Brachioradialis

The brachioradialis is a key forearm muscle that plays a crucial role in elbow flexion, especially during rapid or resisted movements. For athletes, this muscle is particularly important because it contributes to grip strength and arm stability during dynamic activities like throwing, lifting, and racquet sports.

Unlike the biceps, the brachioradialis is most active when the forearm is in a neutral position—such as a handshake grip—making it essential for functional strength and injury prevention across a wide range of sports.

Brachioradialis

Anatomy

Origin:

Proximal 2/3 of supra-epicondylar ridge of humerus

Insertion:

Lateral surface of distal end of radius proximal to styloid proces

Actions:

Relatively weak flexion of forearm; maximal when forearm is in mid-pronated positio

Clinical Relevance

Wartenberg syndrome is a type of radial nerve neuropathy caused by compression of the superficial radial nerve between the brachioradialis and extensor carpi radialis longus tendons. This compression worsens with forearm pronation, leading to burning pain and paresthesia on the dorsum of the wrist, hand, and fingers.

Though it doesn’t affect motor function, it can impact an athlete’s ability to perform gripping or fine motor tasks, making it important to address in rehabilitation.

~ Evidence-Based Exercises ~

According to an EMG study, the exercises that demonstrated significant muscle contractions of Brachioradialis are;

EZ-Bar Arm Curls
Hammer Curls
Forearm Pronation

EZ-Bar Arm Curls

Hammer Curls

Forearm Pronation

< Reference >

Keith L. Moore, Anne M. R. Agur, Arthur F. Dalley. Moore Clinically Oriented Anatomy 7^th Edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013
Lung BE, Bisogno M. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Forearm Brachioradialis Muscle.
Boland MR, Spigelman T, Uhl TL. The function of brachioradialis. J Hand Surg Am. 2008 Dec;33(10):1853–9.
Kleiber T, Kunz L, Disselhorst-Klug C. Muscular coordination of biceps brachii and brachioradialis in elbow flexion with respect to hand position.Frontiers in physiology. 2015 Aug 6;6:215.
Marcolin, Giuseppe, Fausto Antonio Panizzolo, Nicola Petrone, Tatiana Moro, Davide Grigoletto, Davide Piccolo, and Antonio Paoli. “Differences in Electromyographic Activity of Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis While Performing Three Variants of Curl.” PeerJ 6 (July 13, 2018): e5165. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5165.