# THin wrists...can i make them bigger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108 "2006-05-17T15:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![peachpit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@peachpit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peachpit)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/1 "2006-05-17T15:21:35Z")
Hi, I am a 16 year old guy and i have really small wrists. i am fit, but not abnormally skinny, however my wrists are really small…does anyone know any excercizes/equipment that would hlp me build up my wrists so that it was noticeable…or am i stuck with the way i am??? thanks! ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/2 "2006-05-17T15:42:05Z")
I think you’re stuck- I have them too. I’m 39 and never found a good way to build them up, mainly because there’s not a lot of muscle tissue at the wrist. You can build your forearms, but you’ll just have these Popeye arms with dainty little wrists. In my case, it’s my mom’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/3 "2006-05-17T15:45:44Z")
Yep, you’re stuck with them. I’m 33 and I still have skinny wrists, but my forearms and the rest of my arms are pretty good sized so no one bugs me about my wrists! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![peachpit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@peachpit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peachpit)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/4 "2006-05-17T16:04:42Z")
:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/5 "2006-05-17T17:19:40Z")
Wrist surls can help, but there isn’t much muscle in wrists to bulk up as others have said. You maybe able to make up one or two watch band links increase but not much more. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/6 "2006-05-17T17:20:47Z")
damn I meant **wrist curls** don’t know where that **s** came from. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/7 "2006-05-17T17:48:49Z")
You can always get really fat. That’ll make your wrists bigger for sure. ---
**Author:** ![peachpit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@peachpit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peachpit)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/8 "2006-05-17T17:52:02Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > You can always get really fat. That’ll make your wrists bigger for sure. haha. im not that desparate yet 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/9 "2006-05-17T18:15:57Z")
I am 5’10" 185 lbs., not a bodybuilder but not skinny; I curl 75 lbs on a curl bar, and my wrists are small. After reading this I decided to measure–6.5" around just on the forearm side of the wrist bone. That’s just the bone structure I was born with. I put my watches on the last notch, and my watches with metal bands always have to have several links taken out. I have one watch with a ladies’ band. As others have said there’s not much muscle there to build up. Wrist curls are more for forearms than wrists. Grip exercises might be better, though marginally. It’s nothing to worry about. Size doesn’t matter. 🙂 And if size _does_ matters, it’s not the size of your _wrists_ that matters 😃 If you’re fit, healthy, and interesting, nobody is going to notice your wrists. Nobody ever noticed mine. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/10 "2006-05-17T18:27:35Z")
Wrist curls can make your forearms large and well-defined and while they may not increase your wrist size substantially, they’ll definately make them stronger. Sit on a bench with your thighs horizontal. Start off with just a barbell, no weights and grip it with your palms facing up. Lean forward to where the back of your forearms/wrists are resting on your knees and slowly unfurl your grip so that the bar rolls out and down and to the last knuckles on your fingers. Now, roll your palms and wrists back up, then back out, etc. Keep doing repetitions until your hands, wrists and forearms are on fire, probably 20 or 30 reps, three or 4 sets. Over time, increase the weight on the bar. Believe me, this will yield impressive results. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/11 "2006-05-17T18:28:48Z")
Some people can hide tiny wrists if they have a long muscle belly on their forearms (there’s less bony wrist covered up with muscle before the “real” forearm begins). I don’t and have smallish wrists, so either way I’m kinda screwed. Mostly, though, I agree with Gas. It’s not the first place people will look if the rest of you is tanked out. In fact, I’m not sure people look there if you’re skinny either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/12 "2006-05-17T19:11:54Z")
OTOH, I knew a guy in college whose wrists greatly increased in diameter after playing foosball for most of a summer. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-wrists-can-i-make-them-bigger/357108/13 "2006-05-17T19:26:30Z")
Ya know, I don’t think I have ever noticed the girth of a man’s wrists. Ever. And I know from men! 😃