and Size - Wrist Curls Not Included!
By Nick Nilsson
Lagging forearm size or grip strength holding you back?
Check out these unique exercises and techniques for developingbone-crushing
grip strength and bowling pin forearms!
I'll be honest…
direct forearm and grip training is something you don't see a whole lot of people doing in the gym. It's not glamorous, it's hard work, it takes time away from more "viewable" bodyparts, and the training it takes to really get results can be downright painful!
So that intro didn't send you packing? Good.
That means you're serious about building stronger forearms and
better grip strength! NOW we can get started.
Grip strength is extremely useful in so many ways…the stronger your grip, the heavier the weight you can lift and the longer you can hold it.
In the majority of heavy pulling exercises, grip strength is the
limiting factor.
Building thick, meaty forearms is a great physique enhancement - quite often,
the forearms are the only visible muscles that aren't covered up by clothing!
I've found that the most effective forearm and grip strength exercises
AREN'T the typical wrist curls you see many people doing in the gym.
Sure, you can get a good pump and a good burn when doing them but how
practical are they when it comes to "real world" gripping?
The following exercises, tips and techniques are all about "practical."
Here they are in no particular order:
1. A Bucket of Sand
Get a bucket and some playground sand from a home improvement store (
it's about 3 or 4 bucks for a bag of 50 lbs so it's really not expensive).
Fill the bucket up with sand. Now dive your hand into the bucket and start working your fingers through the sand.
A few minutes of this and your forearms and all the small muscles in your hand will be fried! Switch to the other hand and go again. The sand provides excellent all-over resistance for maximizing the effects on the hands, fingers and forearms.
2. Squeezing a Tennis Ball
If you can't afford a fancy gripper, just get an old tennis ball and squeeze it repeatedly while you're watching TV. Hockey legend Gordie Howe used to do this constantly and he had some of the strongest forearms (and one of the hardest slapshots!) in the NHL. Simple, convenient and effective. No excuses.
3. Barbell Static Holds
Set up a barbell in a power rack with the rails set just above your knee level.
Load up a bar (use moderate weight to start with). Now stand BESIDE the bar,
reach down and grip it in the center with ONE hand. Stand up with the bar and just hold it for as long as you can until your grip gives out.
Not only are you fighting directly against gravity, you're also fighting
to balance the bar in one hand. Very effective on the forearms and on the grip!
4. Farmers Walks
Grab a pair of heavy dumbells and go for a walk. Literally. Just pick them up and
walk until you can't hold onto the dumbells anymore! Gripping heavy objects
while walking creates a lot of instability, which will work the forearms very strongly.
And it doesn't have to just be limited to dumbells…
there are Farmer's Walk handles that you can buy that work for this. You can also use a couple of EZ Curl bars loaded up and get the benefits of the Farmer's Walk AND the barbell
static holds. Heck even walking with a couple of pails of that sand from the first tip is another way to go. Don't limit yourself to conventional items…even a couple of heavy bags of dog food will work!
.....................................................................................
Nick Nilsson
is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc.
He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing
new training techniques for more than 17 years. Nick is the author of a number
of bodybuilding eBooks including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days to Maximum Mass",
"Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of,"
"Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and
"The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all available at
Fitness-eBooks.com . He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com
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