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We all dream of being well-muscled. And for that, there are lots of muscle programs dedicated to each area of the body. Do you want to have well-muscled forearms? You’ve come to the right place! Here are the 5 things you need to do to succeed!
1. What you should forget about for muscular forearms: wrist straps
Whether you work out in the gym or not, you still want to have a great figure. Especially when summer approaches and you’re about to roll up your sleeves or put on a short-sleeved shirt. In short, you’ve thought of a few exercises to pump up your triceps and biceps. But too often we forget to work the muscles of the forearms in our program.
And yet these muscles also deserve your attention. Small forearms, we must admit, are not great. Big forearms, on the other hand, show your virility. So even though genetics can play an important role in muscle development, you can also work a little to get what you want: muscular forearms.
So yes, when we’ve decided to work this area, we usually turn to an accessory: wrist straps. And yet… We have to admit it, they are totally (or almost) useless to work out this part of your body. It will indeed be much more efficient to lift iron without these straps. They are useful for building up your back, but not for your forearm flexors. Without the straps, your exercises (whether with dumbbells, a barbell or a pulley handle) will be much more effective.
You must hold your accessory with your thumb and fingers that you will wrap (we understand!) around it. This hand position allows you to work your flexor muscles and to build up your forearms at the same time as the rest of your upper body. So that’s the first tip for optimal muscle work in this area.
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2. What do we use then? Simple, the pulleys!
You’ve walked through the door of the gym and are hesitating in front of all these instruments? Which one will be the most suitable for building up your forearms? We have the answer! Pulleys are ideal for your project!
So yes, some will tell you that dumbbells or bars to practice wrist curls (and reverse curls of the same area) are a great idea. Yes, why not? But the results will never be as visible as with pulleys. Pulleys offer a constant tension which allows you to obtain an optimal burn (but also a congestion) of the forearms. The work will therefore be more effective. For even more efficiency, consider working one arm at a time. You will concentrate better on the work done (and to be done!).
3. Don’t go to the gym? No problem, you can also work out at home!
If you don’t have the time or the courage to take out a gym membership, you can still do exercises at home. You probably have a question, namely with what? And we have the answer: a broom handle! With a little easy DIY, you will create an ideal object to build up your forearms.
How to do it? Drill a hole in the handle, thread a rope through it and attach a weight to it. There you have it. To use it, it is very simple. Slowly unwind the rope with the weight so that it touches the ground. Repeat until you feel your forearm muscles (including your wrists) screaming for mercy. This is a great (and cheap) way to burn out your muscles and develop them at home. If you don’t feel like tinkering, you can also turn to hand grippers. It’s a gripping device (in the form of pliers) that allows you to choose the level of resistance. You squeeze the gripper and muscle your forearms without moving (well almost!). You have the choice of tension.
To begin with, if you’ve never done any weight training, choose a model with a hand closing pressure of 27 kg. If you’re an avid bodybuilder, you may want to consider a model with 100kg of pressure. Hardened musclemen will build up their forearms best with a model that weighs over 160 kg! But don’t get carried away and stay reasonable. The hand gripper is only useful if you can close your hand!
You can also have fun doing pull-ups (in the gym or at home if you have the necessary equipment). This exercise is indeed complete and does not omit the forearms.
You can also do finger push-ups. This will reinforce the work on the forearms contrary to the exercise palm on the ground. It is definitely more difficult, but for well-muscled forearms, it is very useful.
Photo : Shutterstock
4. Walk around with dumbbells!
Yes, okay, you may not be too keen on walking around outside. But you are. The exercise called Farmer’s walk will surprise you. What is it? The principle is very simple. Invest in a pair of heavy dumbbells (depending on your abilities, of course) and walk around with your equipment (one dumbbell per arm). The distance covered must be at least 20 steps.
You can practice at home when it’s raining (just walk back and forth). What else do we do? Well, nothing. Just walk with your dumbbells until you feel your muscles burn. You will have to be patient, but this exercise works well. When the dumbbells feel too light, it’s time to switch to a higher load.
5. Consistency is the key!
As with all exercises designed to build muscle, it’s important to work your forearms often. Ideally, every day. But of course, if you can’t burn your muscles every day, every other day is fine. Anything less and you will get little results. For those who do other strength training exercises (back, biceps), you’ll need to be forward thinking. There’s no need to strain your forearms before these sessions. If you have pain in your forearms, you will have a bad grip and may hurt yourself elsewhere. The best thing to do in this case is to set aside a little time to work on your forearms at the end of these exercises or on your way home after a session.
The forearms have particularly dense muscles. This is why regularity is essential. Your forearms are constantly working, even if you don’t realize it. That’s why a few exercises every now and then won’t help. The number of repetitions also plays an important role in the development of forearm muscles. Ten or so repetitions of an exercise won’t do you any good. It is better to do more than 25 reps (ideally 50) per set. This will help you get better results.
Two very simple exercises to build up your forearms
You have very little time and don’t want to invest in specific equipment? We have two solutions. The first is to do wrist curls. All you need is your hands! Extend your arms, raise the top of your hands to bring your fingers towards you. You can vary the pleasures by closing your fist before extending your hand towards you.
Another possibility. Do you have an old tennis ball that you no longer use? That’s fine. This one will be useful for strengthening your forearms. Take it in your hand and squeeze it hard. Release and repeat. Do the exercise for each hand (and arm) for one minute. You can repeat the operation several times a day. This is a very effective basic exercise to build up your forearms without getting into trouble.
Bottom line
As you can see, it is possible to find solutions to build up your forearms efficiently, whether you are a skilled athlete or not. But in any case, don’t forget one thing: for optimal work that gives results, you must work very regularly. So even if you go to the gym, using “at home” methods will be an excellent complement.
