Martial artists and bodybuilders are both interested in developing huge forearms. You need them for gripping heavy weights or for many aspects of combat. One of the best ways to develop a big and strong set of forearms is to work with the reverse wrist curl.

How to do proper forearm reverse wrist curls

In this post I will talk about how to correctly do the reverse wirst curl. I have seen all sorts of variations to this exercise; some of them good, some of them bad.

In my years of training martial arts and bodybuilding I have developed a few tricks that allows you to get the most out of this basic exercise.

1. Pick the right weighted barbell
First you need to get the right weighted barbell. If you go to heavy you will not be able to do the curl properly and run the risk of damaging your wrists. If it is too light it will not do the job. I am to get a weight that will allow me to do about 5 to 8 reps per set.

2. Get the right height seat
You want to be sitting on a seat that allows your arms to be on a downward sloap slightly. At the minimum your forearms should be parallel to the ground. This is important.

3. Do closed handed curls first
The main bulk of the reverse wrist curl is done by holding the weight with your palms facing up and then curling your wrist up towards your forearm. You then slowly allow the weight to drop back down to the bottom and curl it back up. Make sure it is nice and slow and you feel the contraction.

4. Then move down the fingers
Once you cannot do anymore reps like this you should allow the weight to roll down to the tips of your fingers. Once it is down the bottom roll it back up again just using your fingers. The fingers are interconnected with the forearms and any work they do works the forearms as well. This is my number one tip for taking the reverse wrist curl to the next level.

Conclusion

Give the forearms some extra attention on your biceps day. The exercises and muscles worked are similar so it is a good day to give them a run. Make sure you push them hard and stretch them out as often as you can. Safety first!

Image from illpumpyouup.com

As a martial artist I am always searching for new ways to build my forearms. When I was in high school I was obsessed with rope climbing as I saw it as a natural and very powerful way to develop my grip and forearm muscles. If you want to develop some upper body strength as well as blast your forearms to the next level then you should give it a try.

Rope climbing videos

I came across this video of a rope climbing contest in the Czech Republic and thought I would share it with you as it shows how good you can get at rope climbing. I was a little shocked to see how lean these guys were as I know when I was doing a lot of climbing my forearms size increased dramatically. Regardless of their size, however, they look like pretty strong dudes.

I am big on cheap home gym equipment. I like to have workout stuff lying around the house so I can pick up something and do a workout whenever I want. The hand gripper, used for building grip and forearms strength, is one of my favorites.

What is a hand gripper?

The hand gripper is a small device made from tough steel or some other kind of metal that you hold in your hand and use your fingers to squeeze it closed. The squeezing is designed to be very hard so that your forearms, fingers and wrist get stronger and tougher. It is an excellent tool for bodybuilder and martial artists.

Captains of Crush - the BEST hand grippers

In my opinion the Captains of Crush hand gripper is the best on the market. They are hard and heavy unlike some other weak ones you find at sport stores that my grandmother could squeeze in. These really help you build big forearms and a stronger grip. You will find your lifting technique becomes much better and you will not fatige as early. All good things! You can get the Captains of Crush Trainer Gripper at Amazon for less than $20 here.

Why do I need a hand gripper?

Everyone who needs to use their forearms for their sport needs to use a hand gripper. Think about it. A bodybuilder or weight lifter needs to lift heavy weights to grow their bigger muscles. For example, a heavy deadlift might be a hundred kilograms and to lift that weight you need to rely on the small finger muscles. You can, of course, cheat by using gloves that hold the weight for you but then you miss out on the benefit the deadlift has on the forearms muscles. Similarly, when you do a chin up you have to hold yourself up using your hands. This can become quite difficult as you start to add weight onto your waist to increase the intensity of the exercise. It is for these reasons that you need to start training with a gripper. You need to bring the forearms and fingers up to a level of strength where they can handle bigger and bigger weights. This will lead to increase muscle growth on your whole body, not just your forearms.

Build some huge forearms in part 3 of this 4 part guide

This is the 3rd part of this highly popular 4 part series on building huge arms. In this post we will look at how to build huge forearms.

The full series is: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3 and PART 4.

Part 3 of Building Huge Arms - Giant Baseball Bat Forearms

Strong forearms are important for almost everyone who is involved in a sport. They are important for martial artists in terms of grip or punching strength, bodybuilders so you can hold heavy weights as well as developing a well rounded look… the list goes on.

The great thing about the forearms is they are easy to train. The respond very well to almost any type of exercise and as such it really isn’t all that hard to get huge ones.

Where is the forearm and how does it work?
This is simple, we all know it. The forearm is the muscle that runs from the elbow to the hand and is involved with any movement of the lower arm or the hand. If you want to grab onto a bar with your fingers, for example, you will need the help of your forearm muscles.

The best forearms exercises

As with the other parts in the series we have looked at the best three exercises for developing that particular muscle. I have had extensive martial arts training and it was there that I found some of the best exercises for the forearms. This was surprising to me as I thought bodybuilders would always have stronger forearms. However, try supplementing your regular forearms work out with these exercises and see how you go.

1. Heavy bar bell holding
One of the best ways you can pump up your forearms and add some serious size and strength is by simply holding a heavy bar bell. All you have to do is pack some weight on a bar bell and pick it up and hold it in your fingers. Use every ounce of strength you have to hold it for as long as you can.

Once you cannot hold it anymore drop it down, shake out your hands and pick it up and do the same thing. Each time you do it try to reduce the amount of rest time you have inbetween sets.

2. Reverse bar bell curls
This is an exercise that Sly Stallone says he used to build his massive forearms in the hit movie Rocky. I have used it for years now and find it is an excellent way to develop some real size and strength.

The idea behind the reverse bar bell curl is simple. You are basically doing a regular bar bell curl but with a reverse grip so that your hands are on top of the bar and your palms are facing down. This means that your upper forearms have to work extra hard to hold on to the bar during the motion.

To do a reverse bar bell curl:

- load up a medium heavy bar bell
- pick it up with an over hand grip
- hoist the bar up on to your chest like you would a normal curl or a clean and press
- slowly lower the bar down as per the negative motion of a bar bell curl making sure to keep your forearms tight
- once you reach the lowest point without stopping for a rest curl the weight back up.

Sly gave the advice that this movement should be a bit quicker than other bodybuilding movements and that you should keep arms quite loose when you are doing it. Don’t try and keep everything stiff.

3. Reverse wrist curls
This is an old classic exercise but it brings wonderful results. When you start to add some weight to these exercises and give your forearms some extra work to do you will really start to see results.

To do a reverse wrist curl:

- load up a heavy bar bell
- sit on a bench
- lift the bar bell up and place your wrists on your knees so that your hands hang off the edge holding the bar bell
- tense your forearms and curl the weight up in your fingers and then curl your hands up towards your elbows
- tense at this top point
- slowly lower it back down and when there is no room left to lower your hand allow the weight to roll down into your fingers.

The extra movement you can get by allowing the weight to drop down into your fingers really challenges the forearm muscles.

Conclusion
In the fourth and final chapter in this series we will bring all of the muscles together into a workout and look at the other elements that are essential for building huge arms such as diet and rest.

One of the best movements for developing strong and larger forearms is to use your fingers in a more energetic way. The fingers have an intimate relationship with the forearms but they rarely get pushed out of their comfort zone.

Get a shoe bag or a large sock and fill it as full as it will go with sand. Simply grip the sock with the tips of your fingers and squeeze as tight as you can. Every time you breathe out you should squeeze harder. This is a great way to improve your grip and is a fantastic training tip for martial artists.

What does everyone else use to develop their grip and forearms?

1. Gripping - holding on to a bar or chin up pole;
2. Squeezing - squeezing a gripping machine;
3. Twisting - normal movements like in reverse wrist curls.

A successful forearms workout will use all of these motions in the one workout.

The Top 5 Forearms Exercises
Here are the top 5 forearms exercises for adding mass and strength quickly. You will start to see results within a week or two of training them as they respond very quickly to new stimulus.

1 - Heavy Bar Bell Holding
This is one of my all time favourite ways to blast my forearms. Stack on as much weight as you can handle and simply hold on to the bar bell while you stand still. When you don’t think you can hold it any longer, hold it for a few more seconds. Then drop the bar, shake your hands out for 15 seconds and pick up the bar again and aim to hold it longer then the last time.

Do this for 5 sets and you will find some amazing strength gains happening. This is especially good for martial artists who want to improve their gripping power. You will also notice that bar bell exercises become easier during other workout at the gym due to the added forearm strength and stamina.

2 - Chin Up Bar Holding
Same as before, hold yourself from a chin up bar for as long as you can. Strap a weight to your legs or waist and keep adding it during the workout.

Use this exercise in a pyramid style of training so that you add more and more weight as the sets go on.

3 - Reverse Wrist Curls
This is the all time classic forearms exercise. Here are some tips to make it more effective.

The secret I use is to do as many reps as you can with a medium to heavy weight with your fingers gripped tight around the bar bell. As you get tired, roll the bar down to the tips of your fingers and use your fingers to complete the set. This will give you a deep burn in your forearms. Do 5 sets for this exercise.

4 - Reverse Bar Bell Curls
Many people neglect this exercise because of some fears that it will work out your biceps too. However, it is such a good exercise that it should be used weekly. If you don’t want to work out your biceps twice then perform your forearms training after your biceps! Simple.

Keep your grip loose with this one. Sly Stallone used this to build his forearms when training for Rocky and said that the best results came when he relaxed the upward motion and kept it slow on the downward motion. This will pack on forearm size fast. Do 5 sets.

See Arnold doing some reverse wrist curls in this excellent old school image from www.illpumpyouup.com.

5 - Hammer Twists
This exercise is not so popular as it is a little hard to set up but it really does work wonders. I use this as a warm down after performing the other 4 forearms exercises.

You need an adjustable dumb bell where you can take all the weight off of one side. Put a heavy weight on the other side and sit on a bench. With your arm resting on your knee and your palm facing down gripping the dumb bell, twist the dumb bell over until your palm almost faces the roof. Keep it slow and steady.

Forearms Warm Down
After your forearms workout stretch your muscles as much as you can and shake out your hands and fingers as much as possible. It is very annoying to come into the gym the next day and not be able to pick anything up because they are too sore!

Does anyone have any exercises they really love?

Its Easy!

Training the forearms is so so easy, yet everyone seems to have small and very weak arms. I think this is because the forearms are usually over looked when training with weights. People are so intent on building big biceps and pecs that they forget to work the functional but not so good looking aspects of their body. But, this is also a secret weapon! Because you have been neglecting to hit your forearms on a regular basis, as soon as you start to work them out you will see amazing results.

Everytime you do a pull up, throw a punch or lift a bar bell you are using your forearms. So, to train them, we need to work on these basic motions; making them harder and more stressful for the muscles. The basic motions of training these muscles are:

• Gripping, &
• Twisting

One of my absolute favourites that I urge all my clients and RMO Team Members to perform is simply hanging from a pull up bar. This exercise will boost your grip strength and forearm size in no time. I noticed one day that during pull ups (another favourite!) my forearms were often giving way before my back and biceps did. This gave me the idea to use this motion as an exercise in itself. Whats more, because this is hardcore, REAL training, I thought about ways I could make the exercise more intense. So, firstly I made the bar as thick as I could by wrapping towels around it. This works on the gripping element of forearm training. Then, after a few workouts, I added weight to my body with a weight belt so that the forearms were stressed a lot faster. I then set a hanging time and tried to beat that time every time I trained them.

In the next issue I will discuss some other exercises to work on the gripping aspect of forearm training, as well as introducing the best way to train using the twisting motion based exercises.

Train hard!