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While biceps and triceps often take center stage during arm workouts, your forearms deserve equal attention. These muscles are essential for a firm grip and contribute to a well-proportioned, muscular appearance. Explore the most effective exercises to target and enhance your forearms.
Forearm muscles primarily control wrist and grip movements
Dive into the anatomy of your forearm muscles. Surprisingly, the muscles that move your fingers are largely located in your forearm. Try wiggling your fingers while placing your other hand on the fleshy part of your forearm—you might feel these muscles in action.
Long tendons link these muscles to our fingers. If these muscles were located near our fingers, they would overcrowd the palms and backs of our hands, making it difficult to grasp objects effectively.
The forearm houses numerous muscles, each serving distinct functions. Below are some of the primary muscle groups:
Finger extensors, responsible for straightening your fingers, are located on the back of the forearm.
Finger flexors, which enable you to curl your fingers, are found on the underside of the forearm.
Wrist extensors, assisting in straightening or cocking back your wrist, are positioned on the back of the forearm, close to the finger extensors.
Wrist flexors, which help bend your wrist forward, are situated near the finger flexors.
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Supinator and pronator muscles allow you to rotate your forearm palm-up or palm-down. (The biceps also acts as a supinator but is located in the upper arm and was discussed in a previous post.)
The brachioradialis, a prominent pronator on the outer top of your forearm, is particularly important for achieving a robust and muscular forearm appearance.
Considering this, forearm exercises can be categorized into three main types:
Finger and wrist flexion
Finger and wrist extension
Pronation, which involves turning your forearm palm-down or maintaining it in that position.
Here are some of the most effective exercises to target each area.
The top exercise for the lower/inner forearm: finger and wrist curls
Wrist curls and finger curls can be performed in various ways, and they can even be combined into a single workout for efficiency.
My preferred method involves performing both exercises with a barbell while standing. Using an underhand grip, I start with finger curls: allowing the bar to roll toward my fingertips before gripping it tightly. This is repeated for multiple reps.
Next, I transition to wrist curls: from the final position of the finger curl, I keep the bar in hand and flex my wrists. This movement is similar to a bicep curl, but the focus is on bending the wrist instead of the elbow.
Another approach is to combine these movements into a single repetition, curling your fingers first, followed by your wrists. A common method is performing seated wrist-and-finger curls with your forearm supported on your knee, as demonstrated in the video below. This can be done using either a barbell or dumbbells.
The most effective exercise for the upper forearm: reverse wrist curls
To target the opposite side of your forearm, you can perform the same movement in reverse. Whether standing (with palms facing you) or seated (with palms facing down), lift the backs of your hands toward the ceiling without bending your elbows. This focuses on the wrist extensors, not the finger extensors. For a complete workout, consider using rubber bands to separately engage your finger extensors. (You can use regular rubber bands or purchase a set designed for hand exercises.)
The top exercise for the brachioradialis: Zottman curls
To target the brachioradialis, the muscle responsible for rotating your forearm downward, reverse-grip bicep curls are highly effective. (This also engages your biceps.) Simply hold dumbbells or a barbell with your palms facing down and perform curls as usual. This exercise works your pronator muscles isometrically.
However, I find Zottman curls to be more effective for this purpose. Use a dumbbell at the same weight you’d typically use for regular curls. Lift the dumbbell with your palm facing up, then rotate your hand to face downward as you slowly lower it back to the starting position. This exercise allows you to handle heavier weights compared to reverse-grip curls, as it emphasizes eccentric (lowering) overload. Plus, it looks impressive.
The top exercises for static grip strength: holds and carries
Forearm training enhances grip strength, and grip training strengthens the forearms, creating some overlap between the two. With that in mind, I can’t conclude this list without mentioning exercises for support grip.
Support grip refers to the action of holding an object, like a barbell, without moving it through a range of motion or pinching it with your thumb (which falls under a different exercise category). Instead, the focus is simply on maintaining your hold.
The three classic exercises for support grip are listed below, and you can choose the one that suits you best:
Dead hangs from a pullup bar: Simply grip the bar and hang. If this feels too challenging, place your feet on a bench for support. If it’s too easy, use one full hand and fewer fingers on the other. (Or attempt one-handed hangs if you’re a grip expert.)
Barbell holds: These are excellent to finish a deadlift workout. You can reduce the weight on the bar if needed. Lift the barbell and hold it for as long as possible.
Farmer’s carries: I prefer using heavy strongman-style farmer’s handles, but heavy dumbbells work too. Walk across the room with them, or march in place if space is limited.
For these exercises, instead of counting reps, focus on holding the weight for a specific duration—30 seconds is a good goal. Once you can achieve this for three or more sets, increase the weight or difficulty.
