Thread: What are YOUR best exercises for growing Popeye FOREARMS?

wrist curls both palms facing up and down
wrist rolls
even reverse barbell curls

If the genetics are there, then you will get popeye forearms from just about any upper body exercise.
You could either have phil heath's high inserted forearms and have that cool looking bump of muscle that leads up to his elbow. Or, you could have those flex lewis low inserted forearms that (when grown) look cartoonishly big.
But just keep lifting straps to a minimum, and maybe do heavy wrist curls once or twice a month and they'll grow.

Heavy deadlifts, heavy rows, heavy chins, heavy hammer curls.

Never use straps on anything. Ever. If double-overhand gets too tough during the set use mixed grip. Switch your mixed grip a few times when that gets too tired. Use hook grip when your mixed grip is too tired. Use chalk if you have too. No gloves either.

Farmer's walk with a combined weight of your max deadlift (so half your max deadlift in each hand).

Use a thick (axel) bar for deadlifts, cleans, presses, curls. Hell, use it for everything. For dumbells start using fatgripz or wrap then with a towel. Fat bars are a great way to build size and strength in the forearms. Thick bar reverse curls are awesome.

Hand grippers - CoC, AtomGripz, Heavy Grips...anything. They're pretty good for forearm size just don't over-do them.

Block weights are good, any sort of pinch grip lift is good too. Doing regular lifts with a vertical bar is fun also. The wrist roller is a hell of a workout.

After all that, then you can think about fiddly stuff like wrist curls.

What Gaz said. Also, try doing chins with a rope grip.

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Heavy deadlifts, heavy rows, heavy chins, heavy hammer curls.

This^^^

Heavy farmers walk for me

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I know this is going to sound old school but it has worked for me in the past...squeezing the sh*t out of tennis balls. Just do it when your watching tv. Never even realize your working out.

Digging ditches . I have always had big forearms and attribute them to many hours behind a shovel when I was younger.

Reverse curls, heavy hammer curls, behind back wrist curls w/barbell.
Works good for me.

wrist rolls
jacking off (lmao)
gorilla hangs (holding ont a pull-up bar and just hanging for as long as possible, then repeat)
pinching two 35lb plates between each hand for as long as possible and then repeating

Well I'm not sure how scientific the claim of jacking off is, but it is supported by Family Guy...a fairly credible source in my book lol.

Fat bar grips worked well for me. Not only did they create size gain in my forearms, they also increased my overall hand strength, which consequently increased lifts such as deadlifts, rows, hammer curls, etc, further increasing the size of my forearms. Good luck mate

tie some strap to the middle of a bar without any weights on. then tie the other end to another barbell with your weights on. then hold the bar out infront of you and using both wrists simultaniously wined it up then down. if you know what i mean lol

I have a problem with my forearms too. I think my genes are fucked up a bit that's why I ain't growin mine! Thanks for the info guys!

"Heavy" Deads are number one in building grip strength. Plate Pinches & Farmers Walks come in at a close 2nd. Pretty much was Gaz already said^^^.

Barbell wrist curls (and the reverse) , reverse barbell curls, hammer curls, and curling your wrist at the top of each rep while doing heavy barbell rows.

Forearms have always been one of my weak points, and they're definitely my most stubborn part - bad attach point, stubborn to grow.
Never used straps, and not planning on starting.
I'm seeing some results already a week and a half on though . Thanks again guys!
If anyone has fat-gripz or any sort of good grip equipment, let me know!

Measly reps all around, let me know if I missed you

genetics number one, raw grip heavy deads two and someone mentioned Phil Heath's forearms, yes, those puppies are ridiculous.

Heavy Jerking Off!!! That has worked for me.

Originally Posted by big60235

Heavy Jerking Off!!! That has worked for me.

But, then you end up like this.

I'm going to say that genetics paly a big roll in this one. I've always had big forearms and I would like to thank my pops for that! Funny thing is I hardly ever do any isolation work on them. They get hit hard on most days anyway.

barbell wrist curls from behind teh back by far , IMO, the supreme exercise for forearms

For me loading as much weight as I can hold on the bar from a waist high rack and just letting it hang until your fingers start to slip and then slowly go down like a deadlift until it falls out of your hand just above the floor. You will experience a burn like never before. Picked it up at Motorcycle Racing School.

In response to where you can find fat gripz for cheaper....

Just use the end of an olympic bar. Load whatever weight you are comfortable with and hold the end of the bar in an isometric way. Simply hold until failure and you'll get a great burn. Doing this increased my grip strength tremendously, and also added good size to my forearms. Beats the hell out of dropping $40 for fat gripz.

Originally Posted by theyard13

In response to where you can find fat gripz for cheaper....

Just use the end of an olympic bar. Load whatever weight you are comfortable with and hold the end of the bar in an isometric way. Simply hold until failure and you'll get a great burn. Doing this increased my grip strength tremendously, and also added good size to my forearms. Beats the hell out of dropping $40 for fat gripz.

Not quite sure what you mean by holding the end of the bar isometrically. Can you describe it?

An isometric movement is one that has neither a concentric or eccentric contraction. Instead of changing the joint angle and muscle length, isometrics are performed in a static position. I thought steps might make this easier...sorry I'm not the most articulate person.

1) Get inside a cage and set the safety bars to a height similar to one you would use for shrugs.
2) Exit the cage to either the right or left, so that you are perpendicular to the front of the cage now.
3) Load one side of the bar with an appropriate amount of weight (the side of the bar you are now standing by)
4) Grip the fattest part of the bar, where you load the plates, and hold onto it until failure. When performing isometrics, you should shoot for around a 30 second failure time.

Here is another forearm isometric workout to incorporate:

• Sit on a kitchen chair.
• Grab each side of the chair with your hands
• Keeping your arms straight, bend your wrists as you try to pull the chair upwards (and yes, you are still sitting on it)
• As you do so concentrate on making your forearms as tight and hard as possible.
• After a few seconds you should feel you’re fingers and forearms getting very tired and even shaking all over – this is the individual muscle fibres exhausting themselves as they work really hard – this is Isometrics.
• Hold this Position for 30 seconds.
• Slowly release – this is important, after intense contraction your body needs time to unwind.

Hope this was of some help!

IMO. forearms are genetic like calves. I'm sure they will respond to training, building big freaky calves and forearms will require more genetics than say, building a back.

Heavy Farmers walks are my favorite forearm exercise.

And like has been said previously just never using straps on anything.