Brachioradialis (Forearm)

HOW TO GET BIGGER FOREARMS

Radial and Ulnar Deviation

Think of an air traffic controller holding batons and waving the plane in, but without bending his elbows or allowing any movement at the shoulder. So basically all that’s happening is your thumb is moving back toward you. That’s radial deviation. The opposite motion is ulnar deviation. The easiest way to train this is with a sledgehammer. Simply hold one at your side with your elbow locked and cock your wrist up. Hold it for a second or two at the top and repeat for 10-20 reps, then do the other arm. After completing a set in that direction spin the sledgehammer around so that the head of it is now behind your body instead of in front and flex in the opposite direction so that your pinky comes toward your forearm (ulnar deviation). Repeat for 10-20 reps. Three to four sets will be a good starting point.

Supination and Pronation

Again you will use the sledgehammer for this. Sit down on a bench with you palm facing up, forearm resting on your quad and a sledgehammer in your hand. Simply rotate your wrist 180 degrees so that your palm is now facing down. Then reverse the motion and go back the other way. Three to four sets of 10-20 reps in each direction will do the job. This can also be done on an adjustable cable column. Start by attaching a rope to the pulley, setting it slightly higher than belly button height and standing with your side to it. Now bend your arm 90 degrees and grab one end of the rope attachment with your palm facing up like the midrange position of a curl. Now simply turn your palm over so that’s facing the ground. Repeat for 10-20 reps, do the other arm and the repeat by starting with your palm facing down and supinating in the opposite direction.

Static Holds

For these you can use a fat bar or Fat Gripz placed on a regular bar. Simply hold the weights for 30-60 seconds while trying to crush the bar. Do three to four sets with a minute in between, or 15-30 seconds if you’re alternating it with something like neck or calves.

If you do crushing grip work it’s usually a good idea from an elbow health standpoint to do something in the opposite direction. I recommend getting some Expand Your Hands Bands from Ironmind and doing timed sets of 30-60 seconds for as many reps as possible. However long you go on the holds, do the same with the bands.

Wrist Rollers

Wrist roller work is awesome for building bigger forearms, especially if your wrist roller has a thick diameter. I like to do these for reps instead of time as well. Three to four sets of 30-60 seconds in each direction will give you a massive pump and spark some nice growth in the forearms.