What are the Different Ways to Build Forearms?

The key to a workout that will help build forearms is consistency: one should design a workout to be followed daily or every other day to obtain the best and quickest results. By isolating the forearm muscles in the workout, it will become easier to build forearms, but one must consider the other muscles in the arm, too, to ensure that the arms are evenly toned and muscled for maximum effectiveness. It is important to consider, too, that working out too much or improperly can be counterproductive and can even cause injury.

In order to build forearms, it is best to start small and progress from there. Start with smaller weights, fewer repetitions, and less total time working out. This will help determine what one's forearm strength is to begin with. Starting with too much weight or working out for too long can cause injury and will actually hinder one's efforts to build forearms, so this step is very important. For an adult, do wrist curls and start with two or three pound (.9 kg to 1.3 kg) weights; one can start with two or three sets of five repetitions, depending on one's comfort level and fitness level. After one to two weeks, increase the weight, the repetitions, or both.

Wrist curls are a fairly simple exercise that can be done at home or at the gym and can help build forearms quickly. Start by holding the weight with the palms facing upward and the forearms parallel with the ground. Then let the wrist fall downward so they are hanging downward, the weight extending the forearm muscles. Next, lift the hand upward at the wrist. Do several repetitions as mentioned above, or until fatigue is felt in the forearm muscles. This will help build forearms after several repetitions. This exercise can be done with a one-handed barbell or a two-handed barbell.

Another way to build forearms is to do an exercise called a reverse barbell curl. It is just like a regular barbell curl, except the hands grasp the barbell with the palms facing inward instead of outward. Lifting the barbell for several repetitions in this manner will build strength in the forearms. One last way to build forearm strength is to use portable hand exercisers. These small devices can be carried anywhere and exercise both the hand muscles and forearm muscles as the user squeezes on the padded arms of the device. One can do as many or as few repetitions as he or she feels, and repetitions can be done while completing other tasks.