5 Exercises to Increase Forearm Size

Arms are the most important parts of the body when it comes to working out. For you to have a bigger body, you need to have arms that enable you to bench-press more, generate more force, perform more complex exercises and other generally more difficult exercise routines. With bigger arms, you have a better chance at boosting the overall strength of your body. In this regard, we will show you which exercises are the best for building bigger forearms without compromising on their flexibility and general movement. Not all exercises out there will give you the best forearms as some will make you rigid and resistant to other exercises. This aspect will inhibit your growth of muscles in the rest of the body.

1. Farmer’s Carry

   Using the farmer’s carry has many advantages. First is the fact that it increases the gripping capability of the hand. In any type of exercise, building a better grip will not only allow you work out more but also prevent accidents in the gym. Secondly, this exercise routine creates powerful arms as it creates a certain level of maneuverability. The stability of the shoulder is also immensely increased using this type of exercise. It should also be noted that the farmer’s carry will build a stronger core. One can perform this exercise by grabbing a heavy kettle bell of a dumbbell in both hands, standing tall then walking while maintaining a straight gait. Put the bells down then repeat for as many times as you can.

   

2. Towel Pulls Exercise to Increase Forearm Size

   Doing towel pull-ups will build thick arms and strong grip. The advantage of using a towel rather than a bar is that it taxes the forearms more than a normal bar would. You have to squeeze the towels tighter than you would squeeze a bar thus building the forearms and making your grip strong. To perform this routine, you should wrap two towels around a pull-up bar. The distance between them should be just right to allow for you to pull yourself normally. Using these towels (rather than the bar), perform as may pull-ups as you can. You will realize that the whole arm is engaged in performing this routine and it is a much better buildup for the arm compared to bar pull-ups.

   

3. Pinch Carries-An Effective Exercise to Forearm Size

   The secret in increasing the size of the forearm is in ensuring the palm exerts as much squeezing force as possible. In that way, one would feel the need to engage all muscles in the forearms thus increasing them in size. With the pinch carry, the fingers and the whole of the forearm are actively engaged to do away with any weaknesses in the forearm. To perform this exercise, take two or more weighted plates in each arm and hold them at their edges. They will naturally want to separate and slip, and it is your duty to prevent that. Lift them up and walk for a few yards while keeping a straight gait. Put them down slowly and repeat for as long as you need.

   

4. Fat Grip Dumbbell Rows

   If you have been working out for a while, you know that your arm will be comfortable with a bar of a certain thickness. Anything below or higher than that will require a tighter grip on the bar to hold. This is the concept employed in the use of the fat grip dumbbell. For this exercise, you will need a bar with dumbbells but with a thicker girth than your usual grip. This will allow for the forearm to exert a firmer grip in order to hold the bar in the hand. With your right hand and knee on a bench, hold the dumbbell and pull the shoulder blade inward with the elbow towards the ribcage. Change to another side after eight repetitions.

   

5. Grip Crushers

   Grip crushers will tend to isolate the palm and the fingers to allow for the development of the best grip possible. If you want to develop bigger forearms, you need to start with grip crushers. They will give you a good grip which will allow you perform more complex exercises as you handle other exercises. As stated before, this aspect will enable you perform more difficult routines and stay safe when hanging onto a bar doing pushups or doing bench presses. For the best results with grip crushers, ensure the two bars touch each other when you have exerted the grip. Perform as many squeezes and releases for the arm as possible and repeat for the other arm. If you are doing them right, you will feel a level of fatigue between the thumb and the index finger.

   

Benefits of Bigger Forearms

You must have noticed that the hands assist almost all the exercises you perform. Whether you are doing burpees, bench presses, pushups, crunches or other exercise, the arms will play a big role to ensure you do them correctly. To avoid accidents and benefit the body well, you need to learn to strengthen your arms as much as possible. This list of the exercises to enlarge your forearms is far from exhaustive, and it only focuses on the most common exercises which have been proven to be very effective. On the other hand, you can add your own exercises such as pushups while balancing on your fingers rather than your palms as they strengthen the forearm too.