Training Forearms

Forearms:

Forearms are made up of the long and relatively large muscle - Brachioradialis and two clusters of many small muscles called the Wrist Extensors and Wrist Flexors.  If you lift weights regularly and do a lot of exercises where you handle a lot of heavy weights, especially pulling exercises and ones in which the weights are held against gravity by the strength of your grip (deadlifts,  curls, rows, pulls and shrugs), then your forearms should be getting a sufficient workout as it is.  However, if you insist on training your forearms separately as well, here is a short list of exercises that should work:   Wrist Curlswork Wrist Flexors  They can be done with either a barbell or dumbbells, but either way you should curl with both wrists at the same time. Sit and grasp the bar with narrow to shoulder width underhand grip.  Rest forearms on your thighs with wrists just beyond the knees.  Allow the barbell to roll out of the palms down to the fingers. Grip the barbell back up and flex wrists.  Lower and repeat.  Reverse Wrist Curls work the Wrist Extensors. Sit and grasp the bar with narrow to shoulder width overhand grip. Rest forearms on thighs with wrists just beyond the knees. Hyperextend the wrists and return until wrists are fully flexed. Reverse forearms Curls work the Brachioradialis.  You can do these standing or seated, with a straight or a cambered bar, and doing either standard or preacher curls. Grasp bar with a shoulder width overhand grip. With the elbows to the side, raise the bar until forearms are vertical (if you are doing standing reverse barbell curls). Lower until the arms are fully extended. When the elbow is fully flexed, the elbow should only travel forward a few inches allowing the forearm to be no more than perpendicular to the floor to allow for a relative release of tension in the muscles between repetitions.  If you are doing preacher reverse curls, sit on a preacher bench placing back of arms on the pad. The seat should be adjusted to allow the arm pit to rest near the top of the pad. Grasp curl bar with shoulder width overhand grip and raise the bar until forearms are perpendicular to the floor with the back of the upper arm remaining on the pad. Lower the barbell until arm is fully extended. Hammer Curls are described nicely on the Biceps page and work the Bracioradialis.