Here are 5 exercises that will have your forearms pumped like Popeye in no time…

When many people start training weights they go right for the bar and start working the biceps, pecs and lats. And why not? When you’re training weights you want to be strong, to look good, and those muscles are the ones that draw the attention.

But as you start to learn more, you’ll quickly realize that it takes way more than that, you also need strong shoulders, triceps and forearms.

The forearm muscles are responsible for gripping power. Having a strong grip is not something many people think about, and it’s certainly not a mistake to skip out on these exercises, but the question is, ‘why wouldn’t you want your forearms to bulge like your biceps?’

Five of the best exercises to build your forearms

Reverse Barbell Wrist Curls

Position yourself as shown on the bench, with your legs and arms about shoulder width apart, arms resting on your thighs and grip the bar with an overhand.

Slowly lift your wrist first, followed by your forearms to curl the bar just under shoulder height. Curl the bar back down to your thighs slowly, followed by your wrists.

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Barbell Wrist Curls

Sitting in the same position, but holding the bar from underneath. Lower the bar until your wrist is fully extended. Loosen your grip until the bar is resting in your fingers. Then tighten your grip, followed by your wrists, to bring the bar back up.

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Hand Grippers

It may seem obvious enough, but there many exercise you can do with hand grippers. First off you can do simple reps. Try gripping them and holding them closed for as long as you can. You can even try to hold them closed and keep them close whilst switching hands.

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Farmers Walk

Although there are special weights for professionals training the farmers walk for strong man competitions, you can do the same exercise with heavy dumbbells.

Simply pick the weights up and leave your arm by your side, then walk as far as you can whilst holding the weights before you slowly return them on the ground.

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Newspaper Scrunch

This exercise may seem a little unorthodox, but it really does help strengthen grip and build muscles in your forearm.

There are a couple of ways you can do this. First, place five or more sheets of paper on the table, lay your palm flat on top. Then scrunch the paper into a tight ball until you can’t grip anymore, switch hands and do the same.

Alternatively you can do the same thing using only your forefinger and thumb. You can also try doing it with other fingers. This helps to build the individual muscles the control the fingers.

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