Forearms are greatly overlooked in the field of professional bodybuilding today. In a sport where the winners and losers are separated only by a few points on a score sheet and a few fractions of an inch in terms of their body dimensions, even little on-stage advantage helps. Many bodybuilders intentionally under-develop their forearms in an attempt to make their upper arms and shoulders appear larger when standing next to other athletes. The great champions are above this practice. Men like Ronnie Coleman and Phil Heath, with some of the greatest upper arms in the business, know that highly developed forearms exude a sense of power and thickness in poses such as the side chest and most muscular. They train their forearms hard, and take pride in their thickness and power. Then again, they have been blessed with incredible upper arms, so it may come easier for them than those of us without such genetic advantages.
As a beginner or intermediate bodybuilder, you should make forearm training a priority from day one. It should never surpass larger body parts, unless you want to end up looking like Popeye. However, it should be taken seriously enough to be included at the conclusion of back and/or biceps day each week.
Many bodybuilders have found great success with two primary movements for forearm development. First, they have found wrist curls to be highly beneficial. Grabbing a bar with a reasonable amount of weight on it (85 to 135 pounds), you should then complete four sets of overhand wrist curls at the conclusion of your workout. Then, use an EZ-curl bar to complete four sets of reverse wrist curls. If you prefer, you can use the dumbbells and complete several sets of hammer curls. These really work to improve the bicep/forearm tie in, and create a very good sense of thickness in the area.
Going back to the bodybuilders at the beginning of this article who shortchange themselves by not training forearms – there is a flip-side to this. When all things are almost equal on the bodybuilding stage, it may be the bodybuilder with impressive forearms who ends up placing in the money, over his counterparts who were scared to add any size to their forearms for fear it would make their biceps appear smaller. Why, it’s even possible that improving forearm strength through training them will make the bodybuilder stronger in back and bicep movements, which can lead to new growth in those areas!
Wherever your path on the bodybuilding journey, whether it is beginner, intermediate, or advanced, always make forearm training a regular part of your balanced bodybuilding training program. Not only will you look like a better bodybuilder, but you’ll be stronger as well. It should be noted that it is absolutely inexcusable for any powerlifter or strongman trainer to neglect forearm training. Your ability to move heavy amounts of weight without a wrist strap is the entire bread and butter of your sport. You need to treat forearm training with the same intensity as you devote to benching, deadlifting, and squatting.