Bodybuilders: Do you train forearms specifically?

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Michael_25

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
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703
Location
Gainesville, Florida
Or do you just do compound lifts which are very heavy to add mass to your forearms? My upper arms, when flexed, are 16 inches. However, my forearms are stupidly thin. I've been thinking of devoting attention purely to my forearms but don't know exercises that would really be of benefit. I know there's the "farmers' walk" and reverse curls, but I don't think those two really cut it. Any ideas on how to get my two twigs to grow?
 
Are you using straps or hooks on pulling movements? If so, stop. Other than that, I've never directly trained them. Some of it is indeed genetics. You can see it in the difference between Phil heath and Kai. Some people just have shit forearms lol. You can try isolation movements though
 
I’ll add in little forearm additions to my tricep and bicep days like doing curls I’ll let the bar roll down to my finger tips and stuff of that natural but I don’t specifically target them really
 
When I my forearms were biggest, I was doing a lot of heavy deadlifts and rows. Never isolated them, unless you count curl variations.
 
I always thought they were highly genetic dependent like calves. Heavy deadlifts and heavy curls seem to accentuate them.
 
Serotonin101 said:
Are you using straps or hooks on pulling movements? If so, stop. Other than that, I've never directly trained them. Some of it is indeed genetics. You can see it in the difference between Phil heath and Kai. Some people just have shit forearms lol. You can try isolation movements though
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I'm not using straps currently. I do hammer curls which indirectly hit the forearms. And I do the 5 big compound exercises: deadlift, squat, bench press, chin ups and rows.
OpiateKiller said:
I’ll add in little forearm additions to my tricep and bicep days like doing curls I’ll let the bar roll down to my finger tips and stuff of that natural but I don’t specifically target them really
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This is an option for me.
RedRum OG said:
When I my forearms were biggest, I was doing a lot of heavy deadlifts and rows. Never isolated them, unless you count curl variations.
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Right now I'm really weak, as I have only started training a few weeks ago. I can do only 10 reps with 60 lbs for deadlifts, for example.
negrogesic said:
I always thought they were highly genetic dependent like calves. Heavy deadlifts and heavy curls seem to accentuate them.
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Consensus is that deadlifts and curls are the primary exercises to increase forearm size. I just hope my forearms aren't defined, by and large, by genetics ...
 
If you don't use straps and you move heavy loads they'll grow unless you have trash genes like Serotonin said above.

Training them directly just go for volume over weight as it's not an isolation movement you want to be trying to max out on and you need them to function the next day.

If you have a gym with the smaller preset barbells for curls or have a spare 45lb bar, just find a bench with some good space and do 2-3 sets of wrist flexion/extension at different angles for 12 reps. Can do it on your lap or lean over and have the bar behind your legs and arms down close to the ground.
 
You can also get a small section of pvc pipe and drill a hole through it and run a rope through it like a reel. At the end of the rope tie a sufficient weight and practice rolling up and unwinding it
 
Idk if this was said but doing wrist curls is the way to go for shredded forearms. My forearms are probably my best asset IMO, from many years manual labor and reverse curls and wrist curls.

-GC
 
Interesting ... I just hope that it's not 95% genetics ... I will chuck in some wrist curls along with Serotonin's PVC idea, sounds good. I'll give it 6 to 8 weeks and daily weekly photos and measurements to see whether my forearms are progressing.
 
I'm not familiar with the compounds but I know some are known to target muscle growth at site injection.

I believe people have reported good gains from igf1 or ghrp6 (not sure which one but I know Ive read of people using those and other peptides/sarms to target growth in specific muscles)
 
SteelToad777 said:
I'm not familiar with the compounds but I know some are known to target muscle growth at site injection.

I believe people have reported good gains from igf1 or ghrp6 (not sure which one but I know Ive read of people using those and other peptides/sarms to target growth in specific muscles)
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Not sure what substances you mean, but I train naturally -- no steroids or HGH. But thanks for the reply.
 
SteelToad777 said:
I'm not familiar with the compounds but I know some are known to target muscle growth at site injection.

I believe people have reported good gains from igf1 or ghrp6 (not sure which one but I know Ive read of people using those and other peptides/sarms to target growth in specific muscles)
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I wouldn't worry about site enhancement. If it worked as well as people think it did, we wouldn't have pros with lackluster body parts including forearms.
 
Serotonin101 said:
I wouldn't worry about site enhancement. If it worked as well as people think it did, we wouldn't have pros with lackluster body parts including forearms.
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While I agree direct site enhancement is not gonna pack slabs of muscle on weak body parts but it does have some effect from anecdotal reports I have read. I found personally that pge1 injected on work days had a noticeable effect on not just increased temporary volume but also actual hypertrophy!
 
d-DEX-25 said:
While I agree direct site enhancement is not gonna pack slabs of muscle on weak body parts but it does have some effect from anecdotal reports I have read. I found personally that pge1 injected on work days had a noticeable effect on not just increased temporary volume but also actual hypertrophy!
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I'd hate to botch a shot in my forearm. Gonna basically leave your hand useless for days afterwards lol. It's already bad enough with a bad vastus lateralis shot in the quad, flexors and extensors in the forearm will impact QoL to a whole different level.
 
I usually do forearms with biceps, so my workout looks like this:

- Wrist Curls
- Reverse Wrist Curls
- Reverse Barbell Curls
- Barbell and/or Dumbbell Curls

That way I hit every part of my arm (except triceps, which I usually train with chest). I remember Dorian Yates saying that he didn't need to do forearms because they got worked just by gripping such heavy weights, but I'm definitely not Dorian Yates! :)
 
Mister Privacy said:
I usually do forearms with biceps, so my workout looks like this:

- Wrist Curls
- Reverse Wrist Curls
- Reverse Barbell Curls
- Barbell and/or Dumbbell Curls

That way I hit every part of my arm (except triceps, which I usually train with chest). I remember Dorian Yates saying that he didn't need to do forearms because they got worked just by gripping such heavy weights, but I'm definitely not Dorian Yates! :)
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I agree with Dorian. Heavy pulls like rows and pull downs have built my forearms well. And manual labor where I was carrying like 20lb caps with just finger tips lol
 
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