Brachioradialis Exercises: Build Bigger, Stronger Forearms

The best brachioradialis exercises are reverse curls, hammer curls, and Zottman curls — movements that flex the elbow with a neutral or pronated (palms-down) grip. Because the brachioradialis works hardest when your palms aren't fully supinated, switching your grip away from a standard underhand curl is the key to building this thick forearm muscle and a stronger grip.

What Is the Brachioradialis?

The brachioradialis is the large, prominent muscle running along the thumb side of your forearm, from the upper arm to the wrist. Despite sitting in the forearm, it's actually a primary elbow flexor — it bends your elbow alongside the biceps and brachialis. What makes it unique is leverage: it contributes most to elbow flexion when your forearm is in a neutral (thumbs-up) or pronated (palms-down) grip, rather than the supinated (palms-up) position a standard bicep curl uses.

Why Train the Brachioradialis?

Forearm size — a developed brachioradialis adds visible thickness to the upper forearm, the muscle you see flex when you bend your elbow.
Stronger grip and pulling — it stabilizes the elbow during deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, and carries.
Bigger arms overall — it sits between the biceps and forearm, filling out the arm when flexed.
Balanced elbow health — training it in neutral and pronated grips balances the supinated work biceps curls already provide.

Muscles Worked

Muscle	Role in the movement
Brachioradialis	Primary mover — flexes the elbow in neutral/pronated grip
Brachialis	Assists elbow flexion regardless of grip
Biceps brachii	Contributes, but de-emphasized in pronated grip
Wrist extensors	Stabilize the wrist, especially in reverse curls
Forearm flexors	Maintain grip and wrist position throughout

The trick to targeting the brachioradialis is grip position: pronate or neutralize your hands and the biceps loses its mechanical advantage, forcing the brachioradialis and brachialis to take over.

Best Brachioradialis Exercises

Reverse Curls

The most direct brachioradialis builder. Hold a barbell or EZ-bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, hands shoulder-width. Keeping elbows pinned to your sides, curl the bar up, then lower under control. The palms-down grip shuts the biceps out and overloads the brachioradialis and wrist extensors. Use lighter weight than a normal curl — the leverage is harder.

Hammer Curls

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other, thumbs up). Curl one or both dumbbells up while keeping the wrists straight, then lower slowly. The neutral grip keeps tension on the brachioradialis and brachialis throughout and is easier on the wrists than reverse curls — a great everyday staple.

Zottman Curls

A two-in-one movement. Curl a dumbbell up with a supinated (palms-up) grip like a normal curl, then rotate to palms-down at the top and lower slowly in that pronated position. The lowering phase hammers the brachioradialis, while the lifting phase still works the biceps — making this one of the most efficient forearm builders.

Reverse EZ-Bar Curls

A wrist-friendly version of the reverse curl. The EZ-bar's angled grip keeps your hands slightly pronated while reducing wrist strain. Curl with elbows tucked and control the negative. Ideal if a straight bar bothers your wrists.

Behind-the-Back Wrist Work

Stand holding a barbell behind your back with a pronated grip. Let it roll toward your fingertips, then curl it back up using your wrists. This isolates the wrist extensors and brachioradialis at the top of the forearm and adds grip endurance — a great finisher.

Form cue: Keep your wrists locked and straight on hammer and reverse curls. If your wrist bends to help, you've shifted work away from the brachioradialis — lower the weight and let the elbow do the lifting.

Sample Brachioradialis Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Reverse curls	3	10–12
Hammer curls	3	10–12
Zottman curls	3	8–10
Reverse EZ-bar curls	2	12–15
Behind-the-back wrist curls	2	15–20

Train forearms 2–3 times per week, either at the end of an arm or pull day. Because the brachioradialis recovers quickly, slightly higher reps and shorter rest work well.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Going too heavy — reverse curls demand lighter loads; ego lifting recruits the biceps and momentum instead.
Bending the wrists — let the wrist collapse and you turn a brachioradialis exercise into a wrist curl.
Swinging the elbows — keep them pinned to your sides so the elbow flexors do the work.
Only doing supinated curls — palms-up curls favor the biceps; you need neutral and pronated grips to hit the brachioradialis.
Rushing the negative — the lowering phase, especially on Zottman curls, is where much of the growth happens.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grip works the brachioradialis best? A neutral (thumbs-up) or pronated (palms-down) grip. In these positions the biceps loses leverage, so the brachioradialis and brachialis take over elbow flexion. That's why hammer and reverse curls beat standard curls for forearm development.

How often should I train the brachioradialis? Two to three times per week. It's a small, fast-recovering muscle, so you can train it frequently with moderate volume — for example, a few sets of reverse and hammer curls at the end of upper-body sessions.

Do reverse curls or hammer curls build the brachioradialis better? Both work well. Reverse curls (pronated grip) put the most direct tension on it, while hammer curls (neutral grip) allow heavier loads and are easier on the wrists. Using both gives the best results.

Will brachioradialis training make my forearms bigger? Yes. The brachioradialis is one of the largest forearm muscles, so developing it adds visible thickness to the upper forearm and helps fill out the arm between the biceps and wrist.

Track Your Arm Training Burn

Adding curls to your routine? Estimate the calories you burn during your arm work:

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