This post follows the series describing how to design adequate routines for training the different body-parts. This chapter provides you with the general guidelines for proper forearms training.
The forearm is a complex body-part, which is made up of a muscle located in the upper/outer portion called brachioradialis and two counteracting muscle-groups: the wrist flexors, which run the length of the inner forearm, and the wrist extensors, which run the length of the outer forearm. The wrist flexors are composed of six heads: flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profundus, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus, and flexor pollicis longus. The wrist extensors are comprised of eight heads: the extensor digitorum, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor indicis, extensor digiti minimi, extensor pollicis longus, and the extensor pollicis brevis. All these muscles are in charge of controlling the movement of the hand and the fingers, and for this reason, the forearm is the main responsible of your grip strength.
The forearm is a commonly neglected body-part, but an adequate development is mandatory not only for strengthening your grip, but also for symmetry and aesthetic reasons. Good grip is necessary in almost every exercise, especially when training back and biceps. Hence, increasing your grip strength has an added benefit for the rest of exercises, allowing better returns for the target muscles of those exercises since your forearms are not the weak link anymore.
A few genetically blessed people have achieved great forearms only with the indirect stimulation provided in their general training, but the most with less favorable genetics will require 2 o 3 exercises of specialized forearm training. Typically, this training uses to be performed after the biceps routine. In any case, since forearms are used when training almost every body-part, save your forearm routine for last of your workout, in order to not compromise other body-parts training. This is also the reason for avoiding training back the day after the bicep/forearm workout.
As usual, for maximum results, it is best to include in your routine exercises for targeting each of forearm muscles. As commented in the biceps post, the brachioradialis is stimulated to a great extend with all the curl exercises that use a hammer grip or a reverse grip (refer to that post for the list of exercises). Wrist flexors can be stimulated using all versions of wrist curls (barbell, behind-the-back, cable or dumbbell). Wrist extensors are worked using a reverse grip on wrist curl exercises (barbell, cable or dumbbell).
In addition, forearms training should regularly include some specific exercises for improving grip strength. This includes developing the crushing grip strength (fingers work to close the hand against a resistance) and the pinch grip strength (the resistance is held just between the thumb and fingers). I’ll go into details of grip strength training in a future post dedicated to this.
If you need more information for designing your forearms workout, you can read the article “How To Develop Fantastic Forearms” by David Robson or the article “Training the Forearms!” included in the I.C.E. Training Program developed by Big Cat.
The forearm is a complex body-part, which is made up of a muscle located in the upper/outer portion called brachioradialis and two counteracting muscle-groups: the wrist flexors, which run the length of the inner forearm, and the wrist extensors, which run the length of the outer forearm. The wrist flexors are composed of six heads: flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profundus, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus, and flexor pollicis longus. The wrist extensors are comprised of eight heads: the extensor digitorum, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor indicis, extensor digiti minimi, extensor pollicis longus, and the extensor pollicis brevis. All these muscles are in charge of controlling the movement of the hand and the fingers, and for this reason, the forearm is the main responsible of your grip strength.
The forearm is a commonly neglected body-part, but an adequate development is mandatory not only for strengthening your grip, but also for symmetry and aesthetic reasons. Good grip is necessary in almost every exercise, especially when training back and biceps. Hence, increasing your grip strength has an added benefit for the rest of exercises, allowing better returns for the target muscles of those exercises since your forearms are not the weak link anymore.
A few genetically blessed people have achieved great forearms only with the indirect stimulation provided in their general training, but the most with less favorable genetics will require 2 o 3 exercises of specialized forearm training. Typically, this training uses to be performed after the biceps routine. In any case, since forearms are used when training almost every body-part, save your forearm routine for last of your workout, in order to not compromise other body-parts training. This is also the reason for avoiding training back the day after the bicep/forearm workout.
As usual, for maximum results, it is best to include in your routine exercises for targeting each of forearm muscles. As commented in the biceps post, the brachioradialis is stimulated to a great extend with all the curl exercises that use a hammer grip or a reverse grip (refer to that post for the list of exercises). Wrist flexors can be stimulated using all versions of wrist curls (barbell, behind-the-back, cable or dumbbell). Wrist extensors are worked using a reverse grip on wrist curl exercises (barbell, cable or dumbbell).
In addition, forearms training should regularly include some specific exercises for improving grip strength. This includes developing the crushing grip strength (fingers work to close the hand against a resistance) and the pinch grip strength (the resistance is held just between the thumb and fingers). I’ll go into details of grip strength training in a future post dedicated to this.
If you need more information for designing your forearms workout, you can read the article “How To Develop Fantastic Forearms” by David Robson or the article “Training the Forearms!” included in the I.C.E. Training Program developed by Big Cat.
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