A reverse grip curl bends the elbow with the palm turned down instead of up. In the video it is done lying on your back with no weight: you make a firm fist, bend the elbow to bring the fist up toward your shoulder, then lower it slowly until the arm lies straight again. With the palm down, the biceps does less than in a palm-up curl, so more of the work falls on the deep elbow bender (brachialis) and the muscle along the thumb side of the forearm (brachioradialis).

How to do the reverse grip curl

Lie on your back on a mat with your legs straight and both arms resting by your sides.
Turn the hand of the arm you are working so the palm faces down, then close your fingers into a firm fist.
Keep the upper arm on the mat and bend the elbow to lift the fist up toward your shoulder. The palm stays turned away from you, so the back of your hand leads the way.
Bend as far as is comfortable and pause briefly. Keep the wrist straight, in line with the forearm.
Lower the fist slowly until your arm lies straight on the mat again, then repeat.

What you should feel

Work along the top of the forearm near the elbow and in the front of the upper arm. The back of the forearm also works to keep the wrist steady and the fist closed.

Common mistakes

Letting the palm roll around to face you as the elbow bends, which turns it into an ordinary curl.
Lifting the upper arm off the mat or hunching the shoulder.
Letting the wrist tip back or droop instead of keeping it level with the forearm.
Dropping the arm back to the mat instead of lowering it under control.

How often

Many programs use 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 slow repetitions, once a day, with no weight to begin with. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain at the elbow, along the forearm or at the wrist.
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.
Tingling, pins and needles or numbness in your hand, most often in the ring and little fingers (from the nerve behind the elbow, the ulnar nerve) or in the thumb, index and middle fingers (the median nerve).
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.

From the clinic

Most people are weaker with the palm down, so expect fewer repetitions than you would manage in a palm-up curl. The video goes all the way from a straight arm to a full bend. The voice guide starts each lift from a right angle, with the forearm pointing at the ceiling, and that shorter range is a fair choice if the elbow is sore near straight. Your physio can tell you which range suits your elbow.

Once the plain version is easy, many people hold a light dumbbell or a small water bottle in the fist. If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every repetition and never hold your breath.

A palm-down fist makes the muscles that lift the wrist work hard, and they start at the outer elbow. With tennis elbow, keep the fist gentle, stay with no weight at first and check with your physio before adding one. If you have pain on the inner side of the elbow (golfer's elbow) and a tight fist makes it worse, relax the grip. 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.

A full bend squeezes and stretches the nerve that runs behind the elbow (the ulnar nerve), which supplies the ring and little fingers. If those fingers tingle, stop and lower the arm, and leave the exercise there for today. If it settles quickly, try a smaller bend next time, and tell your physio if the tingling comes back.

If you are pregnant and past the first three months, check with your physio before exercising flat on your back. For the standing palm-up and thumb-up versions with dumbbells, see the biceps curl and the hammer curl.

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.

Reverse grip curl