5 Forearm Exercises for Popeye Forearms

Your biceps, triceps, and shoulders may be well-developed, but "the look" isn't complete unless your forearms are also on the beam. Strong forearms are useful for more than just massaging your vanity.

They also improve your grip strength, which is important for pushing and pulling workouts like the bench and overhead press, the deadlift, and the row. (Fun fact: those with stronger forearms live longer, according to a study!)

This article will teach you everything you need to know about the best forearm exercises to strengthen your forearms, as well as a mass-building forearm workout routine that you can begin right away.

Benefits of Having Strong Forearms

1. They help you lift more weight.

When it comes to workouts that require a lot of grip strength (like deadlifts, barbell rows, and pull-ups), if your forearms aren't up to the task, you'll struggle to get the most out of them.

Because you must finish your sets when your forearms are exhausted but before your other upper-body muscles are fully trained, the exercise's aim is partially defeated. Your forearms won't be a weak link if you improve your grip strength.

2. They increase wrist stability.

Your wrist joint will be more stable if your forearms are muscular (your wrists will not bow or shake under large loads). When performing pressing exercises, this guarantees that maximum force is delivered into the bar or dumbbell, allowing you to lift more weight, which is vital for increasing strength and muscle mass.

3. They decrease your risk of injury.

Elbow pain is a common problem among weightlifters, but strengthening your forearms can help you avoid it. This may enable you to workout more consistently and hence achieve faster progress over time.

How to Workout Your Forearms

Most people may build strong, muscular forearms by following a comprehensive weightlifting routine that includes a lot of hard pressing, deadlifting, rowing, and curling.

If you maintain becoming stronger at these exercises, you won't need to do any forearm-specific workouts. If your forearms or grip strength are behind, though, it's worth undertaking a few exercises to improve your forearm strength.

You don't need to do a hundred different forearm exercises to have "popeye forearms," despite what many fitness gurus claim. In truth, a small number of well-chosen forearm exercises will be enough.

But keep in mind that performing the proper forearm workouts is only half the battle. You should also attempt to increase the weight or reps of these exercises in each workout (a process called progressive overload).

5 Forearm Exercises for Popeye Forearms

1. Farmer’s Walk

The farmer's walk is one of the most effective workouts for increasing forearm muscle growth and strength. This exercise will help you become stronger in other workouts that require grip strength. In strongman training, the farmer's walk is a must-do activity.

If your gym does not have farmer's walk black bars, you can do this exercise using dumbbells. Hold several heavy dumbbells in your hands and walk as far as you can without dropping them. Every time you complete this workout, challenge yourself to do more.

2. Barbell Finger Rolls

One of the most underappreciated workouts for forearm development is this one. You're unlikely to have seen someone perform this exercise, but once you try it yourself, you'll be confident in its efficiency.

With an overhand grip, hold a barbell. Roll the barbell down to the tips of your fingers slowly. Curl your wrist and squeeze at the peak of the movement to return to the starting position. To isolate your forearms, do a behind-the-back variant of this exercise.

3. Cable Reverse Curls

When compared to free weights, using a cable keeps the strain on your target muscle area throughout the movement. When you use dumbbells, your muscles are tense throughout the concentric portion of the exercise, but not during the eccentric section.

Reverse curls with a cable can assist build the tops of the forearms and the outside biceps. Because this exercise might stimulate your biceps, you'll want to be sure you're doing it correctly. To tire your forearms, keep the reps slow and methodical.

4. Wrist Curls

Wrist curls are one of the most popular forearm exercises in gyms all over the world. These exercises should be done at the start of your workouts if you have sagging forearms. This will aid in the recruitment of your forearms during the rest of the workout.

Sit on the side of a bench and rest your forearms on the bench, leaving only your wrist exposed. With your thumbs over the barbell, hold a barbell or dumbells in an overhand grip. The underhand variant can also be used to target the inner forearms.

5. Cable Overhand Inward Wrist Curls

Cables can be effective at destroying your forearms. Cable overhand inward wrist curls isolate your forearms while also filling them with lactic acid. Sit on a flat bench with your forearms parallel to each other and put on your thighs for this exercise.

Attach a straight bar handle to the pulley and sit far enough away from the pulley so that the weights do not rack at the bottom of the action. Squeeze at the top of the movement by curling your arms inwards towards your knees.

Related article: 4 Best Forearm Exercises for Mass