For forearm growth

Reverse Curl vs Wrist Roller

For forearm growth, the two are close. Wrist roller rates slightly higher: more stretch.

Reverse curl is easier to progress.

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)

Research score

Target tension

Strong

Loaded stretch

Fair

Good

Progression

Strong

Good

Low cost

Strong

See the full forearms ranking

What these mean

Target tension.: Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.: How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.: How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.: How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose reverse curl

You want to keep adding weight in small steps

Good reasons to choose wrist roller

You train at home
You want more load on the forearms while they’re stretched

Reverse Curl

Wrist Roller

You need

EZ bar

Weight plate

Skill

Easy to learn

Type

Isolation

Questions

Which is better for forearm growth, reverse curl or wrist roller?

For forearm growth, the two are close. Wrist roller rates slightly higher: more stretch. Reverse curl is easier to progress. 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.

Is reverse curl or wrist roller easier to learn?

About the same: both are easy to learn.

Can you do reverse curl or wrist roller at home?

Reverse curl needs an EZ bar, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Wrist roller needs a weight plate, so a home gym covers it.

Which is easier on the joints, reverse curl or wrist roller?

About the same: both rate Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.

More comparisons

Reverse Curl Wrist Roller All forearms exercises

Reverse Curl vs Wrist Roller

For forearm growth, the two are close. Wrist roller rates slightly higher: more stretch.

Reverse curl is easier to progress.

What these mean

Target tension.: Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.: How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.: How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.: How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose reverse curl

You want to keep adding weight in small steps

Good reasons to choose wrist roller

You train at home
You want more load on the forearms while they’re stretched

Reverse Curl

Wrist Roller

You need

EZ bar

Weight plate

Skill

Easy to learn

Type

Isolation

Questions

Which is better for forearm growth, reverse curl or wrist roller?

Is reverse curl or wrist roller easier to learn?

About the same: both are easy to learn.

Can you do reverse curl or wrist roller at home?

Reverse curl needs an EZ bar, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Wrist roller needs a weight plate, so a home gym covers it.

Which is easier on the joints, reverse curl or wrist roller?

About the same: both rate Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.