Thread: forearms feel like they are doing all the work

Hey, welcome to the forums.

The thing with your forearms is pretty common. While they aren't prime movers in those exercises (just contracting your forearms doesn't move the weight in a curl for example, its the bicep that creates the movement) you still have to hold onto the weight, and its probably just a weak link right now.

You're still new to this, and you'll build up grip strength after a while and won't even notice it. So don't worry too much.

Your workout program leaves a lot to be desired, however. Can i ask why you aren't doing any work for your legs (quads, hamstrings etc)?

Chinups will do more for your biceps and overall development than curls ever will, also.

How are you doing lat pulldowns with just dumbells?

I highly reccomend you read this thread:

*** READ ME FIRST - Homework #1 for Newbies ***

It contains a huge amount of absolutely solid useful info that works, and is written for beginners like yourself. I guarentee you will see results if you follow the steps in that thread.

thanks heaps!

im not doing any work for my legs because
1. i forgot to write them down. im doing lunges and kneeling kickbacks and dumbell squats. still, im not really doing much because
2. my current job involves riding a bike for 1-2 hours (delivery boy) plus i play sport, so my legs are often sore and tight already.
would you suggest that i do anything more than i am doing?

another question, im doing cardio every second day (20 min skipping). should i do something like walking every other day, or is just the skipping fine?

oh yeah, and i do have a machine thing that i think does lat pull down, pec dec and seated row (i do these, but on other days) but its ancient and rusty, so i dont use it too much incase it collapses on me...

should i be putting some of these questions into other threads by the way?

If your forearms are sore it shows your forearms are somewhat behind in your physique and so it's good for them to hurt more because it shows they are developing.

However if you really want to isolate the bicep in one or two exercises, such as curls, try a thumbless grip, and hardly grip it with your hand, just grip it enough so it doesn't roll off your palm and onto your foot.

As for the workout; I don't like it. You'll end up looking like this guy:
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture...211greg-11.jpg

also theres a difference in feeling it in your forearms and actually hurting. I got tendinitis in my forearms and elbows when i first started working out and had to lay off for almost 3 months. So don't over do it. If you have to drop the weight and focus more on the technique to ensure you're working the area intended.

I will say this too, if you're new to working out you might want to cut back on that many exercises. You're doing a lot it seems, just focus on compound movements. Your base should be squats, deadlifts, and bench. Try to do exercises that involve more than one muscle group and don't worry about targeting certain muscles yet until you get bigger.

Originally Posted by awhites1

also theres a difference in feeling it in your forearms and actually hurting. I got tendinitis in my forearms and elbows when i first started working out and had to lay off for almost 3 months. So don't over do it. If you have to drop the weight and focus more on the technique to ensure you're working the area intended.

I will say this too, if you're new to working out you might want to cut back on that many exercises. You're doing a lot it seems, just focus on compound movements. Your base should be squats, deadlifts, and bench. Try to do exercises that involve more than one muscle group and don't worry about targeting certain muscles yet until you get bigger.

That could be that case but in movements where the bicep is involved, forearms often are left sore

It would help if you posted ALL of your workouts. You said your doing some legs. I'd drop the kickbacks. You mentioned you use your legs a lot for work and sport. That's fine. In that case why don't you try to work out a schedule where you can do some basic compound work with low volume? If you're new you don't need to go fancy; at this point do your squats and deadlifts and at least you're doing some good for your lower body. Try for a BB squat at this point, though. You'll get a better ROM and you'll be able to lift at higher intensities (it'd be a pain to clean your body weight in dumbbells up to your shoulders if you're new to this...hell even I'd have trouble doing that).

As for the forearms, deadlifts will REALLY help will this. I was deadlifting heavy loads last night and today my forearms (among many other muscles) are just done. You need to do (relatively...meaning relative to YOUR given strength) heavy compound lifts involving your arms if you want to make your forearms grow. You'll never be contracting the forearms in this case, but isometric tension from a solid t-bar row or deadlift has a much more profound effect on the forearms than some DB curls are going to have.

If you want extra forearm work, avoid wrist curls. They seem awesome, I know. I use to be all about those back in my days of "arm day" training. But, honestly, they're pretty useless and impractical. Go for farmer's walks. Hold a DB in each hand and just walk!! You'll feel your forearms burning like a New York City hooker's trip to the bathroom.

Also, do some reading on psychology of bodybuilding, or mental focus in bodybuilding. The reason being one crucial skill for you to learn is focussing on the targeted muscle(s). For instance, when performing a deadlift, you're primarily working your hips (hamstrings and glutes). However, you're also working your quads, adductors, hip flexors, spinal erector, back in general, traps, forearms, abs, obliques, core, etc. One thing I've noticed from showing people how to deadlift and from when I learned myself is they always seem to feel the lift in their back, and nowhere else. Now, your back is heavily invoolved in the lift, no doubt -- but it's your hams and glutes that are really taking the load. The problem is if you can't properly focus on the lift and what it is exactly your body (as a system) is doing you probably won't work the targeted muscle(s) properly. In the case of deadlifts, many people fail to acknowledge what they're doing and their back takes up the slack.

The same goes for any compound upper body lift involving the arms. Take bent-over rows. While your biceps and forearms are a factor, for sure, the main muscles worked are the rhomboids (back thickness). If you can learn to focus on how your muscles are interacting the load will suddenly shift to the proper work ratio. You'll still feel it in your bi's and forearms, but you'll feel your back lifting much more (and, subsequently gain extra strength since you're now using a larger muscle to move the object).

This happened to me with deadlifts about a month and a half or two months ago. I used to be terrible at deads. I could bench 225 for 4 x 4 but I struggled to dead 185 for 3 reps (and that was with cheating on the concentric). I set out to learn how to fix this. I spent a lot of time reading about mental focus and researching the body and how it works as a system rathern than individual muscles. Finally, one day it clicked: for the first time I felt my hips doing the lifting! My back, which used to give out after hardly any work on deads, felt great and powerful. That day I went from a 185 lbs for 3 reps to 195 for 10 reps. Now, I'm sitting at 240 for 5 reps with proper form and controlled, respectable (not power jerking) tempo.

As the great Arnold said, put your mind into the muscle; become the muscle. You'll achieve some amazing things if you can do this. See my signature? Never forget it.

Originally Posted by Phineas

Also, do some reading on psychology of bodybuilding, or mental focus in bodybuilding. The reason being one crucial skill for you to learn is focussing on the targeted muscle(s). For instance, when performing a deadlift, you're primarily working your hips (hamstrings and glutes). However, you're also working your quads, adductors, hip flexors, spinal erector, back in general, traps, forearms, abs, obliques, core, etc. One thing I've noticed from showing people how to deadlift and from when I learned myself is they always seem to feel the lift in their back, and nowhere else. Now, your back is heavily invoolved in the lift, no doubt -- but it's your hams and glutes that are really taking the load. The problem is if you can't properly focus on the lift and what it is exactly your body (as a system) is doing you probably won't work the targeted muscle(s) properly. In the case of deadlifts, many people fail to acknowledge what they're doing and their back takes up the slack.

The same goes for any compound upper body lift involving the arms. Take bent-over rows. While your biceps and forearms are a factor, for sure, the main muscles worked are the rhomboids (back thickness). If you can learn to focus on how your muscles are interacting the load will suddenly shift to the proper work ratio. You'll still feel it in your bi's and forearms, but you'll feel your back lifting much more (and, subsequently gain extra strength since you're now using a larger muscle to move the object).

This happened to me with deadlifts about a month and a half or two months ago. I used to be terrible at deads. I could bench 225 for 4 x 4 but I struggled to dead 185 for 3 reps (and that was with cheating on the concentric). I set out to learn how to fix this. I spent a lot of time reading about mental focus and researching the body and how it works as a system rathern than individual muscles. Finally, one day it clicked: for the first time I felt my hips doing the lifting! My back, which used to give out after hardly any work on deads, felt great and powerful. That day I went from a 185 lbs for 3 reps to 195 for 10 reps. Now, I'm sitting at 240 for 5 reps with proper form and controlled, respectable (not power jerking) tempo.

As the great Arnold said, put your mind into the muscle; become the muscle. You'll achieve some amazing things if you can do this. See my signature? Never forget it.

I tried involving my back in deadlift but it didnt work. Maybe its reverse? Focus on hams, feel in back, focus on back feel in glutes & hams

also theres a difference in feeling it in your forearms and actually hurting.

its not hurting as such, its just that they feel tight (and are rock solid to touch) for 10-20 min or so after the workout, and i can feel it more than other muscles the day after.

It would help if you posted ALL of your workouts.

this is what im doing at the moment. i have done workouts in the past, and even went to the gym for a bit about 2 years ago. but ive never lasted very long so im hoping that with the spare time i will have (just finished school) now i can get into a decent routine.
im working on a 4 day routine, and i could probly add some more leg excercises since ill have a good month until my sports will start again after the summer break.

day 1.
hammer curl
lat pull down
bicep curl
tricep kickback
chin ups
upright oar
lunges
kneeling kickbacks

day 2.
sit ups
jacks (i dont know what else to call them, but its touching my toes with my legs vertical)
bicyle
hip rotate
20 min skipping

day 3.
front raise
chest press
lateral raise
pec dec
shoulder press
dumbell squats
leg extentions

day 4.
20 min skipping

i realise there is a lot to be improved, so feel free to rip into it with suggestions. and i understand that i could use some more compound excercises, though i dont have a barbell. any ideas for squats?

and i know that ab excercises arnt the best way to get abs, but at least for me they do actually help with definition and strength. im currently going through my diet to see where i can make improvements there.

Also, do some reading on psychology of bodybuilding, or mental focus in bodybuilding. The reason being one crucial skill for you to learn is focussing on the targeted muscle(s).

any websites that you can give me that would have this, or do u think books would offer legitimately better and more succinct advice?

also.. can anyone explain how to quote properly?

Phineas posted some good stuff there. I definitely agree think that you should cut back on your exercises and really focus on the big compounds. Probably a fullbody split 2x a week looking at what your split is like now. Something like:


Workout A:
Squats
Pullups
Lunges
Dumbell Rows
Curls

Workout B:
Bench Press
Deadlifts
Military Press
Good Mornings
Flys


Thats not too bad in terms of volume per session, it hits all the bases, and you're not wasting so much time on useless isolation exercises.

All of these exercises can be done with dumbells and a pullup bar. You can put a core/abs exercise and cardio after each session and get all your training done in two days to recover for your sport.

Originally Posted by T_man

I tried involving my back in deadlift but it didnt work. Maybe its reverse? Focus on hams, feel in back, focus on back feel in glutes & hams

I don't think you need to focus on your back to work it. I always focus on my hams/glutes and the next day my back feels ravaged! I always focus on the lift the way it's intended to be done, and the muscles will receive adequate stimulation. You don't need to focus on the back for deads to work the back heavy. I think focusing on back might lead to potential spine injury, because you're putting too much stress on it. Let the legs do the lifting and the back be the medium to carry the weight and it will receive plenty of work through isometric tension.

I remember back in the day when I was thinking of deads as a back lift I always put too much stress on the lower back.

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Workout A:
Squats
Pullups
Lunges
Dumbell Rows
Curls

Workout B:
Bench Press
Deadlifts
Military Press
Good Mornings
Flys

What's the rationale for the two isolation? What would you think about throwing in some farmers walks at the end for extra forearm work, as per his initial issue?

thanks gazhole, ill try doing that routine for a while and see how it goes.

few questions.

1. what are farmer walks?

2. is there a time of day that is best for workouts? im doing mine late at night because i can keep it consitently that time, but should i change to morning?

3.i dont have any decent sport for at least another month, so till then is it worth doing the routines more frequently (asuming that you are suggesting i do these once a week each)?

4. is it worth doing pyramid workouts for any of the excercises? or stick with 3 sets of 6-8 reps?



5. how do i quote?

by the way im trying to bulk up so any particular macronutrients i should be trying to have alot of?
(currently 6'0, and 72kg so like.. 155pounds and 18%ish body fat)

Originally Posted by Phineas

What's the rationale for the two isolation? What would you think about throwing in some farmers walks at the end for extra forearm work, as per his initial issue?

Curls mainly for bicep tendon strength, the flys can take a walk, lol.

I think some farmers walks at the end instead of isolation would only mean good things, and would certainly be more beneficial than curls and flys. I love farmers walks!

Originally Posted by nightwalkerone

1. what are farmer walks?

You pick up a dumbell in each hand, and walk for distance. Say, 20-30 meters, without dropping them. Very good exercise.

Originally Posted by nightwalkerone

2. is there a time of day that is best for workouts? im doing mine late at night because i can keep it consitently that time, but should i change to morning?

I never find much of a difference. In the morning you're fresh and havent been stressed by a days work, in the evening you have way more energy from food available.

Work around your schedule and find what works best.

Originally Posted by nightwalkerone

3.i dont have any decent sport for at least another month, so till then is it worth doing the routines more frequently (asuming that you are suggesting i do these once a week each)?

You could alternate them Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So two weeks would look like:

A/B/A
B/A/B

And repeat untill your sport starts up.

Originally Posted by nightwalkerone

4. is it worth doing pyramid workouts for any of the excercises? or stick with 3 sets of 6-8 reps?

Both can work, but being new to training it might be worth you sticking with regular sets so you can figure out what weights you should be using a little bit easier.

Originally Posted by nightwalkerone

5. how do i quote?

At the bottom right of each post theres a quote button