A Complete Guide on How to Grow Bigger Forearms

Why Should You Grow Your Forearms?

Learning how to get bigger forearms doesn’t seem to be a top priority for many lifters, but it should be – stronger forearms not only look great but will help with other lifts.

Whether you’re working on your deadlift or looking to lift heavier with your legs, stronger forearms will guide you.

Exercises to Get Bigger Forearms

Done correctly, starting with a simple barbell hold is the key to growing bigger forearms.

Hold the bar for up to 20 seconds (or longer if you can!) with a challenging weight, and repeat.

Ensure you rest for up to 2 minutes before starting another set. You’ll find your strength may increase from month to month as you get bigger forearms, so don’t be shy to load the bar up more and practice a progressive overload to help you grow!

To build strength in your forearms, it’s important to choose a weight that challenges you, before walking 10-15 metres per step. Hint – you can lift much more weight than you think here.

Another great exercise to help get bigger forearms is a dumbbell farmer’s walk.

After walking you’ll find your forearms will get very tired, but that’s a sign that your muscles are starting to get stronger. You might want to consider bringing in a BCAA product to assist with recovery, to reduce downtime between workouts.

Hand Grip Can Help Grow Forearms

Another strategy to get bigger forearms is by training your hand grip.

Using a simple hand exerciser, as shown below, is a simple and efficient way of getting in reps – and can be completed even while sitting and watching TV!

Simply squeeze the tool for around 10-12 steps, for 5 or 6 sets. Rest for 1 to 2 minutes between each set.

Plate pinchers are another great way to strengthen hand grip and get bigger forearms.

Once you can comfortably hold the plates for twenty seconds, grab another plate the same size and keep pinching.

Check out the sample workout routine below for building muscle and how to get bigger forearms below.

Ensure Proper Form and Technique

Take a look at the below forearm muscles workout, and learn how to get bigger forearms:

Plate Pinchers: 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Farmer’s Walks: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds

Barbell Holds: 3 sets of 15-30 seconds

Hand grip Squeezes: 3 sets of 12-15 reps

How to Get Bigger Forearms With Progressive Overload

So, with a solid workout routine that targets getting bigger forearms, it’s important to look at the principle of progressive overload, which directly drives muscle growth. Simply, it’s about increasing the workload for your muscles beyond what they’re currently used to.

For example, bench pressing 100 kilograms last week and 105 kilograms this week is a progressive overload in action.

Research shows we can practice progressive overload in the following four ways:

Additional research suggests increasing the weight we lift is the most popular progressive overload method.

Recovery and Nutrition to Get Bigger Forearms

There’s no point training without the proper nutrition and recovery to guide your journey.

How to get bigger forearms comes down to completing the above exercises consistently, with adequate sleep and nutrition.

So to get this right and ensure you’re successful in getting bigger forearms, here are seven tips:

This won’t only show you how to get bigger forearms, but your increased strength will also give you many other benefits, including:

The Anatomy of a Strong Forearm

The two main categories we need to divide our forearm muscles into are the flexors and the extensors.

As you can see, your forearm is a complex area that contains several muscles, tendons, and bones that work together to allow for movement and stability in the wrist and hand.

And as mentioned, the muscles in your human forearm can be grouped into two categories: the flexors and the extensors. The flexors are located on the anterior (palm side) of the forearm and are responsible for wrist and finger flexion. The main flexor muscles include:

The extensors are located on the forearm's posterior (back of the hand ) and are responsible for wrist and finger extension. The main extensor muscles include:

These muscles work together to produce complex movements such as gripping, holding, and manipulating objects. Understanding them is the key to getting bigger forearms!

Our flexors are used for flexing our fingers and wrist (bending) whilst the extensors are obviously for extending. And when we perform something like tricep pushdowns with our palms facing down, in what's called a pronated grip; our flexors are responsible for that getting our hands into that position.

Our extensors are responsible for keeping our palms facing up in a supinated grip when we do things like barbell curls, and how much forearm training we need depends on several factors, mainly genetics.

If you’re naturally born with large, strong forearms, training them doesn't seem to make much sense, as they get worked when we train our back, shoulders, arms, and chest heavily. But for the rest of us, we need to perform an effective forearm muscles workout.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, barbell holds, farmer’s walks, plate pinchers and hand grips will help you get bigger forearms.

Developing strong forearms is an important aspect of your lifting program, as they increase stability, enhance wrist flexibility, and provide better control during other lifts.

By following the tips outlined above, such as proper form, progressive overload, and adequate recovery, you can master how to grow forearms and get stronger forearms.

Improving your forearm strength can also positively impact your performance in other lifts, making it an essential component of an overall successful gym routine.

All the best with your forearm growth! 💪💪