For forearm growth
For forearm growth, wrist roller rates higher on our research criteria: more of the work on the forearms, easier to progress.
Dead hang is easier on the joints.
Both are good choices, and they train the forearms differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
For combat sports, dead hang rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to combat sports, easier to learn and fit in.
For forearm growth, wrist roller rates higher on our research criteria: more of the work on the forearms, easier to progress. Dead hang is easier on the joints. Both are good choices, and they train the forearms differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Dead hang needs a pull-up bar, so a home gym covers it. Wrist roller needs a weight plate, so a home gym covers it.
Dead hang: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for wrist roller.