Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Wrist Circles: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

Wrist circles are a bodyweight exercise focused on improving mobility and flexibility in the wrists and forearms. This movement is commonly used as a warm-up or rehabilitation exercise to increase blood flow and prepare the wrists for more strenuous activities.

Primary muscles
Forearms
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the wrist circles
Front view: muscles worked by the wrist circles. Primary: forearms.
Back view: muscles worked by the wrist circles. Primary: forearms.
Primary

How to do the wrist circles

  1. Step 1: Extend your arms straight out in front of you.
  2. Step 2: Make a fist with both hands.
  3. Step 3: Rotate your wrists in a circular motion, keeping your arms still.
  4. Step 4: Continue the wrist circles for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the wrist circles by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Wrist Circles alternatives

More exercises that train the forearms as their main target:

More forearms exercises

See the best forearm exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.