Arms · Bodyweight
Palm Up - Palm Down Rotation
How to do the palm up - palm down rotation, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand or sit with your elbows bent at 90 degrees and tucked against your sides, forearms pointing forward. Rotate your forearms so your palms turn fully up, then rotate the other way until your palms face fully down. Keep the motion smooth and controlled, driven from the forearms.
- 1Your forearm muscles working as your palms rotate up and down
- 2Elbows staying pinned to your sides throughout the rotation
- 3A full turn at the wrist in both directions
Common mistakes
- Don't let your elbows drift away from your body
- Avoid swinging your shoulders to create the rotation
- Don't rush; control the turn in each direction
Muscles worked
The palm up - palm down rotation mainly works the forearms.
- ForearmsPrimary
- BicepsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the palm up - palm down rotation for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More forearms exercises
- How to do the wrist curl
- How to do the conans wheel
- How to do the farmers walk
- How to do the forearm extensor stretch
- How to do the forearm flexor stretch
- How to do the medicine ball hussafel carry
Last reviewed June 2026.