If you’ve been a fan of the classical or Iron Age period of bodybuilding, you no doubt remember a time when the forearms stood out like they just don’t do today. They started small at the wrist, and then worked their way out to a point where they almost peaked like the biceps. They were lean, striated with veins, and just looked incredible. Men like Casey Viator and Steve Brisbois come to mind. They had forearms the likes of which have been unseen on bodybuilding stages in the last 10 or 15 years!
Today’s bodybuilders are more massive than they were in years past, but that size jump has come with a price. The use of growth hormone, insulin, and IGF-1 has allowed today’s men to grow larger muscles, but their skin has grown thicker as well. As a result the incredible forearms of years past actually look better than those forearms of today. They were almost as massive, but way more detailed. We still see incredible forearms in the amateur ranks, but for the most part the advanced chemical use and blurred their definition and freak factor.
If you’re not (yet!) dabbling in advanced compounds such as growth hormone and the like, you should consider why you don’t yet have forearms like they did in decades past. Sure, it might have to do with genetics, but your training will play a huge part as well. Here are some tips for training forearms to reach their maximum potential – as close to bowling ball pins as you’re going to get.
Use heavy weight
It’s not always easy to control a heavy barbell when your wrist is the only muscle group moving the weight. However, you have to go heavy if you want to shock forearms that are used to being stimulated most of the day, every day.
Use a little swing
On the final repetitions of a set, it’s acceptable to spoil your form just a bit if doing so will allow you to squeeze a few more repetitions out of the negative portion of the repetitions. This isn’t ideal practice for every repetition of every set, but will provide some long-term growth advantage if used primarily on those final sets.
Pile on the plates – of food!
Adding mass to the forearms can be just as difficult as adding beef to your upper arms. You know the rules that apply to those. You have to add more calories to your diet in order to gain some size anywhere on your body – forearms included. Get to eating!
Lose the wrist wraps
You might currently use wrist wraps for those points in your workout when your grip fails. Sure, this gives you back some assistance in growth, but it prevents you forearms from growing past a certain point. Instead, let your back take a short-term hit and drop the gloves for a few months of training. Your forearms will grow to meet their required demands, and they’ll soon be able to handle the workload on back day – and they’ll be bigger, to boot.
High volume
Back in the day, guys would train for 2 straight hours. This sort of training left a lot of blood in the forearms, which led to a lot of growth. You might enjoy short, HIT style workouts, but your forearms aren’t growing from them! Take your time, spend 30 to 40 minutes on forearms, and they will have no choice but to grow!
