A strong and thick forearm is something that not a lot of people that workout will ever achieve. It takes a lot of time and effort to build them. Big forearms are the sign of a person that works hard and lifts heavy.
Most people these days are just focused on getting their upper arms (biceps/triceps) as big as possible but they just leave out forearm training because it can be boring and is not as fun as a bicep pump but I’m sure you’ve seen those people in the gym with the big biceps but tiny noodle forearms. It’s just unsightly.
Let’s build bigger forearms:
Isolation Exercises
These are a great way to really add stress and stimulation to your forearms. It works them directly and the pump that you will get from these will be amazing!
Wrist curls- To perform this exercise, sit on a flat bench with your forearm resting on top of your thigh, your hand should be hanging in the air in front of your knee. With dumbbell in hand and palm facing up, lower your hand and slowly raise back up. This is one rep of a wrist curl. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Dumbbell twist- To perform, pick a light-medium weight in each hand and stand with your feet at shoulder width. Your starting position should be the middle part of a bicep curl, with your forearms parallel to the floor and palms facing up. Now just twist your wrists so that your palms are now facing downwards and slowly bring back up to starting position. This completes one rep. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Compound Exercises
These usually involve lifting a heavy weight for a number of sets and reps. Compound exercises work a number of different muscles and are a great overall body-builder. Since your forearms are engaged the most when lifting heavy weights, compound exercises are a great tool for building thicker arms.
Farmer walks- These are one of my favorite exercises and they are incredibly simple. Just pick up the heaviest amount of weight (dumbbell or special farmer walk barbells) that you can safely lift and walk for a certain time or distance (depending on space availability). Start with 20 seconds of walking and work your way up, increasing the weights when you can easily do 30-40 seconds. Perform for 5-10 sets at the end of your workouts.
Pullups- Pullups are a great back building exercise but if you perform them with your palms facing towards you, you can really engage your forearms. Perform as many as you can for 4-5 sets and feel the burn! If you can’t perform a pullup, just hang from the bar for as long as possible.