The Best Forearm Exercises for Building Muscle

The forearm is composed of more than 20 different muscles. The function of these muscles is to provide motion to the wrist, hand, and fingers. There are 4 main movement patterns of the hand: supination, pronation, flexion and extension. Aside from controlling these 4 movement patterns, forearm muscles are also responsible for the gripping strength of the hand. Regular exercise is necessary to build the stamina and power of these muscles.

  1. Grip

    • While hand-grippers are the most common tool used in building hand strength, thick bar work is another popular method for training your grip. Specially made thick bars can be bought at most online stores or made at home by wrapping a towel around a pull-up bar. Any exercise that can be done with a barbell can be done with a thick bar but the focus will be shifted to the forearm musculature. The thicker the bar, the less surface area for the hands to grip, thus incorporating the wrists and forearm muscles to maintain control. Rope-climbing is another effective method of grip training.

    Extension

    • Wrist extension is when the hand is moved upward toward the outside of the forearm. This exercise targets the posterior forearm muscles and is performed by placing the arm on a flat surface or on your knee with the palm facing down to begin. Holding onto a dumbbell, lift your hand back toward your forearm. The posterior muscles of the forearm can also be trained when performing a reverse bicep curl, as the wrist must isometrically contract in order not to buckle during the curl.

    Flexion

    • Flexion is the opposite of extension. This exercise targets the anterior muscles of the forearm. To perform the flexion exercise, the hand should rest on a flat surface or on your knee with the palm facing up. Holding onto a dumbbell, lift your hand toward your forearm. The anterior muscles of the forearm are also trained isometrically during the bicep curl movement.

    Lever Training

    • Levering is practiced by many grip and wrist strength enthusiasts, including John Brookfield, the man with the strongest grip in the world. By lifting and maneuvering a levering bar or sledge hammer using only your wrists, levering helps develop a strong grip and increases forearm muscle mass. For example, the side lever exercise trains pronation and supination of the hand. Place your arm at your side with the elbow bent at a 90 degree angle. Hold a sledge hammer by the handle so that the head points toward the ceiling. To work pronation, slowly rotate your forearm until the hammer handle is parallel to the ground, then return to the starting position. To train supination, rotate your arm in the opposite direction.