Thread: Forearms - work them or don't

i used to, now not as much. i would say dont waste the effort if your bulking, and sure, why not if your cutting or staying lean.

i personally do isolated f.arm exercises in my routine. i think they are a very important muscle that hangs out for everyone to see.

i dont isolate them i have found that they are excersised enough doing upper body, i have no complaintsa about my fore arm size

Neo

Originally Posted by mmuscle

Do you think that they should be isolated or not?

absolutely

i isolate mine enough on those long lonely nights.

With all the grips I do for heavy things like dumbbell shrugs, barbell shrugs, deads, etc... I work the forearms plenty, so I don't do anything extra for them.

I agree they're hit with other routines pretty often...but not to the extent that they're hit when you isolate them. I work them on my bis day...usually only 3 to 5 sets tops. The pump they get when i isolate them shows me just how much more they can be targeted!

Originally Posted by mmuscle

Do you think that they should be isolated or not?

a symmetrical physique is less prone to injury. that being said if your forearms grow when not directly stimulated and are in proportion with the biceps you obviously don't "have" to train them directly.

I train my forearms hard once per week. I used to not train them at all, as I thought they would become impressive from heavy lifting in general. However, hitting them directly has made them far more impressive and vascular.

Originally Posted by gopro

hitting them directly has made them far more impressive and vascular.

does anyone know a good work out if i was to start isolating them to hit them harder?

thanks

Chris

If you're going to hit them it's probably best to do it at the end of the week, right?

They recover really fast... I can hit forearms for 6 to 9 sets and not be affected the next day... similar to calves I find.

Good exercise? I like to sit on the back end of a bench and hang a barbell behind my back and curl up. That's for one side.

The other side I sit at the front end of a bench, rest my elbows on my knees and reverse grip the bar and curl my wrists up. (can't do much weight with this one..)

I don't like dumbells for forearms because they cause me pain.

but ya... the pump on the forearm is as good as the pump on any other muscle... it turns rock hard and feels great trying to drive home.

try reverse curls with an ez-curl bar either standing or on a preacher bench... talk about pump!

Great forearm builders are:

-barbell wrist curls
-behind back barbell wrist curls
-reverse wrist curls
-hammer curls
-reverse curls

I love to superset a pure isolation exercise like reverse wrist curls, with a movement that also involves bicep/brachialis like hammers or reverse curls.

Work them

Luke has his own way to work his forearms, but he aims more for endurance than size

Cheers guys,

Some good tips on working the forearms. One quick question is which excercise is best for grip strength rather than just gaining mass to the forearms?

mmuscle

http://www.makemuscle.net

try pull ups and other exercises with a towel

Originally Posted by mmuscle

Cheers guys,

Some good tips on working the forearms. One quick question is which excercise is best for grip strength rather than just gaining mass to the forearms?

mmuscle

http://www.makemuscle.net

You can try pinch grips...this is where you hold the edge two 45 lb plates between thumb and other fingers for as long as you can. You can also hang from a chinning bar one arm at a time for as long as you can. One more is to load up a barbell in a power rack with prestigious weight and to lift and hold for as long as possible.

Originally Posted by gopro

I train my forearms hard once per week. I used to not train them at all, as I thought they would become impressive from heavy lifting in general. However, hitting them directly has made them far more impressive and vascular.

I train em at the end of Bi's

Originally Posted by mmuscle

Cheers guys,

Some good tips on working the forearms. One quick question is which excercise is best for grip strength rather than just gaining mass to the forearms?

mmuscle

http://www.makemuscle.net

Does your gym have one of those machines that works that?

http://www.shapeupshop.com/fitness/g...rm_blaster.htm is an example... but the one at the gyms I goto are a bit different... you get the idea.

This is my favorite.

I made one of those when I was like eleven years old. I still use it to this day only altering the weight, its excellent.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

I made one of those when I was like eleven years old. I still use it to this day only altering the weight, its excellent.

I also made myself one and they are great..... you can feel the burnnnn

I dunno if that does grip strength tho... I guess indirectly but it's not a squeeze... you're rolling your wrists so it's similar to doing curls.

Depends on your body type. When I started lifitng I went from 137 > 180lbs in 5yrs, gained lots of inches & LBS, but my forearms were absolutely stuck, always....For a year now I've been mixing up: Thors Hammer Rotations, Reverse Grip EZ Curls & Behind the Back EZ Curls & I've had enormous success, theyr'e much bigger, but doubt they'll ever be huge/impressive....