The Palm-Up Pewter Pendulum

Trail Log · Movement Breakdown

Here's a fun fact: flipping your palms from facing down to facing up completely changes which forearm muscles are doing the heavy lifting. It's like rotating your car's steering wheel and suddenly you're on a completely different road. Same bench, same barbell, same kneeling position — but now your palms are gazing up at the ceiling like they're stargazing, and everything feels different.

You set up the same way — barbell on the side of the bench, kneel down, grip the bar with an underhand grip, and rest your forearms on the bench with wrists hanging off the edge. Then you curl those wrists upward and feel a completely different set of muscles light up. It's like discovering a hidden room in a house you've lived in for years. The movement is identical in size and scope — just a small wrist bend — but the sensation is totally new.

This variation targets the flexor side of your forearms, which is the side responsible for gripping, grabbing, and holding onto things when they try to get away. Think of wrangling a shopping cart with a wonky wheel or keeping your dog from chasing a squirrel. Those are the muscles working here. Keep your forearms pressed into the bench like they're superglued there, because the moment they lift off, you've invited every other muscle in the vicinity to crash the party. Isolation is the name of the game, and patience is the strategy. Your forearms will thank you — quietly, modestly, and with noticeably firmer handshakes.