Tag: forearm
Average Forearm Size For Men and Women
Forearms are one of the most overlooked muscles, even though they are right under the most loved muscle group — the biceps. Developed forearms can add to your physique aesthetics and make you stand out by improving your symmetry, proportions, and balance. Your forearms are constantly on display. Whether you wear a t-shirt to work…
Best Forearm Workouts With Dumbbells That Popeye Would Envy
Give these dumbbell workouts a try to make even Popeye jealous.
Our forearms. We often take these for granted, always working out biceps and triceps, chests, and back. But forearms add to the overall arm aesthetic of our physiques and shouldn’t be overlooked as effective ways to get things done. Necessary for both functional and sport specific movements, our forearms need as much love as anything else.
Now, we mentioned Popeye, our rugged, big armed sailor. You might not want to look like Popeye himself, but those forearms, if paired well with the rest of your arm muscles, will certainly show off a great physique. Someone could have showed Popeye the gym to at least fix a few of those muscle imbalances, but thankfully, you don’t have that problem.
The right workouts can greatly affect your muscle growth and how you actually see effective changes to your physique. Dumbbells are a great workout tool to use for they work to isolate out certain muscles, fix any muscle imbalances, and give you the best chance at seeing convenient gains with an easy to use piece of equipment.
Let’s take a look at some of the best forearm workouts with dumbbells so you can add these to your routine and see the right forearm strength start to unfold. Plus, all you need is a set of dumbbells to see great work done.
Benefits of Strong Forearms
Improve grip strength: By working these muscles, you strengthen your grip which is essential for both functional and sport specific movements (1).
Necessary for all lifts: Any lift where you hold a weight requires forearm strength and this is important as you look to get the most out of each and every exercise.
Prevent injury: Strong forearms gives you better support as you lift big weight to avoid injury that can occur from weak muscles.
Add to your physique: Bigger forearms can add to your physique to make those arms pop and add to an overall aesthetic.
Related: 10 Exercises for Thicker Forearms
Why Using Dumbbells Are So Effective
Using dumbbells is a great way to enhance strength in a convenient way that only requires one piece of equipment. Dumbbells have the ability to take our gains to new heights and with the right approach to dumbbell training, we better set ourselves up for success.
Benefits of dumbbells include:
Effective muscle growth: Add good resistance and time under tension for great muscle building.
Fix imbalances: Great for isolating muscle groups to enhance symmetry and even out those muscles.
Good variety: Dumbbells allow for a host of workouts to take place and can add nice variety to your routine.
Best Forearm Workouts With Dumbbells
Now that we’ve covered the bases of what strong forearms and dumbbells can do for you, we can get into the best forearm workouts with dumbbells so you can add these to your routine and get the most out of each and every workout.
Farmer’s Walks
With farmer’s walks, you will carry a set of most likely heavier dumbbells a set distance or for a set amount of time. This is a great exercise to combine strength building with cardio and serves as a really nice conditioning exercise. Where your forearms come into play are with the grip necessary to hold the weight. Your core will be engaged to stabilize your body and your forearms will be engaged to really hold the weight and make it as effective as possible.
Zottoman Curls
Zottoman curls require a twisting motion during the actual movement which will work your forearm muscles and give them that bit of tension needed to grow. Designed to really enhance bicep strength and size, the use of your forearms and the nature of this movement, make this an effective exercise for building forearm strength.
Related: The Eight Best Bodyweight Exercises for Forearms
Wrist Curls
Wrist curls work to develop strength in the forearms but also your wrists. As vulnerable joints we need to keep these strong and stable and here is where your forearm grip is important. As an isolation exercise that mainly targets the forearms, this is a nice exercise to put into the mix to show those forearms some love.
Push-Up To Row
The push-up to row is a great exercise to work many muscles and your forearms are an important group to focus on. The movement of the push-up and then into the row all require different muscles, however, the constant is your forearm grip on the weight. A great exercise for those push days or those pull days, you can’t go wrong with the push-up to row exercise.
Best Dumbbells For Working Out
Finding a quality pair of dumbbells can be challenging, but it is certainly not impossible. With the right approach to looking, you can find a premium set of dumbbells that won’t break the bank. We wanted to share a great set with you so you could capitalize on those gains and see the best results possible.
papababe Dumbbells
papababe Dumbbells are perfect for free weight strength training. Made from solid cast iron with a rubber head, this ensures durability, longevity, and protection.
papababe Dumbbells are great workout equipment for those looking to build strength, burn fat, and create a stellar physique that others will envy. Perfect for free weight training, these can be stored easily for optimal convenience. Made from solid cast iron, these ensure durability and longevity and the rubber coating helps prevent damage to floors and other equipment. With a hexagon-shaped head to prevent rolling, the grip is also secure to prevent slipping and injury.
Price: $289.99
Check out our list of the Best Dumbbells for more great lifting products!
Wrap Up
The best forearm workouts with dumbbells can greatly enhance your lifting goals so you see effective growth and a real change to your physique. Strong forearms can add to your aesthetic and give you that bigger look you are striving for. Plus, by using dumbbells, you give yourself the benefit of using a quality set while reaping the pros of these lifting products. Give these forearm workouts a try and see what this can do for all those lifting and physique goals today.
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Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Anakwe, R.; et al. (2007). “Grip strength and forearm circumference in a healthy population”. (source)
What The Barbell Wrist Curl Can Do For Strength & Flexibility
Boost both strength and flexibility with a great exercise in the barbell wrist curl.
Too often do we neglect our wrist and forearms muscles but the barbell wrist curl is a great exercise to throw into the mix. For those of us looking to increase strength and flexibility, the barbell wrist curl is a great way to challenge our muscles while receiving tons of benefits to aid in our training and physical health. While we may overlook this muscle group, knowing the barbell wrist curl is out there now limits the excuse.
Strong wrists and forearms will help greatly when it comes to strength and stability on your biceps and hand muscles. This aids in sport specific and more functional movements to give you a well-rounded exercise that will work to boost training, performance, and everyday movements. With this exercise now in your routine, you will tackle bigger and better gains without the fear of injury or unwanted pain.
Let’s take a look at the barbell wrist curl to see just what makes this so great. From what it is, to muscles worked, the many benefits with it, and how to perform it, you will have all the necessary tools to place in your routine so you can better strengthen and stabilize those often times overlooked muscles.
What Is The Barbell Wrist Curl?
The barbell wrist curl is an isolation exercise that works to target your forearms and hand muscles. This will not only build strength, but it works to stabilize the wrists by strengthening muscles around it as well as boost flexibility and mobility for only the best in terms of movements. A beginner level exercise, you only need a barbell and this can be done at any point in your workout.
Check out our list of the Best Barbells for awesome lifting products!
Muscle Worked
The muscles worked in this exercise really aren’t too many, but this exercise can offer the best benefits as you look to boost strength and stability. This primarily works your wrist flexors but will also hit your forearm and hand muscles as you seek the best for all your gains. By focusing on these muscles, you better prepare yourself for other bigger lifts that require necessary stabilization.
Benefits Of The Barbell Wrist Curl
The barbell wrist curl exercise has the ability to provide for a host of benefits that are worth knowing. Once you know what this exercise can do for you, you won’t want to not include this in your routine.
Benefits of barbell wrist curls include:
Great isolation exercise: By working to isolate a specific muscle group, you better target that spot for increased growth and only the best gains (1).
Focus on wrists and forearms: A nice exercise to focus on your wrists and forearms, this allows you to build strength and offer stabilization in areas often overlooked.
Improve grip strength: Grip strength is so important for sport specific and more functional movements and the right exercise can greatly increase this (2).
Plenty of variations: So many variations exist so you get the same benefits without repeating the same exercise over and over again.
Good for flexibility: Build flexibility and work to optimize your range of motion to support all movements (3).
Enhance functional movements: By enhancing grip strength and building better support, you enhance functional movements and everyday activities.
Pairs well with other barbell exercises: Barbell exercises are great for seeing gains and this exercise pairs well with many of those upper body and full body barbell exercises.
How To Perform It
Here are the steps for performing barbell wrist curls:
Set up your bench and barbell with your desired number of weight.
Kneel in front of the bench and place your arms so that your wrists hang off the opposite edge.
Keeping your elbows tucked and core engaged, curl the weight, only moving your wrists upward.
Slowly lower back down as you feel a stretch in your forearms, bringing this back to the starting position.
Repeat for your desired number of sets and reps.
Great Variations Of The Barbell Wrist Curl
The nice part about an exercise like the barbell wrist curl is that there are plenty of variations to change up your workouts yet still get the same benefits as if you were performing the same exercise. Great variations of the barbell wrist curl exercise include:
Barbell Reverse Wrist Curl
Behind The Back Reverse Wrist Curl
Dumbbell Wrist Curl
Cable Wrist Curl
One Arm Dumbbell Wrist Curl
Best Barbell Exercises To Pair With
Along with the this exercise, there are other great exercises to pair with that all involve the barbell. Training with a barbell can provide for convenient and versatile workouts while working to boost athletic performance and better cognitive functioning. Working to increase everything from strength, size, mobility, and stability, a barbell is a great workout tool to help you get to where you want to go.
As part of your routine, definitely consider a great shoulder exercise in the barbell shoulder press to offer growth for those boulder shoulders. While you work to stabilize and strengthen your wrists with the barbell wrist curl, hit your biceps with the reverse barbell curl or traditional barbell curl for a real boost in strength. To tackle those full body workouts, try the barbell burpee for this will enhance all areas of your performance for the better.
Check out our list of the Best Barbells for awesome lifting products!
Wrap Up
Barbell wrist curls are a great exercise to strengthen and stabilize your wrist, so you only see the best for your gains. By working to give you a great exercise that targets your wrists and forearms, it makes sense to include this into your routine. Other great barbell exercises pair nicely with this so you see those gains you want most. Give this workout a try and see what it can do for all your gains today.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Szymanski, D.; et al. (2004). “Effect of 12 Weeks of Wrist and Forearm Training on High School Baseball Players”. (source)
Lee, J.; et al. (2016). “The Effect of Wrist Position on Grip Endurance and Grip Strength”. (source)
Rahman, H.; et al. (2020). “Stretching And Flexibility: A Range Of Motion For Games And Sports”. (source)
The Eight Best Bodyweight Exercises for Forearms
The forearms often go overlooked in the gym, viewed as along for the ride on most lifts as opposed to the focal point. Unless you’re looking to produce Popeye-like forearms, the thinking goes, there’s little need to spend time on the forearms. Besides, Popeye’s legendary guns were the product of spinach rather than lifting, right?
The forearms get overshadowed by the chest, shoulders, quads, biceps, and triceps. That’s a shame since the forearms play a key role in every lift, along with the movements of everyday life. Training the forearms improves the power in a swim, golf, or paddle stroke. They give the arms a balanced, symmetrical look, especially when you roll up your sleeves. Plus, in an era when most people spend hours hunched over a computer, studies suggest a link to forearm pain.
That makes forearm training prehab as well as traditional strength training. Forearms respond quickly to training, especially bodyweight training. Here are eight of the best bodyweight exercises for legs. You can use these as part of a regular workout or as a standalone circuit. If you do a circuit, do two sets of 10.
1. Forearm Stretch
What it does: This stretches the forearms, something most athletes rarely do.
How to do it: From a standing position with your right arm raised straight in front of your body and palm up, grab your right fingers with the left hand and pull toward the right elbow until a mild stretch is felt. Hold for two seconds. Relax and repeat.
How many? 2 sets of 10 on each hand with 30 seconds rest between sets.
2. Forearm Plank
What it does: Traditional push-up planks are great, but these put more emphasis on the forearms.
How to do it: Start in a pushup position, with your forearms resting on the ground. Your elbows and shoulders are bent 90 degrees. Push up off your elbows supporting your weight on the forearms. Tuck your chin so your head is in line with your body. Pull your toes toward your shins. Keep shoulders, hips and ankles aligned; your body should form a straight line from ears to heels.
How many? 2 sets of 60 seconds with 60 seconds rest between sets.
3. Forearm Side Plank
What it does: Side planks usually are done with arms extended. Planking off your forearm is more challenging.
How to do it: Start on the ground on your left side with your left forearm and your elbow under your shoulder. Push up off your elbow, creating a straight line from ankle to shoulder. Your hips should be off the ground and only the side of your bottom foot and your elbow should be on the ground. Hold for 30 seconds or do 10 reps of 3 seconds each.
How many? 2 sets of either of the above options.
4. Lunge Elbow to Instep
What it does: This full-body stretch works your groin, hip flexors, glutes, and especially hamstrings, but it’s also the rare movement that requires you to stretch your forearms to the ground.
How to do it: Step forward into a lunge with your left foot. Place your right forearm to the ground and your left elbow to the inside of your left foot and hold the stretch for two seconds. Then place your left hand outside of your foot and push your hips up, pointing your front toes up. Return to standing position and repeat by stepping ou with your right foot. Continue alternating sides.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
5. Crab Walk
What it does: Grade schoolers struggle with crab soccer because they haven’t developed forearm strength. Adults can develop forearms, too, through crab walking.
How to do it: Start by sitting on the floor with feet hip–distance apart extended out. Your arms are behind your back with your fingers facing the hips. Lift your hips off the floor and begin “walking” by moving your left hand forward, then the right foot, then the right hand, and left foot. Take 10 “steps” with each limb and then 10 steps backward to reach the starting position.
How long? 2 sets of 60 seconds with 60 seconds rest between sets.
6. Chin Ups
What it does: Like the overhead pull-up, the chin up is a terrific shoulder and back exercise to build that V-shaped torso. But by doing the underhanded chin up, we place more emphasis on the forearms.
How to do it: Grab the bar with an underhand grip. Hanging from the bar, pull your shoulder blades back and down to lift your body and build momentum. Finish by pulling up with your arms.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps (or as many as possible) with 30 seconds rest between sets.
7. Dips
What it does: You use your forearms and chest to lift your entire body weight.
How to do it: Position yourself above and between the bars, grabbing them with an overhand grip. Cross your ankles behind you. Lower yourself slowly and push back up in a controlled manner.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.
8. Burpees
What it does: It’s a full-body push-up-like exercise that gives you all the benefits of pushups while also challenging your cardiovascular system and ratcheting up the intensity of your workout. The constant up-and-down of the movement taxes the forearms.
How to do it: From a standing position, squat, place yourhands on the ground, and “jump” your feet out into a push-up position. Perform a pushup and then jump your feet to your hands. Then jump as high as you can, throwing your hands over your head.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.
Pete Williams is a NASM-CPT and the author or co-author of several fitness books, including Core Performance and Every Day is Game Day. His work has appeared inpublications such as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, and USA Today.