Forearam building

I'm very new to bodybuilding and working out in general, but i've always had a pretty good physique from leading an active life and eating healthy.

Now that i've started getting into i'm having problems with my forearms, particularly my right arm (i'm right handed)....

they just don't seem to be up to the task and i feel they're holding me back from getting a decent workout, for example when benching or doing dumb bell shoulder press my forearms start to fatigue before i feel i've gotten a decent work out for my chest/shoulders.

Everyone i've talked to has said to just let them strengthen of their own accord during my regular workout, but it's a bit frustrating.

Anyone of the opinion i should do forearm specific workouts?

and if so which are most effective for developing strength and aesthetic?

arnold shwartzenaggar believe in training forearms just as importantly as any other body part.

people always told me to let them get bigger by themselves and that never happened for me.

I found that doing hammer curls(size), wrist curls (strength/size), grip exercises (strength), and reverse curls (size) worked my forearms tremendously.

definately try some of those.

I've also started to do that because I think your forearms are only going to get so big by just letting them develop on their own. Though wrist curls really bother my wrists. Its like hearing rice crispies!

grip training! my forearms have grown significantly since doing this. infact, im now going to have to pay more attention to my upper arms as the forearms are almost the same size.

best exercises to do are static holds, thickbar work, plate pinching and gripper work. this may not give you quite as big forearms as wrists curls etc, but you said the problem was with strength, so i think that this is the best solution.

jonathan

Thanks.

I agree to everything everyone has said so far

If you want grip strength primarily, than work on your grip strength with high resistance/low reps.

If you want your forearms to grow, stretch them after working them specifically with wrist curls.

I need to do that myself more regularly...

Thanks, up untill now you're the first person to mention stretching, post-workout, to acheive better growth.

I just recently started doing a routine that includes hand grippers and a wrist roller, and I've noticed significant growth in my hand and forearm muscles just in the past month

I think grip training is great as well. I used to train my forearms just like any other muscle group. I spend a couple of years doing that and developed my forearms into something pretty freaky today.

I like to do hammer curls, reverse grip behind the back barbell wrist curls, and a variety of dumbbell wrist curls. I also hang from a bar like I'm doing pull-ups, but just hang there. Your forearms will burn like crazy!

Strong forearms help all other exercises and they can look cool too!

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/imgs/albums/RobertCheekeCollection/rc27.jpg

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/imgs/albums/RobertCheekeCollection/rc29.jpg

I would say work them yourself, even if they do get bigger on their own, I honestly think focusing on them would do you better.

Rob, that second picture of your forearms with all the veins is just scary....good job.

Rob you could shred wheat with the veins in your forearms

Thanks for the comments....I try to shred wheat with my forearms....just like the sign in the background says

I don't train forearms specifically much anymore but I did in the past, which led to their development.

Another exercise I forgot to mention last time is when you use dumbbells, wrap a towel around the handle so it makes it a wider grip. It causes you to use much more of your forearm strength to hold the dumbbell up. This can be use for one-arm dumbbell rows, bicep curls, or any other pulling or curling dumbbell exercise.

Hammer curls are great.

Wrist curls are awesome.

Grippers are fantastic.

Hanging from a pull-up bar from your hands for as long as possible is burning.

Reverse barbell wrist curls are solid.

Hammer strength grip machine is tight.

My forearms used to be tiny. I was a very small and skinny kid, so every muscle was tiny but forearms responded better than almost anything else. Of course doing 4 years of massage therapy helped too, but training them isn't a bad idea. Afterall, we train our calves, why not hit or upper body lower portion of the limbs too.

Here is a photo from the first time I met Topher. He's eating the mashed potatoes we had ready for him and he's trying to stab through my forearm. Of course, we all know that would just bend the fork.

http://myspace-363.vo.llnwd.net/00259/36/31/259421363_l.jpg

-Thin Thin Forearm Man Him

I agree with earlier comments about reverse grip barbell curls.

Overhand grip pull-ups, especially narrow grip, are also an excellent exercise for the forearms.

For me it was just holding on to heavy weight that made my forearms grow really well most of all. Deadlifts, static holds, and some occasional grip work (pinch gripping and thick-bar work did best - grippers will do less good than the other grip work will overall) did the best to add size. My forearms aren't ripped like Rob's by any stretch, but they do measure in at around 15" so I must be doing something right to make 'em grow!

Ryan