How to train your forearms

Grip strength is the limiting factor you keep ignoring

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Anatomy

The forearms contain over twenty muscles divided into a flexor compartment (front of the forearm, responsible for wrist and finger flexion, pronation) and an extensor compartment (back of the forearm, responsible for wrist and finger extension, supination). The flexors, wrist flexors and finger flexors, are what you feel when gripping a bar. The brachioradialis is the large muscle running along the thumb side of the forearm and assists elbow flexion. Forearm strength limits performance in rows, deadlifts, pull-ups, and any grip-intensive sport.

How to train it

Most forearm development comes from heavy pulling movements if you avoid straps consistently. Direct work (wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, farmer carries) adds targeted volume. Sets of 15–25 reps work well for wrist curl variations because tendons and smaller muscles fatigue quickly under heavier loads. Two to three sessions per week is adequate. Reverse curls also develop the brachioradialis and tie the forearm and bicep together visually. The most common mistake: always using straps, which lets the grip lag behind every other pulling muscle.

Coaching cues

• Move only at the wrist. Keep the forearm still
• Full range: let the weight unroll to the fingertips
• Both sides equally. Extensors need work too
• Do not rush the rep. Control beats momentum here

Staple forearms exercises

All forearms exercises (26)

• Bottoms-Up Clean From The Hang Position
• Cable Wrist Curl
• Dead Hang
• Dumbbell Lying Pronation
• Dumbbell Lying Supination
• Farmer's Walk
• Finger Curls
• Kneeling Forearm Stretch
• Palms-Down Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench
• Palms-Down Wrist Curl Over A Bench
• Palms-Up Barbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench
• Palms-Up Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over A Bench
• Plate Pinch
• Rickshaw Carry
• Seated Dumbbell Palms-Down Wrist Curl
• Seated Dumbbell Palms-Up Wrist Curl
• Seated One-Arm Dumbbell Palms-Down Wrist Curl
• Seated One-Arm Dumbbell Palms-Up Wrist Curl
• Seated Palm-Up Barbell Wrist Curl
• Seated Palms-Down Barbell Wrist Curl
• Seated Two-Arm Palms-Up Low-Pulley Wrist Curl
• Standing Olympic Plate Hand Squeeze
• Standing Palms-Up Barbell Behind The Back Wrist Curl
• Wrist Circles
• Wrist Roller
• Wrist Rotations with Straight Bar

Train it with MyoAmigo

MyoAmigo's MyoMap heatmap shows your forearms volume against an evidence-based weekly band, so you can see at a glance whether you're under-training it. See also how many sets per muscle per week and the training guides.

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