That’s a shame too, since the forearms play a role in most every lift, to say nothing of the movements of everyday life. Why train the forearms? For starters, you might want to improve the power in your swim, golf, or paddle stroke. You’ll definitely want to boost muscles that give your chest and arms a balanced, symmetrical look, especially when rolling up the sleeves on your long-sleeve shirt or sweater.
The forearms respond quickly to training, providing one of the better returns on investment of gym time. Best of all, you won’t need any equipment to train your forearms. You can use these 10 bodyweight movements as a warm-up, part of a regular workout, or as a standalone circuit. If you do a circuit, do two sets of 10.
Pete Williams is an N.A.S.M.-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.
Why: Rarely do we spend time stretching our forearms. You’re about to start.
How: Stand and raise your right arm, palm up, straight in front of your body. Grab your right fingers with your left hand and pull them back toward your right elbow until you feel a mild stretch. Hold for two seconds. Relax, and repeat.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 on each hand with 30 seconds rest between sets.
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Forearm Plank
Why: Conventional pushup planks are great, but these put more emphasis on the forearms.
How: Start in a pushup position, with your forearms resting on the ground. Your elbows and shoulders should be bent 90°. Push up off your elbows so you’re supporting your weight on your forearms. Tuck your chin slightly so your head is in line with your body. Pull your toes toward your shins. Keep your shoulders, hips, and ankles aligned; your body should form a straight line from ears to heels.
Prescription: 2 sets of 60 seconds with 60 sec. rest between sets.
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Forearm Side-plank
Why: Side-planks usually are done with arms extended. Planking off your forearm is more challenging.
How: Start on the ground on your left side with your left forearm on the ground, 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.
Prescription: 2 sets of either of the above options.
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Chaturanga
Why: This signature yoga move challenges your forearm strength and overall core stability.
How: Start in a standard plank position (hands on the ground, as opposed to forearms). Lower your elbows to shoulder height, pinning them against your side. Your chest, shoulders, upper arms, and elbows should be in alignment. Push back to plank.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 sec. rest between sets.
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Chinup
Why: Like the overhand pullup, the chinup is a terrific shoulders and back exercise to build that V-shaped torso. But by doing the underhanded chinup, we also place more emphasis on the forearms.
How: Grab the bar with an underhand grip. Hanging from the bar, pull your shoulder blades back and down to lift your body up and build momentum. Finish by pulling up with your arms.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps (or as many as possible) with 30 sec. rest between sets.
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EDGAR ARTIGA / M+F Magazine
Towel Pullup
Why: In this version of the pullup, we grip towels to better challenge our forearms and improve grip strength.
How: Drape two gym towels over a pullup bar so both ends of both towels hang down. Perform your pullups by gripping the towels rather than the bar.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps (or as many as possible) with 30 sec. rest between sets.
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Lunge Elbow to Instep
Why: This total-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: 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 your foot and push your hips up, pointing your front toes up. Return to standing position and repeat by stepping out with your right foot. Continue alternating sides.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 sec. rest between sets.
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Crab Walk
Why: Grade-schoolers struggle with crab soccer because they haven’t developed forearm strength. Guess what: Crab soccer works for grown-ups, too.
How: Start by sitting on the floor with your feet hip-distance apart and extended out. Your arms should be behind your back with your fingers facing your 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.
Prescription: 2 sets of 60 seconds with 60 sec. rest between sets.
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Dip
Why: You use your triceps and chest to lift your entire bodyweight—and all that motion rests on the strength of your forearms.
How: Position yourself above and between parallel bars, grabbing them with an overhand grip. Cross your ankles behind you (or, for a more difficult option, keep your legs extended and toes pointing slightly ahead of you). Lower yourself slowly, and push back up in a controlled manner.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 sec. rest between sets.
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Burpee
Why: This total-body, pushup-like exercise 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, too.
How: From a standing position, squat, place your hands on the ground, and “jump” your feet out into a pushup 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.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 sec. rest between sets.
