Understanding the Forearms

The forearms are a group of complex muscles that flex, extend, (along with the bicep brachii) supinate, and pronate the wrist. They are also responsible for the flexion and extension of the fingers. With are these movements, it is important to have a well-balanced plan of attack with training your forearms.

Types of Grip

You must also be aware of the two types of grip; Crushing Grip and Vice Grip, both have their place in improving your lifts. Your crushing grip is just that; your ability to apply force by flexing your fingers. Adequate development of your crushing grip is necessary to keep up with the strength demands of your larger muscle groups such as back and legs. Exercises involving these muscles, such as pull-ups and dumbbell lunges, force you to use large amounts of weight in order to stimulate grow, but again it comes down to whether or not you can hold, much less move such poundage. The more crushing force you can place on the bar or dumbbell, the heavier the weight you will be able to hold. A strong crushing grip will not only increase your overall strength, but also give you a strong businesslike handshake. Sociological studies have shown that a strong handshake conveys confidence and dominance in a situation, all which can help you. On the other hand (pun intended), vice grip is how long you can hold on to a weight. This is usually the most limiting factor when performing exercises such as chins, shrugs and rows. These are all great movements for upper back, shoulder, and even bicep development, but an inability to simply hold onto the bar can cut your development short. As you can see, a combination of a strong crushing grip and a vice grip of fortitude are needed for peak performance. Let us see how you can get them.

Towel Floor Drag

Place a small towel on the floor (make sure the floor is smooth and not rubberized). At one end place a small weight (25lbs) flat on the towel. Kneel down and with both hands open, place them on the other end of the towel. Proceed to drag the weight towards you by pulling only with your fingers. This might look overly simple but it works!

Towel Pull-up

Roll a durable towel up and place it over a chin-up bar. Grip each end and proceed to perform a close-grip pull-up.

Lazy Farmer Walk

Simple. Just find the heaviest dumbbells in the gym, pick them up (proper form) and hold them by your side for as long as possible. Rerack and repeat.

Finger Pinch

Pinch a light weight between your thumbs and fingers and hold out for as long as possible. Simple yet deadly.

Finger Pinch Rotation

Just like the finger pinch but add a SLOW rotation in both directions. Ouch!

Reverse Barbell Curl

Use an overhand grip on the barbell and full range and motion, not partial range.

Wrist Curl

Best done in the seated position.. Lay your forearms along your upper legs with your palms up. Makes sure to keep you elbow secured to your quads and use only your forearms flex and curl the bar up.

Wrist Extension

Simply reverse your grip with your palms down.

An example program would be:

Towel Pull-up 3 x Failure
Lazy Farmers Walk 3 x Failure
Finger Pinch with Rotation 4 x Failure
Reverse Curl 2 x 15 reps
Wrist Curl 2 x 15 reps
Towel Floor Drag 5 x 10 reps

You can mix and match as you see fit. The important thing is to train both grips at least once per week. Try it out and see your personal records shattered.

Mark-Anthony Bailey is the Editor-in-Chief of MostMuscle.com. As an Exercise Physiologist and competitive natural bodybuilder, his goals have been to ensure that his clients get the latest information on training techniques, nutritional guidelines and lifestyle modifications needed to obtain optimal health. He can be contacted at: markanthony@mostmuscle.com