This is a guest post by “Napalm” Jedd Johnson of the Diesel Crew. He is obsessed with Grip Strength and wants to spread his sickness to everyone else in the world of strength training. Join his Legion of Grip at The Grip Authority, today!
If you are walking around with a big chest, shoulders, bi’s and tri’s but your forearms are still looking like frail, boney Q-Tips, then this article is for you.
A lot of people give muscle building a bad rap. They say that it makes no sense to just train for size. The people that say this are usually people who struggle to put on muscle, are not all that strong, and usually have an ugly gut and love handles. Screw them – get as big as possible and you will be stronger than 95% of the people at any airport, restaurant, or amusement park.
If you really want to impress someone though, you’ve got to pack some muscle on your forearms. Let’s face it, almost everybody hits the bench and curls hard so they can blow up their chest and arms. But they forget to do something for lower arms, and these can be just as eye-popping as the torso muscles.
The problem is, the majority of people at the gym who DO train their forearms do it wrong. This can hold back their development and have them running around in circles, limiting their results.
Here are a few concepts to employ in order to pack some serious muscle on your forearms, while also gaining some lower arm strength which can be used for bigger numbers on other gym lifts as well.
1. Reverse Curls
Often, trainees only think about hitting the flexors on the front of the forearms and neglect the muscle on the back of the forearms. Reverse Curls hit the Brachioradialis as well as many other muscles. This movement is very important to include because having mass on both sides of the forearm makes them look even bigger.
I prefer the E-Z Curl bar for this movement because it is less hard on the wrist, although a straight bar may cause no discomfort for you. I generally start light on these and hit sets of 12, adding a few pounds each time for about 5 sets.
2. Static Holds
Static Holds are often used to train for stronger grip strength, but they are over-looked as a means to build the forearms. In reality, holding a gripper closed or holding a thick bar implement off the ground for an extended time requires a great deal of muscle fiber recruitment in the forearms and over time will help build muscle and strength.
There are several ways to perform static holds in order to spur muscle growth in the forearms, but I will focus on using Grippers and Thick Bar Handles.
What’s cool about Grippers is that they try to fight you, so squeezing them shut and keeping them there is no walk in the park. You will see right away that this is an effective means for forearm muscle mass.
Thick Bar work is another favorite of mine. They are also great for building forearm strength because as the hand opens to grip the larger handle, the wrist also extends, so now we are putting more demand on the back of the forearm again, which means more muscle down the road.
A great solution for Thick Bar training that has come about recently is Fat Gripz. No longer do you need to spend $49 on a thick loadable dumbbell handle because these things can be slid onto dumbbell handles in a matter of seconds. You can get them here = > Fat Gripz.
I like to perform holds in the ten second range. Anything longer means you should try a tougher gripper, lift a heavier load or use a wider dumbbell handle.
3. Sledge Hammers
If you don’t have a sledge hammer, you need to get one. They can be used for an almost endless variety of exercises from gross movement patterns like swinging and chopping a giant tire or tree stump to wrist and forearm isolation work.
If you use Sledge Hammers to smash something, get ready to work everything from your hands to your elbows. The pinky pads and thumb pads will swell up from gripping and driving with the sledge, plus your forearms will blow up all over as well.
If there are any doubts what using sledge hammers in your training will do for your forearms, just check out the forearms of a contractor or carpenter. They are usually bulbous, meaty, and cut up for real! Alternate between your right hand being on top and the left hand being on top and go for sets of 20 total with about 60 seconds of rest in between.
4. Rubber Bands
These are like the secret weapon to forearm size and definition. You can’t buy a much cheaper forearm training solution either. For about $3, you can by several dozen rubber bands from Staples. Get the #84 Rubber Bands, wrap the around the thumbs and fingers and open the hand against the resistance.
Several times a day, throw the rubber bands on and shoot for 20 to 50 reps. This is one where light resistance and lots of reps is advisable. They will make you feel like your forearms are going to explode, but they also help hit the smaller muscles on the back and in the middle of the forearms. Embrace the burning.
I even keep a pair in my Explorer. Then whenever I start to develop road rage from the endless barrage of construction, Marcellus shale mining, and female drivers in my region of PA, I can throw on some bands and start working out my aggression.
Alright, now you have 4 new things you can start implementing in your routine. If you are looking for more forearm bursting exercise, you should check out the Nail Bending eBook. Even if you never bend a nail in your life, the exercises in the training index will give you a multide of movements to choose from that will help you blow up your lower arms to massive proportions.
Get it today – it’s AWESOME! The Nail Bending eBook
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