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Many make a mistake in their forearm training by relying solely on gripping movements to give them gains. These are important, but for real bulk, there must be muscular contraction and a bulging of the forearm muscles. Some isolated gripping work is necessary to develop the area thoroughly, but the majority of the movements should require action at the wrist and even movement at the elbow in some of them.





Muscles develop completely when there is motion in all the joints associated with them. The upper arm needs action not only at the elbow, but at the shoulder for complete, all around exercise. And similarly, the forearm needs motion at both the wrist and elbow for complete power and size. Not all exercises have to be of this sort, but there should be some included in your workout.





I have carefully selected the exercises for this article so that the three principles of forearm development would be observed. There are exercises in which there is no wrist or elbow action, just the gripping power of the hands being used. Then there are others in which there is gripping and wrist action combined, and finally those in which there are gripping, wrist, and elbow movement used.





In this way, no part of the forearm can be overlooked, and all its functions will be utilized with successful muscle growth and increased power being your reward for such thorough training.





Follow the instructions carefully. Pay attention to the points I stress. It won't take you long to see and feel improvement in your forearms, for they respond rapidly to proper exercise.









Exercise #1: Dumbbell Wrist Curl, Seated -

Sit on a flat exercise bench as shown in Illustration #1 above. Note that the forearm is resting firmly on the thigh. Now, without moving the forearm, raise and lower the dumbbell as far as possible, using wrist action only. The exercise can be done three ways . . . with the palm up . . . palm down . . . and with palm facing the opposite knee. Perform 15-20 repetitions of each style, 2-3 sets each, alternately exercising and resting one arm at a time.





Exercise #2: Dip on Fingertips -

While the forearms are still tired, perform the dip on fingertips. As shown in Illustration #2, my bodyweight is supported by my fingertips and my toes. Staying in this position, perform the regular floor dip (pushup) up to 15 times for 3 sets. This movement can build the lower part of the forearm tremendously.





Exercise #3: Hangs -

Now to build up local gripping power. Hang from a high bar as shown in the illustration, with some added weight to make the strain more severe. Just hang for a minute or so, until your grip gives out, with all the weight you can hold for around that length of time. Perform several sets of this hanging exercise. It will not give you much added forearm size, but it certainly will increase your gripping power. This will permit you in time to use more weight in other forearm exercises and in this way you will build greater size over time.





Exercise #4: Reverse Grip Barbell Curl -

The palms of the hands face down, instead of up as in a regular barbell curl. This places a real strain on the grip, wrist, and forearm. As shown in Illustration #4, the upper arms are held close to the sides and the weight is raised from the thigh to the chest. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps.





Exercise #5: Dumbbell Curl/Wrist Rocker Superset -

Here is something a little new in a forearm exercise. It will pump up your forearms in a manner you have not felt before. In this exercise you will find vividly displayed the necessity of both wrist and elbow action for forearm stimulation. Take a pair of moderately heavy dumbbells in the hands and perform 10-12 rather rapid alternate curls with them. Now, hold the bells at the thighs and then twist the wrists back and forth 20 times. You will feel the muscles tighten up so severely from this that you will hardly be able to hold onto the weights after 12 twists, but stick it out for a full hard 20 if you want real results. Perform 3 sets.





Exercise #6: Plate Curl -

The final exercise is one with action also in the grip, wrist, and elbow. While I am not illustrating it, it is easy to describe. The exercise consists of holding a barbell plate with a pinch grip and then raising it with one arm in a reverse curling movement, making the wrist bend down as much as possible. Goose neck. Perform 10 reps with each arm, 3 sets.





This routine is tough, but it will give results.











































































