Weight lifters, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts often have great success building their upper arms, but they forget building the forearm muscle. Many lifters are now able to build large proportions of their physiques without heavily taxing their forearms or grip since there are so many lifting straps, machines, and other aids available. Sadly, many people are not aware of how to properly train them. The following are some of the best forearm workouts to build your lower arms and grip:
Do not use the straps unnecessarily
Even though lifting straps can be a great aid for training your back without worrying about your grip failing, if they are abused, they can severely limit your grip strength and forearm development. If you use straps for every set of every back exercise, then you are doing one of the worst things for your forearm development.
Straps should only be used when necessary for back exercises. During warm-ups and certain exercises, you should not use straps at all. This will increase your grip and forearm strength rapidly.
High repetition lat workout
You should not only use straps sparingly when working your back, you should also choose one or two back exercises during which you will not use any straps. Make these movements more about gripping and forearm work than building upper back and lats. When you do high-rep back work, set personal records, and try to break them every time.
Deadlift heavy
The deadlift may be the one of the best forearm workouts for developing your grip. It can carry the heaviest loads, and as long as you leave the straps at home, your grip will be pushed to its limit. Hold the bar with a mixed grip when you are lifting very heavy weights to keep your grip.
When it comes to the deadlift, the best way to increase forearm strength and size is the same way to increase overall muscle size and strength. The repetition range should be in the 4-6 range and you should use a weight as heavy as you can carry.
Forearm curls
Even though the aforementioned strategies will increase your forearm strength and size the most, you still need to work directly on them. After you work your biceps, do some hammer curls, wrist curls, and reverse curls.
A great grip exercise is the reverse EZ bar curl or barbell curl. You perform it in the same way as a regular barbell curl, but you pronate your arms over the bar. As opposed to raising your palms, you bring your back hand up toward your chest.