5 forearm exercises to try today
What's the story
Grip strength is integral for several day-to-day activities, as well as for sports. By improving your forearm muscles, you can enhance your grip considerably, which can help you in everything, from lifting weights to carrying groceries. Targeting specific exercises can develop these muscles effectively. Here are five exercises targeting the forearms, in an attempt to enhance grip strength efficiently.
Tip 1
Wrist curls for forearm development
Wrist curls are an essential exercise to strengthen the forearms. To do this exercise, sit on a bench with your forearms resting on your thighs and palms facing up. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and curl your wrists up while keeping your arms still. This works your flexor muscles of the forearm, improving grip strength over time.
Tip 2
Reverse wrist curls for balanced strength
Reverse wrist curls complement regular wrist curls by targeting the extensor muscles of the forearm. Sit with your forearms resting on your thighs, but this time with palms facing downwards. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and curl your wrists upwards against gravity. This exercise helps balance muscle development in the forearms, contributing to overall grip improvement.
Tip 3
Farmer's walk for functional grip power
The farmer's walk is one of the best full-body exercises that focuses on grip strength. To do so, hold a heavy weight in each hand and walk a certain distance while maintaining a good posture. This engages several muscle groups but mostly works your grip as you try to hold the weights throughout the movement.
Tip 4
Towel pull-ups for enhanced grip challenge
Towel pull-ups make traditional pull-ups more challenging by draping towels over a bar instead of using regular grips. Grabbing towels takes more effort from your hands and fingers, making grip training during pull-ups more intense. This variation not only strengthens upper body muscles but also makes gripping ability considerably better.
Tip 5
Plate pinches for finger strengthening
Plate pinches emphasize on finger strength by making you hold weight plates together with only fingers and thumb pressure. Choose two weight plates of equal size, pinch them together between thumb and fingers without letting them slip apart for as long as possible or until fatigue sets in. This simple yet effective drill helps a lot in making your fingers dexterous, along with overall gripping power.