I have a pretty decent physique, however my forearms are horrific. This is highlighted by the fact that, a few days ago, I sprained my wrist whilst benching due to my wrists being so weak (they wouldn't look out of place on a 12 year old girl). I'm doing wrist curls, reverse curls, and using grippers, but am seeing limited progress. Anyone got any tips on how to get beefy forearms and wrist strength?

Start incorporating pull-ups & chin-ups (not Crossfit style kipping) in your routine. Use towel grips (hanging from towels wrapped around pull up bars) once you've made decent progress with the standard version pullups & chinups.
General kettlebell work also helps. I would also tell you to not bother with grippers.

Quote: (04-05-2015 03:26 PM)Frank Rook Wrote:  

Start incorporating pull-ups & chin-ups (not Crossfit style kipping) in your routine. Use towel grips (hanging from towels wrapped around pull up bars) once you've made decent progress with the standard version pullups & chinups.
General kettlebell work also helps. I would also tell you to not bother with grippers.

I can already do 10 pull ups before my grip fails. It's so annoying as I know I can do more.

Also, when I say grippers I mean Captains of Crush, not shite cheap ones.

Also deadlift

I'm also working on this, just hang from a pull bar until your grip gives out and then repeat for several sets I always try to stay on longer than the previous time I usually measure the time with a watch, this has helped me and also deadlift

Forearms are like calves if they are your weak points: You just got to kill em extremely extremely hard! Arnold back in the day had weak calves so he ripped up all his training pants to make them into shorts to expose them for him to get angry about it and wanna train them into oblivion. And he did!! Do the same homey. Seated wrists curls and extension are my favorites for 15-20 reps for 2 sets. For you I would recommend minimum 4 sets with BOTH drop weight and forced reps technique afterwards. That will blast em up, but good luck driving after!

This grip trainer did the most for me to strengthen my wrists and recover from an injury. It beats the spring grip trainers hands down (heh)

http://www.amazon.com/Dynaflex-Pro-Gyro-...B004RZIBZU (no affiliate link)

If you've never used one like it get the docking station to help you start it, there's a bit of a learning curve.

Do it on off days.

With your workouts:
Farmer's walks with dumbbells or kettlebells at the end of each workout
Do holds for time
Hangs as Oz said

Also -
Drop the weight on your regular exercises and focus on technique. Add reps if you need, but don't sacrifice technique. Add weight as your wrists get better

You're only as strong as your weakest link

^^^ What Captain said.

Guys often say, 'Don't train forearms directly, just do heavy compounds.' While that works for some people it sure as hell hasn't worked for me, and if you're asking then it probably isn't the case for you.

Peep this article:

http://jasonferruggia.com/how-to-build-bigger-forearms/

Quote: (04-05-2015 02:55 PM)TSC2295 Wrote:  

I have a pretty decent physique, however my forearms are horrific. This is highlighted by the fact that, a few days ago, I sprained my wrist whilst benching due to my wrists being so weak (they wouldn't look out of place on a 12 year old girl). I'm doing wrist curls, reverse curls, and using grippers, but am seeing limited progress. Anyone got any tips on how to get beefy forearms and wrist strength?

Aside from the great advice already stated, it sounds like you also have a deficiency in your form.


You should not have the bar all the way close towards the base of your fingertips. All this does is load up your wrists, giving you a bad connection to the muscles doing the work in your arms and chest. The bar needs to sit closer to the pads of your palm, directly over your radius and ulna, so there's no bending being placed in your wrists.






Fix that and do accessory workouts as well, but make sure you have good form on your lifts first.

Wrist training and forearm training are different things, and training one will not necessarily strengthen or resolve any issues you have with the other.

There are certain exercises which have a cross over, but generally they are distinct.

If you have weak forearms then by all means knock yourself out with the exercises you've listed. If your wrists are weak, then it would be sensible to add exercises to your routing which strengthen the tendons and ligaments in your wrist specifically. I used to have very troublesome wrists that stopped many of my lifts progressing, so I have spent a lot of time experimenting to solve this problem.

Some things to consider:

Fat bar pressing work - this aligns the wrist better, and basically forces your wrist to work to stabilise the weight far more than an ordinary bar. Easily one of the most significant changes I made that I have continued with for all pressing sets.

wrist roller - works all the ligaments/tendons of the wrist and the whole forearm. Great exercise, should be a staple.

Knuckle pushups - again, forces the wrist to stabilise

wrist pushups/gymnasts pushups - Ross Enamait has a video, look them up. Start from your knees and go gently, take 3 months or more to achieve 1 full rep if necessary.

Levering work - hammers etc, in both planes of motion. Great exercise.

Fix some cars without air tools.

Hand wrench and ratchet the fuck out of them.

Quote: (04-05-2015 02:55 PM)TSC2295 Wrote:  

I have a pretty decent physique, however my forearms are horrific. This is highlighted by the fact that, a few days ago, I sprained my wrist whilst benching due to my wrists being so weak (they wouldn't look out of place on a 12 year old girl). I'm doing wrist curls, reverse curls, and using grippers, but am seeing limited progress. Anyone got any tips on how to get beefy forearms and wrist strength?

High rep dumbbell "Kroc" rows. Those and deadlifts are all I ever needed. Google "Kroc" rows for more details.

Try doing wrist curls like this article describes: http://chaosandpain.blogspot.com/2010/08...772c896aa9

Or, to summarize: the author recommends building up to 50 reps with an empty bar before adding weight, and he advocates a specific form.

Also, rolling the bar roll all the way down to my fingertips on the eccentric worked wonders for me.

+1 to the Farmers Walks.

I followed the article's advice after I realized that my forearms were pathetically weak. Those exercises have given me noticeable results in a month.

Quote: (04-05-2015 06:28 PM)Alkibiades Wrote:  

Try doing wrist curls like this article describes: http://chaosandpain.blogspot.com/2010/08...772c896aa9

This x10000
Do 50 rep sets, once you get to 50 reps in a set bump up the weight. Start very very light. I use the preloaded barbells (20 lbs was a challenge at first). This is not an ego lift.

You'll never get the muscle confusion lifting weights to solve this so get to work and watch it happen. The same applies to lawnmowers etc.

Quote: (04-05-2015 06:01 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Fix some cars without air tools.

Hand wrench and ratchet the fuck out of them.

There's no substitute for real world strength. I had weak wrists until I started turning heavy wrenches and bending tanker bars. But for a gym routine, I do this:

Quote:Quote:

THURSDAY: Biceps/Forearms/Hamstrings
Barbell curls
Reverse grip barbell curls
Dumbell curls
Forearm curls
Reverse grip forearm curls
Leg curls

You can enlarge your forearms with deadlifts, farmer's walks, wrist curls, and pull-ups. A thicker bar will help as well.

You cannot enlarge your wrists. That's just bone there. Nothing you can do about it.

^ Not true

Go to a park. Get a bunch of heavy shit and put it out on a grass field (tires, rocks, whatever) and literally pick them up, carry, and throw them around.

If you want your forearms to grow start training the false grip.
Look up beastskills for more information.

http://www.fatgripz.com/

Quote: (04-05-2015 08:22 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

^ Not true

what can you do to make it bigger?

Quote: (04-05-2015 09:18 PM)pheonix500000 Wrote:  

Quote: (04-05-2015 08:22 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

^ Not true

what can you do to make it bigger?

Work on stuff like old people used to with your hands. If you have bitch wrists then means your typing a lot and doing woman stuff. Today is the first time I've heard that.

Quote: (04-05-2015 09:43 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Quote: (04-05-2015 09:18 PM)pheonix500000 Wrote:  

Quote: (04-05-2015 08:22 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

^ Not true

what can you do to make it bigger?

Work on stuff like old people used to with your hands. If you have bitch wrists then means your typing a lot and doing woman stuff. Today is the first time I've heard that.

Flex Wheeler, Serge Nubret, and Frank Zane. 3 of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. Best of the best in muscularity and conditioning but still have small wrists for the reason I said. It's their bone structure.

The narrowest part of the wrists (the bit where they connect the hand to the forearm) can grow a little tiny bit due to the muscle that runs along the inside but not in any real noticeable way.

Your bone structure is your bone structure.

Although having large wrists is great from a "being genetically predetermined to lift heavy shit" sense, it's easy for guys with smaller wrists to give the impression of having huge forearms.

Proportions are what bodybuilding is all about.