Muscle group
Forearm training builds grip strength and the muscles that bend and extend the wrist. Wrist curls, reverse curls and hanging from a bar cover the main functions.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
01
The forearm holds many small muscles. The flexors on the palm side bend the wrist and close the fingers; the extensors on the back of the forearm lift the hand back. The brachioradialis, near the elbow, helps bend the elbow, especially with a thumbs-up or palms-down grip.
02
Palms-up wrist curls train the flexors, palms-down wrist curls and reverse curls train the extensors, and finger curls and dead hangs build grip endurance. The wrist is a small joint, so use light weights, full controlled range and higher reps rather than heavy loads. Heavy rows, deadlifts and pull-ups also train grip, which is often enough for many lifters.
03
Add one flexor exercise and one extensor exercise at the end of an upper-body or pull session. If you already train heavy pulling, a set or two of dead hangs is a simple way to build grip.
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Beginner isolation bodyweight exercise for the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the forearms.
Beginner isolation barbell exercise for the forearms.
Intermediate isolation plate exercise for the biceps and forearms.
Free GymStreak calculators that go with forearms training.
Guides from the GymStreak blog on this topic.
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