Reverse Barbell Curl

The reverse barbell curl is a curl flipped palms-down, and that single change turns an arm exercise into a forearm builder. Gripping the bar overhand and curling it up, you shift the load off the biceps and onto the brachioradialis and the forearm extensors on the top of the arm — the muscles that a normal, palms-up curl barely touches and that tend to lag behind. Training them head-on with heavy, both-arms-at-once work builds thicker, more balanced forearms and rounds out arm development that curls alone leave lopsided. It's a natural pairing with standard and hammer curls. Two honest notes: your wrists need time to adapt to holding weight in the pronated position, so expect some soreness early on and start lighter than your usual curl, and you'll simply handle less weight here than on a palms-up curl because the muscles involved are smaller. Keep your wrists firm and neutral, your elbows tucked, and curl under control without swinging. For forearm strength and complete arms, it's well worth adding.