Does anybody have a good plan of attack for stimulating forearm growth?? My forearms are really lacking and I want them to get BIGGER!!
Good old wrist curls (both ways) work really well. Here’s my list: wrist rollers-tie one end to a piece of pipe & the other end to some weight & roll it up. wrist curls with a plate-just like wrist curls but with a plate. arm curls with a plate-hook your thumb around that ridge going around the outside & have your fingers on the plain side & as you curl it keep the plate in line with your lower arm. Lever lifts-different ways to do these, one way is to hold a sledgehammer in your hand & hold it out beside you at arms length with the head over your face. Another way is to hold it the same way but with your arm by your side & hold the hammer out parallel to the ground. I usually do low reps & heavy weight. There are pics & more info at www.ironmind.com/griptip.shtml & grippage.cyberpump.com Remember that just like anything else, it’s going to take lots of time & effort to make forearms grow. Take hand/wrist/forearm training just as seriously as you would for chest or legs, etc.
One more…do all your deadlifting with an overhand grip meaning have both hands in fron instead of facing opposite ways. Even better, though do one hand deadlifts. Even BETTER, do one hand deadlifts with a thumbless grip.
And do everything with a thick bar if you can. I’ve found that the plate curls work the lower part of my forearms, down by my wrist & wrist curls with a bar work the upper half.
Make sure and squeeze the hell out of the bar as well. DB or BB. Your knuckles should be white.
Poliquin has some good ideas about wrapping towels around your pull-up/chin-up bar to increase the diameter of the bar. Then you get a different forearm training effect without having to do forearm-specific work. Try it, it’s pretty cool.
poliquin wrote an excellent article on it a number of issues ago, i think the title was “can’t make your arms grow? try working the forearms” in it he laid out a several week plan that worked the forarms in their 6 ranges of motion (yes there are more than the classic 2 of wrist curl and reverse wrist curl) I highly recommend it.
Those links dont work drax!!!
Ok just the ironmind link doesnt! I hate that other site!!!
farmers walk,bar hang,jump rope hits em for cardio, olympic lifts, theres a tun!
Do all your heavy lifts without straps and an overhand grip. As well as flexion extension work for your wrist you can work your grip for all its possible types of strength i.e Gripping (holding on to objects with closed grip), crushing (captain of crush are rated as the best equipment) and pinching strength (i.e plate holds between thumb and straight fingers)
Check out this program from Poliquin:
Also, if you’re using straps, stop.
Both those links work fine. Do 3-4 exercises in each workout & train just as hard on them as you would on back or chest, etc.
I have been experimenting with a twice a week workout for forearms (actually for the entire body), and it seems to be working well. I workout four days a weeks, so I do wrist curls on the 1st and 3rd days and wrist extensions on the 2nd and 4th days. I periodize them, just like the rest of the body. Right now, I have found that one good set per workout is enough for growth. I would do that for a while then add more volume if needed.
I’m going to throw in my two cents. Over the past few months my forearms having gotten pretty big as well as defined. And my grip strength has increase a lot. I have not done any direct forearm work either. My secret is not train like a “sissy”. Say goodbye to the gloves and the wraps. Start doing a lot of pullups deadlifts curls and hanging leg raises(feet to the bar). And as someone already said squeeze the life out of the bar on any and all exercises. My hands toughend up very quickly and my callouses on my hands are not as bad any more. Give it a shot I think you might be pleased.