I started lifting at 130lbs at 6ft1 and my forearms were ridiciously small. Now im at 200 and they obviously have grown but i still feel they make my entire arm look small because they are still skinny in my opinion.
my question is COULD the size of my forearms be holding me back from increasing my entire arm size? I dont do any direct forearm work and I dont use straps. right now my arms are 16.5R/16.25L. should i start doing direct forearm work or just eat more?
both eat more + work them out if you don’t think they’re growing fast enough?
at 6’1", 16.5" arms aren’t exactly stand out anyway, so if you’re planning on getting them 18" and above, they should start looking meaty at that point.
they absolutely could be holding overall arm growth back…
I see much eating, many wrist and reverse curls in your future.
Alrighty then looks like ill start hitting them hard, thanks.
Use thick grip training by buying these:
I was exactly like you. 6’1 standing at a measly 130 lbs. I’ve never done serious direct forearm work, but for some reason they stand out when I wear a t-shirt. I really believe a few years of heavy deadlifting was the reason for this.
I’ve also incorporated oly lifts in my routine and have noticed my forearms have gotten a little growth on them since. Just train hard and eat big, you will see forearm growth.
I have this problem too. I have very long arms with the upper arms being huge and the forearm being smaller.
From Tylergrip-true?
Question: Why do short bodybuilders always have the most massive, fully-developed forearms and biceps? Answer: A short athlete’s smaller hands are forced open to a greater degree requiring more muscular force to control a given weight than a genetically equal athlete with larger hands.
The best example of this fact is the professional bodybuilder Lee Priest. Mr. Priest is the shortest (5’ 4") elite professional bodybuilder. Mr. Priest also has smallish hands even considering his height.
His world-best forearms and biceps are due (in addition to his crazy genetics and work ethic!) to the fact that he has had to squeeze extra hard from day one of his training to hold and control the weights.
Could forearms be a big determining factor of genetics? I have a heavy ass pull and all my lifts are pretty big, and im a pretty short dude-5’8- and smallish hands i guess, but when im working and have a large t-shirt on i look like a goomba because of them.
Also my shoulders are pretty A-frame even though i can standing barbell shoulder press 175 for reps off my chest. BUT despite all that, i found close gripped OVERhand pullups and reverse EZ bar curls did atribute to some growth
My forearms are small, and my wrists are tiny and I’m 230 @ 6ft. Believe it or not I started using straps about 6 weeks ago and they have grown since then. Add forearm work twice a week and train them hard. And squeeze the fuck out of the bar.
Its also genetics. My workout partner has similiar stats to me(height/weight), but his deadlift is way lower, and has a ‘really’ weak grip and his forearms are fucking jacked, he has almost another 2inches on me. It looks impressive, although I know the truth.
And yea, forearms can and will limit upper arm size.
[quote]slimthugger wrote:
Question: Why do short bodybuilders always have the most massive, fully-developed forearms and biceps? Answer: A short athlete’s smaller hands are forced open to a greater degree requiring more muscular force to control a given weight than a genetically equal athlete with larger hands.
[/quote]
While I agree short BBrs often have impressive forearm development; I don’t accept your explanation (not really sure I understand what you are saying there “forced open to a greater degree”)
I think it may just be that less muscle (mass) is required to fill out a small (short) forearm.
I find the following really increases forearm size and strengh:
barbell wrist curls
barbell reverse wrist curls
I superset with wrist curls and reverse wrist curls and go for 5 sets of each. I also notice that i have to do more reps for my forearms than other body parts; im not sure why; but i dont feel i get good forearm work when going only for 8 or 10 reps; i usually go for 15 to 20 reps…sometimes using strip sets.