Harmoniously developed muscles play a very important role not only in terms of competitiveness in competitions, but also in terms of the very aesthetics of the development of the whole body. Athletes spend very little time developing their forearms, and many, including beginners, completely forget to train this muscle. This is due to the fact that this muscle is small in size and its pumping is not of paramount importance.

Most devote time to developing broad shoulders, voluminous legs, big biceps, and so on. This is not a very good decision. Not only do you need voluminous forearms for the harmonious development of your body, they also play a direct role in your entire workout. So, how to pump up your forearms?

Theory + anatomy

First of all, we will look at the theory and go a little deeper into the anatomy to make it easier for you to understand how best to pump this muscle group. If you learn and understand how our body works, what our body is made of, it will be much easier for you. Moreover, you should know the basics of anatomy if you are going to work on your physique.

The forearms consist of a large number of small muscles, the pumping of which is very important. Some muscles of the forearm perform a flexion function, while others perform an extensor function. Some muscles are responsible for flexion and extension of the entire hand, while others only control the fingers. In addition to these muscles, there are also pronators, as well as supinators, which perform the movement of the radius bone of the arm.

All these muscles are divided into two groups: anterior and posterior. The anterior group includes the already listed flexor and pronator muscles, and the posterior group includes the extensor and supinator muscles, respectively. In principle, everything that we have just listed and more (including bones) can be seen in the picture.

Without any doubt, all of the forearm muscles listed above receive a certain amount of load during training with heavy weights. But, unfortunately, this load is not enough for full pumping and requires special attention.

Pumped forearms play a big role in performing exercises such as: lifting dumbbells for biceps, lifting barbells for biceps, and so on. To lift heavy weights, you need to hold them in your hand, otherwise you can drop the dumbbells on the floor, or even, God forbid, on your foot. So, it’s not just about the harmony and proportionality of body development. Based on this, the most appropriate time to pump up the forearm is the end of the workout. If you train the forearm muscles at the beginning or in the middle of the workout, they will quickly get tired and you will not be able to perform exercises with various types of deadlifts, or you will be able to, but with less weight.

The bones of the forearm are also important for the result, not only because, thanks to their structure, they allow you to perform circular movements in different directions, but also how thick they are. As stated in the article: ““, bone thickness is of great importance when gaining mass. It will be much more difficult to pump up the arm muscles due to the fact that they are long and thin.

There are two very important bones in the forearm called the radius and ulna. They are connected by muscles and ligaments. The structure of these bones allows a person to move the radius around the ulna. This movement involves “supination” and “pronation”. Therefore, it will be very advisable to develop these muscles that rotate the forearm in and out. This will add additional volume.

You can and should train your forearms with the same frequency as other muscles. The number of repetitions should be approximately 10-20. For each exercise, allocate 3 approaches.

You can spend a very long time considering the anatomical structure and importance of this or that forearm muscle. We covered a little anatomy and theory. Now let's move on directly to practice and show you the basic exercises for developing the muscles of the forearm.

Reverse grip barbell curl

This exercise will help you pump up your forearms; this exercise is quite effective. Without any doubt, many may think that this exercise is designed to pump up the biceps, but this is not so. The target muscles are the forearm muscles. In order for this exercise to be as useful as possible, cheating should not be used when performing it. Otherwise, the load will be significantly reduced and there will be no sense. You can also try doing the exercise on a Scott bench, this will increase the load on your forearms and give better results. There is no need to chase weight, since performing this technique exercise with a large weight is extremely difficult.

Forearm curl with a barbell while sitting on a bench with an underhand grip

The exercise is aimed at developing the flexor muscles, namely the inner part of the forearm. This exercise is popular in. The main prerogative in execution is, of course, technique. By performing the exercise technically, you will achieve good results. Movements should be made smoothly, without jerking, to avoid injury.

You can see the technique for performing the exercise.

Forearm curl with a barbell while sitting on a bench with an overhand grip

This exercise is similar to a regular forearm curl, with the only difference being that the grip is from above (palms facing down). In this case, the extensor muscles of the wrist are involved. Remember to use proper technique to avoid injuring yourself.

This exercise is an excellent addition to forearm muscle training. Without a doubt, the target is the biceps and that’s a fact. But it also works the forearms well.

When performing, the body must be fixed and motionless. The exercise should be performed without swinging, and also make sure that the upper part of the arm remains motionless, namely starting from the elbow, reaching the shoulder. That is, when lifting, the forearms and biceps work

Basic information on performing the exercise can be found.

Along with biceps and triceps, powerful forearms give a man a truly athletic look. The muscles of this part of the arms work to one degree or another in many exercises, but their targeted development requires separate training. Today we will talk about how to pump up your forearms.

A little anatomy

Let's start with a quick anatomy. This will allow us to analyze the exercises later.

First of all, remember that the forearm is not what is located below the shoulder joint, that is, not the biceps and triceps! This is the part of the arm from the hands to the elbow.

The forearm has an anatomically complex structure, containing two bones (the major and minor radials) and many muscles that allow the hands to make such precise and multidirectional movements.

Let us conditionally divide the muscles of this area into 2 groups: located on the back and on the outside of the palm.

If you look at the inside of your hand at the wrist, you will see many cords coming from the palm. There are similar strands on the other side. These are tendons that run from the muscles of the forearms to the fingers. The bulk of the muscles of the forearm are located in the elbow area, where this part of the arm is widest. There are not many muscles on the hand.

The strength of the forearms depends not only on the thickness of the muscles themselves, but also on the transverse diameter of the tendon. Practice has shown that thick tendons indicate serious strength in human hands. For example, the arms themselves may be thin, but due to the strength of the tendons and the large participation of muscles, the strength in them can be enormous.

Forearm strength and mass

Strong forearms are needed in certain types of martial arts, wrestling, and arm wrestling.

For those who are strengthening their grip, iron forearms are a must. In the latter case, the muscles are trained very actively, especially the inner part of the elbow.

Those who engage in arm wrestling also need to pump up this muscle group. These people fight on their hands, it is not so much the grip that decides, but the strength of the forearms, triceps and biceps.

Strong forearms, like all other muscles, are also needed by lifters who lift weights. In their body, every muscle that can be pumped up must be as strong as possible.

Among bodybuilders, the question of how to pump up your forearms is not heard so often. And there are two reasons. Half of the athletes do not know that these muscles can be specially pumped. And the other half believes that, for example, the brachioradialis muscle swings enough during exercises for other muscles. This is the one that is located on the outside of the forearm and allows you to bend the hand with the back side up.

Those who believe that you can pump up your forearm muscles without acupressure exercises are partly right. After all, all the exercises in which you pick up a dumbbell, a barbell, even a horizontal bar, involve your forearms, mainly their inner part.

To engage the back of these muscles, you need to do, for example, a biceps curl with an overhand grip. Great exercise - because you get more than just a toned bicep flexor!

In general, any biceps exercise works well for the forearms. This is true and if this is enough for you, you can stop there.

If you want to target these muscles, in particular, learn how to pump up the brachioradialis muscle, read on. We will give several exercises for the muscles of the forearm.

Basic exercises with a barbell

To develop your forearm muscles, you need to lift a barbell. There are two main exercises here. Let’s conventionally call the first exercise flexion (on the inside), and the second – extension (on the outside). Let's look at the technique of these exercises in detail.

Barbell wrist curl

The inner part of the forearm is pumped up by performing wrist curls with a barbell.

The exercise is done like this:

1. Take an empty bar.
2. Sit on a bench, bring your knees together.
3. Place your elbows on your knees with your hands in the air and your palms facing up. Hands from the wrist and elbow should lie on the legs.
4. The bar is already in your hands, bend your hands, holding it in your palms. The movement should be smooth and measured.
5. You can do 10–15 repetitions in one approach. You need to do 4 approaches.

When performed correctly, you will feel how your forearms on the inside become stiff and enlarged.

There is an interesting nuance in the execution: to load your hands and forearms as much as possible, you can roll the bar in your palms. That is, when moving down, the bar rolls slightly towards the bent fingers. When moving upward, using the force of the fingers, the bar returns to the base of the palms. This method also allows you to improve your grip. By the way, it also depends on the capabilities of the forearm muscles. Due to this exercise, the inner side of the forearm will strengthen and grow.

Wrist extension with barbell

A more difficult and unloved type of exercise for the forearms.

The technique is as follows:

1. Take the bar in your hands. Sit on a bench.
2. Place your hands, palms down, on your knees. The legs contain everything from the wrist to the elbow. You can let your wrist hang slightly from your knees.
3. Now straighten your hands and lift the bar up, and then smoothly lower it down using the force of your forearms. Forearm training involves 10–15 repetitions in 4 sets.
4. If you experience wrist pain, avoid this type of exercise or reduce the weights. Vultures are different. Or did you immediately pick up the Olympic bar? Confess?

Try to diversify your muscles, then you will have pumped up large forearms. This means strong and muscular arms.

Now let's talk about how to strengthen your forearms with dumbbells.

Additional exercises with dumbbells

The barbell is not suitable for some exercises, so other sports equipment comes to the rescue.

Pumping up the forearms will not be as effective if you don’t pump up the sides of this part of the arms. And this implies movements in the wrist joint to the right and left in the plane of the palm, which is impossible to do with a bar.

So let's look at a couple of exercises for the forearms with dumbbells.

The first is done like this:

1. Sit on a bench, first holding a dumbbell in your hand. Place your hand on your knee so that the dumbbell is perpendicular to the floor. That is, pancakes up and down. If you take 2 dumbbells and place both hands in this way, your palms will face each other.
2. Move the hand and dumbbell up and down with maximum amplitude. The movements will be minor, but this helps to finish off the muscles and use certain bundles of the forearms.

To pump up the other side of your hand, you need to do this:

1. Take a dumbbell and sit on a bench.
2. Place one hand with your elbow on your knee, bending it.
3. Raise your other arm so that your elbow and shoulder are at the same level.
4. Place the second hand closer to the wrist in the first hand. That is, with the palm of your lower hand you should clasp your upper hand near the wrist. Thus, the elbow of the second hand will point slightly upward. If you raise your hand above your elbow, it will be even better.
5. Hold the dumbbell with your other hand and move your hand up and down. The amplitude will again be insignificant - this is normal. In this plane the joint has limited mobility.

In general, these two exercises are more about subtleties. You can limit yourself to just working with a barbell. This is enough to create muscle mass in the arms below the elbow.

If you don’t have a barbell, you can use dumbbells instead and do the same exercises, plus an option when your palms are oriented towards each other.

To have pumped up forearms, it is enough to work them out once a week. You can do this on any training day.

In what other cases do these muscles work?

As mentioned above, the arms from the elbow to the hand work in many exercises according to the additive principle.

Pull-ups

Pull-ups on the horizontal bar perfectly strengthen your grip and the back of your forearms. In order to achieve the desired effect, you need to pull yourself up with a reverse narrow grip, bending your wrists towards you. This angle allows you to tighten the inner part of the muscles near the elbow. At the same time, the back, biceps and partially shoulders swing.

Barbell and dumbbells for biceps

When you hold a barbell or dumbbells, it is the forearm muscles that help stabilize your hands. If the biceps receive a dynamic load, then the forearms receive a static load.

If you take the barbell with an overhand grip, it will be harder to hold the weight. This is due to the fact that the extensor muscle of the hand is weaker than the flexor muscle. We need to pump him up!

When working with a barbell and dumbbells, do not forget to bend your hands towards yourself in order to better tense the muscles we need.

Triceps work

Exercises such as the French press and cable extensions are great for strengthening the forearm muscles. The outer part is working.

If you take a lot of weight when working on a block, your hands will sag. This means that their strength is not enough to handle the selected weight.

Raises and raises for shoulders and back

Raising dumbbells to the sides strains the muscles we need, and lifting the dumbbell in front of you strains them in the same way.

Bent-over barbell rows work the inner arms.

Pullover

An exercise such as a pullover involves the lateral part of the forearm.

Deadlift

Deadlifts strengthen your grip to an incredible degree. You have to hold a heavy barbell, which forces the muscles of the forearm and hand to work.

In order for the result of your work on your body to be most pronounced, work on all muscle groups.

The production of testosterone, necessary for muscle growth, is activated by basic exercises. And isolated curls with a barbell without the support of testosterone will do little. You also need to pump up your legs, shoulder girdle, chest and back.

To work out the forearm, muscle training can be carried out on any day, regardless of the overall workload.

Learn more about how to pump up your forearms, develop arm power, and increase your grip strength.

Why develop your forearms?

The famous bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in his encyclopedia recommends abandoning wrist belts for one reason - they do not allow increasing the strength of the forearms and reduce their involvement in the process.

Why is it worth developing your forearms? First, the stronger the muscle fibers in this area, the more weight your arms will be able to support. Secondly, the harmonious development of powerful arms will be impossible with undeveloped forearms.

Anatomical structure of the forearms

The forearms are a combination of many different sized groups of muscle fibers. The largest groups include the brachioradialis muscle, the flexors located on the anterior surface, and the wrist extensors located on the posterior surface.

The main purpose of these groups is to maintain weight, so the dominant type of fiber will be red myofibrils. To pump them up, you will need a large number of repetitions per approach and short pauses between approaches.

How to train your forearms

Almost no exercise involving the arms can be done without forearms, be it deadlifts, pull-ups or biceps exercises. However, the degree of their participation in these exercises is small.

Thorough training of the forearms is achieved in isolation-type exercises, in which the involvement of other muscle groups becomes minimal. The basic elements of this group are usually classified into three groups:

Basic elements with a barbell

The barbell as a weight allows you to evenly work out the muscle fibers of the forearms on both arms, equally involving them in movement. To thoroughly train the flexors, use an underhand grip, while the extensors are trained with an overhand grip.

Lifting the barbell for biceps with a reverse grip;

Forearm curls with a barbell while sitting on a bench;

Extension of arms at the wrists with a barbell;

Exercises with dumbbells

These basic elements of training have an advantage over the exercise with a barbell, since they allow you to use only one hand in the work and carefully control the movement being performed. Dumbbells with moderate working weight are used in rotational elements with the slowest possible pace of execution and constant control.

Hammer curls for biceps;

Forearm extensions with a hammer grip on a bench;

Rotation exercises

You can increase your grip strength and work your pronators and supinators using special exercises with a meter-long rope, one end of which is connected to a weight plate and the other is tied to an empty dumbbell handle. This handle is grasped with both hands and they begin to make rotational movements, winding the rope around it. The main “trick” is the slow pace of execution and a small number of repetitions (from 3 to 5).

Exercise for the pronator

Exercise for the arch support

Forearm muscle training program

Groups of muscle fibers in the wrist area are worked out as part of a single training for the arms. It is recommended to include a couple of specific exercises in your regular training program, performed three times for 15-20 repetitions. It is important to perform at a low pace and with medium load.

For beginners, the best option would be elements with dumbbells as a weighting agent using support: support under the elbow joint and hands, or performed while sitting with support on the thigh. Subsequently, they move on to performing the exercise while standing, refusing any kind of hand support.

By developing the wrist muscles, muscle fibers are strengthened, which in turn leads to the ability to lift and hold more weight. On the other hand, developed forearms harmonize with pumped up biceps and create powerful arms.

Why is it important to develop your forearms? In this article, you will learn what role these muscles play, and also get acquainted with exercises that stimulate their growth, regardless of genetic characteristics.

Massive forearms are considered a sign and calling card of a real bodybuilder or athlete. Indeed, developed, muscular forearms create a feeling of gigantic strength. And from a functional point of view, they allow the athlete to work with ever-increasing weights. The forearms increase grip strength and are thus involved in pulling exercises. On stage, underdeveloped forearms immediately catch the eye and also disrupt the proportions of the body.

If you want bigger muscles, you will have to do specific exercises and workouts for your forearms. In addition to being one of the most difficult muscles to grow, their shape and size limit are determined by genetics. And those whom nature has not endowed with good heredity will have to work hard during training.

Arm muscle anatomy

The arm muscles have many large, visible muscles that help us with everyday activities, such as changing clothes or lifting weights.

The complex design of the forearms allows us to perform completely different movements of our hands. Our fingers are also amazingly designed to allow us to grip barbells and dumbbells. All parts of the forearm, hand, fingers interact so harmoniously with each other that it is a real ensemble of bones, ligaments and tendons.

34 complex muscles provide varied mobility of our fingers and hands. They are so strong that trained people can support their weight by grasping something with a few fingertips.

Brachioradialis (brachioradialis muscle)	It is located on the front of the forearm. It starts from the shoulder, or rather from the outer part of it, after which it makes an intersection through the elbow and extends to the radius. Involved in elbow flexion and also helps rotate the forearm up/down.
Wrist support	It is thanks to this muscle that we can supinate while pumping the biceps, since it rotates the hand outward. Resembles a thin plate in the shape of a triangle. It is attached from our elbow to the thumb side.
Extensor carpi radialis longus	Be located next to the brachioradialis on the side of the triceps muscle. Participates in the outward extension of our hand.
Flexor carpi radialis and ulnaris	These muscles are visible on the biceps side on the inside of our forearms. They work when you need to bend your hands towards yourself. They also perform pronation of the hand (turn it outward), this is their additional function.
Extensors and flexors of the fingers	These muscles are located throughout the forearm, on its outer and inner sides. They provide grip strength, but add little volume.
Pronator teres	The main function of this muscle is to turn the hand inward from the side of our little finger. Also involved in forearm flexion.
Pronator quadratus	Similar to the round one, but differs in that it has the shape of a plate with four corners and is located next to the palm.

Just as with the calf muscles, the forearms require frequent and heavy loads. Despite the fact that when working with heavy weights (especially with various rows without wrist belts), the forearms are also involved, it is still better to do special exercises.

Why pump up your forearms?

Statistics show that one of the first things girls pay attention to in a man when meeting or getting to know him is his hands, and this is not surprising.

Reason #1. Aesthetic

Let's speak frankly. Most bodybuilders develop their forearms to make them look bigger and ultimately balance out their physique. Massive forearms create the impression of enormous strength, that is, they reflect the physical capabilities of a person. In addition, the forearms, as well as the neck, are often the only visible parts of the body. But when athletes start doing wrist curls, few of them think about effectiveness and safety.

Reason #2. Safety and grip strength

Strong forearms allow you to perform various exercises on other muscle groups. Often the forearms can be a bit of a weak link, limiting your exercise options. For example, to properly work your back, you need reverse-grip pull-ups and bent-over barbell rows, in which strong forearms play a leading role.

Reverse grip pull-ups

Strong forearms require development of the entire upper body, and the athlete can lift more weight without risk of injury. Thus, forearm exercises are the key to safe and more effective training.

Bent-over barbell row

As with the calf muscles, the forearms require frequent and heavy loads. Although the forearms are involved when lifting heavy weights (especially during various deadlifts without wrist straps), it is better to perform specific exercises for the forearms.

The best forearm exercises in the gym

The forearms are a fairly complex group of small muscles with several functions. The brachialis and brachioradialis muscles help flex the arm at the elbow and assist the forearm during flexion. The pronator teres muscle helps the forearm in the prone position, as well as when bending the arm at the elbow joint. The flexor muscles - palmaris longus, flexor carpi radialis and flexor carpi ulnaris - flex the palm, and the extensor muscles ulnaris and extensor carpi radialis brevis - extend it. And each of these muscles must be loaded to one degree or another with special exercises.

Extensor exercises

These muscles consist of eight heads: extensor digitorum, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor index finger, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis. These muscles extend beyond the forearm, so it is very important to develop them with the following exercises

Barbell Palms Down Wrist Curl

Standing Pronated Grip Dumbbell Raise

To vary the work and stimulate further growth of the extensor muscles, perform one of these exercises each workout with a palms-down grip on the bar. Your forearms should rest completely on your knees. Lower the weight so that the muscles are greatly stretched. Then extend your wrists for maximum contraction. If you're using dumbbells, work with each arm in turn.

Extensor exercises

This is the largest muscle of the forearm, stretching along the entire length of its inner part. The flexors consist of six heads: flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profundus, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus and flexor pollicis longus. The best exercises for the forearm flexor muscles:

Wrist curl with a barbell while sitting on a bench, palms up

Bend the wrists on the lower block while sitting on a bench

Wrist curl while sitting on a bench with dumbbells, palms up

To perform this movement, hold the bar as you would for a normal barbell lift. Place your forearms on your thighs and bend your wrists upward as hard as possible. Tighten your muscles and return to the starting position.

Exercises on the brachioradialis muscle

The brachioradialis muscle is located on the outside of the forearm and is a thick, rope-like muscle that can be easily seen when the arm is fully extended. It consists of only one head - the brachioradialis. Recommended exercises for the brachioradialis muscle:

Reverse grip barbell lift

Biceps curls on a Scott bench with an EZ barbell with a reverse grip

Reverse grip biceps curl

Alternating dumbbell curls while standing

Ultimately, you yourself will find your ideal exercises by trying all of the above. We are completely sure of one thing, they definitely work.

Ways to enlarge your forearm at home

Forget wrist straps. Wrist straps relieve the load on the forearms and compensate for a weak grip, but in this case the muscles of the forearms are weakly loaded. To properly work out the forearms, maximum muscle contraction is necessary, which is impossible with belts.

Buy collapsible dumbbells. With this amazing equipment, you will have a lot of opportunities to quickly build up your arm muscles at home, diversify the number of available movements with new exercises and complexes with dumbbells for the arms.

Use a thick bar. This will make your grip more difficult, and as a result of regular training, the size of your forearm will increase. If you don't have a thick bar at hand, simply wrap a towel around a regular bar. Similar equipment can be thought of at home.

Useful video from Yuri Spasokukotsky on developing grip and forearm strength using the Axel Apollo deadlift.

Wind the rope onto a weighted roller. Stand up straight and grab the roller with your palms facing down. Raise your arms parallel to the floor. Start winding the rope onto the roller by turning each hand up and down in turn. When the weight reaches the roller, slowly unwind the rope using the same wrist movements.

Winding rope onto a wrist roller

Essentially, this device is a heavy plate attached to a small handle with a thin rope. Slowly raise the handle with straight arms to shoulder level and begin to wind the rope onto the roller by turning your hands. When the weight reaches the roller, slowly unwind the rope with reverse movements of your wrists. Then relax and repeat the exercise.

Box. Hitting the punching bag repeatedly will also help develop forearm strength. Incorporate these exercises into your program from time to time and you will soon see progress. For example, 50 uppercuts with each hand perfectly develop the forearm flexors.

Use isometric exercises. Sets of isometric exercises for the forearms allow you to strengthen the muscle frame, increase strength and improve athletic performance without grueling hours of training in the gym. Its effectiveness and accessibility to everyone has been proven over time, as well as its widespread use in yoga, bodybuilding, fitness, rehabilitation programs, martial arts and strength training.

Training programs in the gym for forearm growth

As with any other muscle group, the rule of thumb with the forearms is that changes in your training program will enhance muscle growth. Therefore, mix up the suggested exercises periodically to increase their effectiveness. The following three programs can be included in your workouts at your discretion. The main thing is not to forget and mix exercises - to avoid boredom and growth inhibition.

As for the timing of working on the forearms, that is a completely different story: it is better to train them once a week, preferably at the end of the biceps workout.

You can also work on the muscles of the forearms on separate days, for example, 2 times a week, or combine them with calf training.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to build powerful forearms: they create the impression of strength, provide full physical development, create visual balance of the bodybuilder’s body and most importantly, they strengthen the grip, promoting strength work on all muscle groups. Thanks to the proposed exercises for the forearms, you can develop these muscle groups and create a harmonious and muscular body.

Nine experts will share their best practices.

Isolation exercises for the forearms

Mark Dugdale - professional bodybuilder, member of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB)

An excellent exercise is the reverse grip curl on a cable machine. However, this will not be enough for intensive muscle growth and it will be necessary to combine it with other equally effective exercises. Here it is important to perform so-called supersets - sequential, continuous execution of two or more different exercises (without rest).

Also, in conjunction with the first exercise, bending your wrists behind your back in a standing position is perfect. To begin with, 10-12 repetitions per set will do.

Immediately reduce the load by exactly half and perform as many repetitions as possible. The result of this workout will be clearly visible on the biceps and will strengthen the arm muscles. Take a short break and continue doing the 4-set superset again, advises Mark Dugdale.

Exercises with a sledgehammer

Akash Vaghela – bodybuilding trainer

To achieve the maximum effect in strengthening the muscles of the forearm, you need to try almost all possible methods of using a sledgehammer. This means that you will have to perform several types of exercises in a row.

With a sledgehammer, you will be able to perform supination and pronation (rotational movements of the wrists), as well as a combination of radial and ulnar abduction of the wrists. Think about it, what professions can boast of strong hands? Mechanics, rock climbers, and professional competitors such as powerlifting come to mind. And what do they have in common? All of them almost constantly use the muscles of the forearm and hand in their work.

1. Pronation and supination.

1. Radial and ulnar abduction with hands.

It is necessary to perform 3-4 sets of 10-20 repetitions and at the moment of greatest tension take a short break. Remember to do this exercise in both directions.

As time goes on, try to do more repetitions. To make the process more difficult, grip the sledgehammer handle further away from the metal head. You can make notes on the handle with a marker to track your progress.

When you feel that you are already strong enough, try to grab the edge of the handle and, at arm's length, touch the head of the sledgehammer to your nose.

As a result, the forearm muscles will increase in volume.

Here's your program:

Day #1 – wrist curls with a barbell or dumbbells.

Day #2 – radial and ulnar abduction with the hands using a sledgehammer.

Day #3 – pronation and supination using a sledgehammer.

After a productive workout, do not forget to stretch your forearm muscles - Akash Vaghela.

Special roller exerciser for wrists

Nick Tumminello – strength training specialist

You can make such a roller yourself; just take a metal rod and fasten a rope in the middle on which the load will be suspended. This is an excellent workout for the forearm muscles, which can be done both in the gym and at home. It consists in the fact that you need to work with your hands forward and backward (from yourself and towards yourself).

You also have the opportunity to manage your weight and gradually adjust it to suit you. It is worth noting that the heavier the rod or load, the more difficult it is to perform the exercise.

To achieve good results, you can perform 2-3 sets of 40-60 seconds with a rest interval of 3-4 minutes. The main thing here is not the number of repetitions, but the time spent. During the exercise, it is necessary to change the direction of movement.

Grab the handles and keep your arms extended in front of you while standing on the bench. Start lowering and raising this roller with a load; at the moment of lifting, make sure that when lifting, your hands are at the same level as your shoulders.

Do not allow the weight to touch the floor until the time required to complete the set has ended. – Nick Tumminello

Do pull-ups more often

Lee Boyce – strength training specialist

We can list almost all types of exercises, but in order for you to develop the muscles of the forearm, you also need to pump your back. So, if you want to have strong arms, then you will have to do pull-ups several times a week. Believe me, it's not difficult at all.

By doing pull-ups, you will not only become more resilient, but in addition to your arms, you will also be able to strengthen your back muscles.

Follow these tips and you will succeed:

1. Regular grip pull-ups
2. Reverse grip pull-ups
3. Increase the number of repetitions
4. Use weights once a week.

And one more thing. Sometimes there are people who have quite poor blood circulation in their muscles. This is especially true for the muscles of the arms and legs, since they are distal limbs. In these cases, Lee Boyce advises attending massage sessions more often. So don't forget about it!

There must be many options

Christian Thibaudeau – strength training specialist

I bet many of you will recommend limiting your use of the belt for lifting weights. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. Of course, without using a belt, grip stability will significantly increase when performing the exercise and the arm muscles will grow faster than the forearm muscles.

But what if your goal is to develop the muscles of the forearm? What to do if you don't use belts?

I often notice that when a person’s main goal is to pump up his arms, he uses a belt. This, by the way, also has a positive effect on the back muscles, as it requires constant monitoring. So if your main target is your shoulders, then limit your use of belts.

I like to use a thick bar when performing curls, both overhand and underhand. I don’t prefer to do curls with dumbbells, as they limit the maximum possible weight.

Also, when performing the exercise, I make sure that the forearm muscles are constantly under tension. A large amount of lactic acid is great for quickly increasing your muscle size. I still prefer the good old wrist roller as it is less likely to cause injury and is fairly easy to do on a daily basis at home.

I hate those who think this exercise is “for sissies.” And it's worth noting that most people do it incorrectly. The range of motion should be short, so that you constantly feel the muscle tension. It is necessary to perform each approach for about 40 seconds and then we will get maximum lactic acid production.

You can also try to reduce the flow of blood into the working muscle using an elastic band, but you still need to try this before you can give your recommendations - Christian Thibaudeau.

Develop your grip

Amit Sapir is a professional bodybuilder, member of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB), world champion in powerlifting.

The first thing to do is limit the use of belts. At least two of the three approaches must do without them.

The most important thing here is a special type of grip:

• Use a thicker bar for the exercises (regular and reverse grip wrist curls or hammer curls work great). Be sure to alternate exercises. You will notice that the thicker your grip, the more difficult it is to practice.
• Squeeze your hand as tightly as possible, as much as you can.

• Try holding it during periods of greatest tension (about 30 seconds).

• You can also experience the so-called “rolling thunder” (structurally, it is a round rotating handle with a weight at the end). Perform this exercise with one hand (photo above).

A set of 5 exercises for pumping up the forearm

Joel Seedman, PhD - Strength Training Specialist

Use these five exercises to strengthen your forearm muscles and improve your grip strength:

1. The difficult thing is that you constantly need to focus your attention on the type of grip. This applies to exercises such as close- and wide-grip deadlifts, pull-ups, weighted shoulder shrugs, and walking with dumbbells in your hands.

1. Perform thick bar exercises, grip training, towel pull-ups, mountain climbers, tug-of-war, rope climbs, and front dumbbell raises.

1. Raising barbell plates overhead is great for the muscles of the forearm, arms, and to some extent the fingers. Here you will have to use absolutely all the muscles from the shoulder to the little finger, as you will have to constantly maintain balance.

1. Wrist curls using a cable machine or dumbbells. It is necessary to hold the bar firmly and not swing it. It is not enough if you do these exercises once or twice a week. If you set yourself the goal of achieving success in the shortest possible time, then you will have to do both of these exercises.
2. Exercises for biceps and brachioradialis muscles. These include: hammer curls, reverse grip wrist curls with barbells or dumbbells, and overhead barbell plate raises.

When it comes to appearance, the brachioradialis muscles are most prominent when a person is in a relaxed state. — Joel Seedman

Wrist flexion

Paul Carter is a bodybuilding trainer.

If you really want to get beautiful forearm muscles, you need to do high rep sets, like a hundred or two hundred (with an empty bar), and do it non-stop.

Try 200 reps and your muscles will hate you - Paul Carter

Choose the right weights

Dan John - strength training specialist

In 1975, I first learned that weightlifting was an Olympic sport. From that time on, my life changed forever, I began to actively study. By increasing the weight, the muscles began to actively grow, and as a price for the result, calluses appeared on the hands.

The training lasted quite a long time, two and a half hours. There were constant problems with sleep, because due to high loads, my arms, and indeed my whole body, constantly ached.

My trainer kept promising that once we started lifting heavier weights, we'd be able to use straps. And I believed that these magic straps connecting me to the barbell would make training at least a little easier. But I never used them.

The reason is very simple: when I tried throwing the discus again, I began to do it much further. I got bigger, stronger and faster, but I also learned something else: my grip became much stronger, which is what allowed me to achieve such high results.

It took me years to understand and realize how grip training affects productivity. Say what you like, but there are no better exercises for the forearm muscles than deadlifts, weighted pull-ups, and walking with dumbbells - Dan John