Stubborn
Forearms
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| George Eiferman was the 1948 AAU Mr. America and 1962 IFBB Mr. Universe overall winner He stood 5"7" and 195 lbs at his best |
The
bodybuilder today gives only incidental thought to his pectorals, lats and
biceps. It’s mighty hard to see any advanced lifter who does not have these
sections highly developed. But more than one bodybuilder, including some really
advanced men, are quick to admit that they have trouble with their forearms and
calves, and that these parts are “stubborn” when it comes to growth.
I
feel this is a throwback to the dark days of bodybuilding, when it was a
struggling infant and not the mature science it is today. Even the earliest
bodybuilding programs offered plenty of work for the upper arms, chest and
upper back, with direct forearm and calf training being ignored or neglected,
with the result, excepting the few . . . the old timers were notorious for their
slender forearms and calves.
In
fact, a 14” forearm was considered as being a rarity only a short while back. I
recall reading about a posing and lifting show Sig Klein promoted about 15
years ago, in which one of the star attractions was a pupil of his who owned a
pair of 14” forearms. He stood under the posing lights, displaying his forearms
in various poses to the amazement of the audience.
Today,
14” forearms are comparatively common. Still, the old-fashioned belief persists
– that they represent a stubborn bodypart. Maybe they are a bit more stubborn
than the upper arms or pectorals, but certainly with proper attention, every
bodybuilder can develop them to a larger size and more muscular form.
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| George Eiferman in the cover of Muscular Development (March 1967) |
It
is in this phrase “proper attention” where the key to forearm strength and
development lies. Ask the average bodybuilder who complains about stubborn
forearms “WHAT” he is doing about them, and he will answer . . . “Just about
everything!”
Get
him to be more specific, and it will be discovered that he is relying solely
upon a wrist roller, reverse curls and maybe two more forearm exercises AT THE
MOST in his training. He admits that the forearms are a stubborn part, still he
does LESS for them than he does for his upper arms, chest or back. When they
don’t grow in strength and size he becomes discouraged and often cuts down on
even this small amount of forearm work, devoting more energy and attention to
other parts which respond more readily. He is sure that his forearms will not
grow . . . and of course they won’t with this limited attention.
Malcolm
Brenner hit the secret of forearm training pretty much on the head when he was
approached by a young enthusiast, who, looking at Malcolm’s forearms and
comparing them with his own, asked Malcolm, “What exercises can I do to
increase the size and strength of my forearms?”
Malcolm
smiled and answered, “The best exercises you can do for your lower arms is ALL
OF THEM.” The kid nodded, thanked him and walked away. Maybe he got it and
maybe he didn’t, but Malcolm had just given him a million bucks worth of
advice.
Unlike
other bodyparts in which it is possible to bring about an overtrained condition
from overwork, the forearms can not be overworked. Mankind is anatomically
constructed for manual work, work in which the hands wrists and forearms are
used a lot. The strapping and interweaving of tendon, bone and muscle which
composes our lower arms makes this part of our body a potential source of great
power and unlimited endurance. The way the hands, fingers and wrists can be
rotated, moved side to side and up and down is concrete proof that they were
meant for a tremendous variety of movements and that any developmental process
MUST take this fact into consideration. The network of tendons and sinew which
composes them is also proof that our hands and forearms were intended by nature
to be practically tireless and capable of continued use over long periods of
time. Therefore, the BEST forearm exercises are those which cover a huge
variety of different movements, and a generous amount of time must be allowed
to the training of them each workout.
That
was what Malcolm Brenner meant when he told the young fellow to practice ALL
the forearm exercises. He knew that only in this way could maximum development
and strength be achieved. The same advice DOES NOT hold true for other parts of
the body. If you tried to perform this number of exercises for the upper arms,
thighs, chest or back and so on, you would soon become overtrained and fail to
improve. Only in the calves is a similar comparison possible - for these too
are capable of tremendous exercise without overtraining.
There
is another fallacy which must be discounted in this discussion – that of the
relation of bone size to forearm size. While it is true that a man with big
wrists can generally get more forearm size than one with smaller joints, the
difference is not too great. In fact, because of his smaller joints, a
bodybuilder with a slender wrist will possess A MORE IMPRESSIVE forearm if it
is fully developed.
And
don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t develop a powerful grip with a
small hand or a slender wrist. One of the outstanding grips in the world
belongs to Johnny Davis, who has a hand that could fit into a woman’s glove and
the gripping strength to walk a couple of blocks holding a pair of
thick-handled 100 lb. dumbbells in his hands at the thighs. In pinch gripping,
he plays with a pair of smooth surfaced 35 lb. plates, gripping them together
and tossing them from one hand to the other in midair like they were made of so
much wood.
There
ARE no handicaps when it comes to developing a massive forearm and a powerful
grip . . . unless you cook them up in your own mind! If you give the forearms
the attention they need, you cannot fail in making them larger and stronger.
One
feature about forearm training is that it is not really hard work, relative to
large muscle group exercises and lifts. Not hard work in the way you look at
squats, deadlifts, cleans or even heavy bench presses. In most of the exercises
you use comparatively light poundages and the effort is restricted primarily to
the forearm region. However, if you are performing the exercises right you
should feel a great burning and pumping up action. You MUST feel this if your
forearm training is to be successful. Only in this manner can the exercise
influence be felt in the tough fibres of the forearm and results be obtained.
Since
the forearms need and respond best to a lot of exercise, I have found it best
to perform my own forearm training right after my upper arm exercises. When
upper arm exercises are performed there is always some forearm stimulation that
serves to warm up the area before the actual work begins.
Here
is how to follow this forearm program – perform ALL the exercises included in
it, in the order they are listed. Use a weight which gives you a good workout
but still permits you to perform 3 sets, 15 repetitions each, of each exercise.
Do
not rest too long between the sets or the exercises. Just as soon as the aching
feeling subsides, begin the next set. Don’t be afraid to work hard, to push
yourself – and don’t worry about overtraining. You can do all the forearm work
you want, and that can ever happen is that they will grow larger and stronger.
Here are the exercises to follow:
Exercise
1. Zottman Exercise (1)
Hold
a pair of light dumbbells at the thigh. Curl one dumbbell to the shoulder. Now,
turn that wrist out, and away from you, and lower the weight with an overhand
grip. While doing so curl the other weight to the shoulder. Keep the movement
rhythm smooth and steady. Illustration No. 1 shows this.
Exercise 2. Reverse Barbell Curl
Exercise 2. Reverse Barbell Curl
Hold
a barbell at the thighs, with a knuckles-front over-grip. Now, start curling
the barbell, but permit the wrists to drop down while doing so, as shown in the
illustration No. 2. After the weight is nearly completely curled, raise the
wrists and finish the movement with them near the shoulders.
Exercise
3. Reverse Curl with Dumbbells
This is performed the same
as the last exercise, except that two dumbbells are used instead of a barbell.
(Illustration No. 3)
Exercise
4. Dumbbell Wrist Curl
Start
with dumbbell in one hand, wrist dropped down as shown in Illustration No. 4.
Now, without moving the arm, curl the wrist up and in as far as possible.
Repeat equally with each arm.
Exercise 5. Wrist Roller
Illustration
No. 5 shows how the weight is rolled up on a wrist roller using an under grip.
You can also perform this exercise using an over-grip and both styles should be
used in each workout.
Exercise
6. Standing Wrist Curl
One
of the finest exercises to flush up the forearms and strengthen the grip is to
hold a pair of dumbbells in the hands as shown in Illustration No. 6. Then, as
quickly as possible, twist the wrist back and forth until the forearms ache. In
this exercise DO NOT follow any specific number of repetitions . . . merely
continue the movement until the forearms are aching from the vigorous
stimulation.
Exercise 7. Leverage Bell Exercise
You
can load up a dumbbell with plates only on one end as shown in Illustration No.
7, or use a leverage bell which is made expressly for this type of forearm
movement. Hold the bell in the hand as shown and then move the wrist up and
down against the leverage. This can be performed with bell pointed to the front
as well as with the bell pointing rear.
Exercise
8. Forearm Deadlift
In
this exercise you are to HOLD a HEAVY barbell in the hands, after it has been
lifted in a dead lift position. Use a couple of sturdy boxes to raise the
weight off the ground so that you will be able to lift a really heavy poundage,
as shown in Illustration No. 8. Then, once you have lifter the weight, JUST
HOLD IT, until you feel your grip weakening and the weight is about to drop out
of your grasp. This is one of the best grip and forearm exercises known.
Exercise
9. Pinch Grip
For
your final forearm exercise, practice pinch gripping as shown in Illustration
No. 8. Load a few plated onto a dumbbell bar as shown, and practice pinch
gripping with them, just lifting the weight off the ground and holding it for a
few seconds. Practice equally with both hands and as you progress in strength
and endurance following the first 8 exercises, add plates on the bar for added
resistance.
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