Have you been hitting the gym and loving how your body has been changing?  Transforming closer to that Greek God body image is probably the goal, but what good is it if  your forearms  resemble toothpicks? Without even thinking about it, most of us unintentionally neglect thinking about how to build bigger foreams.  You build big muscular legs by performing heavy squats and deadlifts, build a bigger chest by pounding out chest press resp, and you can build bigger forearms like any other muscle group.

By not upping the weight on your forearm exercises (or even performing them) you wont ever progress forward. Try these strategies over the next  couple of weeks to get back on track.

Lose the Weightlifting Straps

First and foremost you might want to lose the weightlifting straps if you use them.   Of course they make performing pulling exercises much easier;  naturally it makes sense to strap your hands onto the bar and squeeze in a few more chin-ups thinking it will benefit your muscles; but it is counterproductive.  Your grip triggers your nervous system to fire up your stabilizing muscles in your joints. The weightlifting straps reduce the demand on your grip so the signal to protect your joints is scaled back drastically. This greatly ups your wear and tear on your elbows and muscles and provides aid in achieving injury.  While you’re working your forearms, give the straps a break!

Increase Bar Diameter

Another tip to help build bigger forearms is by increasing the diameter of the bar you use for pull ups, deadlifts and rowing exercises.  Most gyms will have fat bar weights and machines throughout their facilities. If they don’t, try wrapping a towel around the bar when doing exercises. The towel literally gives you an infinite amount of how fat you can make your bar. By increasing the diameter of the bar it greatly improves your grip, increases strength, and pumps up your forearm muscles while improving the stability of your joints!

Of course we’re a fan of Pull Ups because GymPaws is the best gloves for pull ups you’ll find.  If performed properly, pull ups will train you foreams pretty well!

2 Exercises To Build Bigger Forearms

Lastly, the most important factor to bigger forearms is achieving overload. Weighted Walks and Sled Pulls are awesome.

All you need to do is grab some heavy dumbbells or kettlebells and try this:
1. Weighted Walks or Farmer Carries – Place a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand (using your absolute max weight).  With your arms at your sides, bend the elbows 90 degress and hold it there.  Now  walk around 100-200 feet.  Repeat for 6-10 reps while resting for only a minute between your sets. You will challenge your grip, gain a fat burning boost, and increase your traps.

2. Sled Pulls – Very similar to the weighted walk, attach a rope to the weighted sled (if your gym has one) and add on weighted plates.  Now pull it towards you using a hand over hand motion  for about 100-200 feet and rest for a minute while aiming for 6-10 reps.

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