There are two reasons that you might want to train your forearms. It is definitely not necessary to do focused forearm workouts, especially if you are using them and exercising them already in other exercises, such as deadlifts or other back-pulling movements. However, if you’re not already training the forums indirectly then he should probably start doing it. Especially if you see lagging behind in grip strength.
The forearms are one of those muscle groups that everyone uses but they always tend to forget about. They tend to be neglected or forgotten at the end of our workouts.
The forearms are used particularly in any movement in that you are clenching the hand or holding a heavy weight. These exercises can include most back exercises in that you are pulling the weight or, even in the bicep and tricep movements where you were holding the weight and pushing or pulling the weight.
The real question is, should you train your forearms? Well, there are two reasons that you could consider training your forearms. Number one, for grip strength, and number two, for the aesthetic and look of muscular forearms.
The 2 reasons why you might want to train forearms
One reason that you might want to start training forearms is that you are not already indirectly training them. One example of this would be any movement that you are gripping the weight, such as a deadlift.
In most movements where you’re holding the weight in the palm of your hands then you’ll be indirectly training the forearms. However, if you are using wrist straps then this will eliminate most of the forearm engagement.
Wrist straps are a very commonly used workout accessory. It’s a strap that you put around your wrist and then wrap around the bar and the friction and gravity help tighten the grip without you having to use your forearms at all.
It’s certainly okay to use wrist straps sometimes but if you use them all the time your forearms will soon become atrophied and not used to holding the heavyweight.
1: Strength
One reason that you might want to start training forums is for the strength benefits.
If your goal and working out is to gain strength rather than muscle itself then it certainly makes sense that you’d want to gain strength everywhere equally.
As mentioned above the forearms are a foundational muscle group that is used in almost every exercise. They are particularly crucial if you are interested in strength sports such as strong man and powerlifting.
In these above Sports, you are not allowed to wear wrist straps that would eliminate the need for a strong grip. So, it is increasingly important to have a strong grip to be able to perform these other exercises.
In addition, if you want to have a well-balanced body where you are strong then it’d be good to train the forearms as well since they are needed in almost everything.
Not to say that training the forums for strength will not result in any gained muscle because it certainly will, but it will not lead to as much muscle gain as training in a different fashion that I will address down below.
2: The "aesthetic" of big and muscular forearms
One reason that you might want to start training forums as well is merely to have the look of muscular forearms.
Many people work out because they care about the way you look, and chances are you are one of those individuals. So, it really comes down to the eye of the beholder.
If you want your arms to look more full and muscular then it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea to start training forearms, but is definitely not completely necessary and mandatory for the aesthetic look.
One thing of note is that if you have particularly long arms in comparison to the rest of your body then it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea to start training forms to even out the length of them with additional width of the muscle.
The how and why certain people train there forearms
So, there are several different reasons that a person might want to train their forearms, or specifically three. these reasons would be as follows, number one for function, two for strength, and finally number three for bodybuilding or the aesthetic
1. Training for Function
If your main goal or purpose in training forms is to get better at a specific movement or the function of the forearms themselves it makes sense to train that function.
One very specific example of this would be strong man movements. If the goal of these movements is to carry a heavy weight for a long distance then it makes sense to train in the same fashion.
If your goal is to gain strength in the way that you can carry weight in the palm of your hands, such as a farmer’s carry, then it also makes sense to train your forearms in that way.
This leads to one of the most common ways to train your forearms. Simply by caring any weight in the form of dumbbells barbells or possibly even 45 lb plates you can hold the weight for as long as possible. You can add an extra element to this movement by walking around with this weight and seeing how far you can walk while holding said weight.
Obviously as mentioned above this lends itself very much to different strong man movements where you’re having to hold weight for a long period of time.
Performing these static holds will train them to do the job better than you are performing. After all, practice makes perfect and this is especially true among the muscles.
Training for Strength
Training for strength and function are not entirely different from each other. but in these examples, I’ll provide a distinctly different situation.
As mentioned above if you’re training for the function of the forearms then a common example would be holding the weight in your hands for as long as possible but, if we use the example of strength then it would be doing whatever movement that you want to get stronger at that includes the forearms as part of that movement.
In this situation, the forearms are merely a limiting factor in accomplishing the real goal.
Probably the most common example of training for strength in the forearms for any given movement would be the deadlift.
Deadlift lift is one of the most strenuous and difficult movements in powerlifting competitions. The forearms are extremely important for these movements for the sake of grip strength
if you cannot grip the weight and hold it then you have no chance to lift it off the floor and perform a full rep.
So, using the same logic as before if you want to get better at deadlifts for example, then it makes sense to train the deadlift. It seems very simple because it is.
The forearms are required to grip more weight so it makes sense to train the movement that uses the forearms so you can get better at that specific movement.
Training for the Aesthetic
Finally, the last reason that an individual might want to train forearms is for the aesthetic look of muscular forearms. This look might be particularly important for people such as bodybuilders.
The real question arises though when we try to figure out a way to train the forearms in an isolated way.
Sure, carrying weight and using your grip is a good way to train them for strength but it does not target the fast-twitch muscle fibers which are responsible for the size of the forerams themselves.
The best way to train the forearms would be by performing a certain number of reps with a certain amount of weight while flexing the forearm muscles.
In the same way that you would train the biceps by doing a bicep curl, we would train the forearms by doing a forearm curl.
Performing a forearm curl is very simple. Simply hold a dumbbell in your hands ( start off a light) and without using any momentum flex your wrist up towards yourself or down depending on which part of the forearm you’d like to target more.
As mentioned the best way to train this would be with a certain number of sets and a certain number of reps. Forearms are similar to calves in the way that they respond best to high reps with high intensity.
The best way to train forearms would be by doing three to five sets ( that being working sets) with a difficult wait for about 10 to 20 reps. You’ll know you’re doing it right whenever you start to feel the burn in the muscle.