turn slowly back to palm down and repeat.

What you should feel

Work in the forearm near the elbow, and often in the front of the upper arm as well. The anchoring arm should feel steady rather than tired.

Common mistakes

Lifting the forearm off the table or swinging the elbow out to help the hand turn.
Letting the anchoring hand slide toward the working hand, which takes the tension off the band.
Letting the band snap the hand back to palm down instead of controlling the return.

How often

Many programs start with a light band and 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 slow repetitions, once a day. Your physio will choose the band and the numbers for you.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the wrist, forearm or elbow as you turn.
A painful click or catch at the wrist.
Numbness or tingling in the hand.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
A sudden pop or snap at the front of your elbow, sudden sharp pain there, or the muscle at the front of your upper arm bunches up or changes shape. Stop and go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day, even if you can still bend the elbow, as this can be a torn biceps tendon.

From the clinic

If even the lightest band is too hard, practice the same turning movement with no band first, keeping the forearm on the table. Once it is smooth and comfortable through the range you have, add the band back in.

After a wrist or forearm fracture, turning the palm up is often stiff for a while. After a broken wrist, hand or forearm, or surgery on any of them such as a tendon repair, start only when your doctor, surgeon, physio or hand therapist says the bone or repair is ready for this, and follow their plan for how much to do. The biceps curl works the muscle at the front of the arm that also helps with this movement.

After a broken or dislocated elbow, or elbow surgery such as a tendon repair, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. If you have just hurt your arm and have severe pain, cannot move the elbow or heard a snap, do not exercise it. Go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day. If the arm looks a different shape or sits at an odd angle, a bone is showing, or your arm or hand tingles, feels numb or turns cold, pale or blue, go to an emergency department straight away or call emergency services, and do not drive yourself.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Forearm supination with band