Curl – Wrist
by Al Myers
LaVerne Myers trains the wrist curl in preparation for the USAWA Grip Championships.
At the USAWA Grip Championships, only official USAWA lifts are contested. We have a wide range of grip lifts in our Rule Book – some very common performed lifts and some that are obscure. I would include the wrist curl as one of the obscure! It has very rarely been contested – and only at record days. There are just a handful of USAWA records in this lift.
The official USAWA Rule for the Wrist Curl:
D11. Curl – Wrist
This lift starts with the lifter placing the forearms and the back of the hands flat on a hard table with the palms of the hands facing upwards, holding a bar. The lifter must be standing. The feet must not be braced against the table. Once in this position, an official will give a command to curl. The lifter will curl the hands off the table using wrist flexion only, while keeping the forearms on the table at all times. Both hands must be held entirely off the table for two seconds. The knuckles and back of hands must be completely off the table before the official will begin the count. The lifter may use any grip, including a hook grip or a grip with no thumbs. If the bar rolls out of the hands with the fingers no longer touching the bar, it is a disqualification. The bar must rise evenly, with both hands leaving the table at the same time, or it will be a disqualification. If the forearms move or are lifted, it is a disqualification. The lift ends on command.
At the Grip Champs we will use a solid table with a rubber top to prevent arm slippage. I will have plywood available to stand on so everyone can get a comfortable height. Spotters will assist the bar into the hands to start the lift. This is one of the lifts that is “old school” and uses a 2 second hold at the finish before a down command is given. I will be looking at the part of the hand closest to the wrist to determine if the entire hand is off the table. Both hands must be entirely off the table to be a legal lift.
The top record in our Record List for the Wrist Curl belongs to Dan Wagman with a 300 pound lift.