The adrenaline rush from a good workout is impossible to discount. Besides helping us stay in great shape, a nice workout routine also increases the happy hormones in the body and helps you stay healthy, fresh, and active all day long. It is no wonder that fitness enthusiasts cannot go a day without their workout. A good workout emphasizes every part and muscle in the body and not just about building a picture-perfect six-pack.
But not many people are familiar with how they could strengthen their entire body with exercise. If you are one of those fitness enthusiasts, too, here is an entire article that would help you with exercises for one of the most ignored parts of the body during workout sessions – the forearms.
How To Get Started?
Forearm workouts include the muscles crossing your wrists, elbows, and hands. In other words, it includes all the muscles we use every day for opening doors, carrying heavy weight over a flight of stairs, opening a bottle, etc. Similarly, basketball, golf, and racquetball players use these muscles excessively to ace their game. Besides building critical body strength, it also helps improve blood flow around your wrists, joints, and hands.
You could perform each of these exercises for two to three sets consisting of eight to fifteen repetitions. Make sure you do a few warm-up sessions before you start working out and limit your workout routines to around two to three times a week. You could focus on your other muscles for the rest of the day.
Dumbbells
The dumbbells can come to your rescue and help you design numerous workouts for your forearm strength training. You can switch between these to seamlessly train your muscles while not letting the monotony forcing you to give up. For instance, you could start with wrist flexion, where you hold the dumbbell in one hand while resting it on your thigh. Now slowly lift your arm as much as you can toward the biceps without raising your hands from your thigh. Repeat this a few times before switching it to the other hand.
You could also try wrist extension where you need to do the reverse of flexion. In this, you need to target the exterior portion of your wrist muscles by placing your forearm facing downwards on your thigh while holding a dumbbell. Curl the dumbbell up as much as you can without bending or lifting your hand.
Besides this, you could also try the reverse curl where you hold the bar at your shoulders with your palm facing downward and slowly curl the bar up until your hands reach your front delts. You could repeat these for around two to three sets to strengthen your forearms. Other forearm exercises that you could try with your dumbbells are the Zottman curl, farmer’s walk, and a hammer curl. However, please do not do them all the same day, as you might end up doing more harm than good.
Crab Walk
This exercise, in the face of it, might seem ineffectual and a waste of time. But in reality, it benefits your whole body, including your forearms. If you are looking for a workout that would strengthen your muscles without investing in heavy equipment, you should give this workout routine a try. It would help if you started with a reverse tabletop position by placing your hands under your shoulders with the fingers facing forward. Now you should start walking with your hands and feet for a few minutes. Take a break and repeat a few times.
Chin-UPs
Chin-ups are a great way to strengthen your forearms only if you manage to do two or three at a time. Besides your forearms, it also strengthens your back, biceps, and shoulders in a few minutes. It would help if you started this by grasping the bar with your hands with your shoulders spread wide and the palms of your hand facing you. Now you need to engage your core and pull your body up by pulling your shoulders together. Make sure to pull your chin over the bar and hold yourself on the top by slowly lowering yourself to the starting position.
Finger Pushups
While traditional pushups are a great way to strengthen your chest, triceps, and upper arm, they do not strengthen or train your forearms. However, you could switch it to fingertips push-ups, where you lift your body with the support of just your fingertips. Yes, we are talking about finger pushups. But it is important to remember that your fingertips are sensitive, so you need to limit the amount of pressure you apply to avoid severe injury. Do not try this unless you are in perfect form and accustomed to balancing your weight.
Grip Crusher
Most exercises require you to find a comfortable place and some time out of your schedule. If you are a person who is constantly racing against time, here is a workout routine that you would love with all your heart. It helps you strengthen your forearm by focusing the entire workout on just this region.
Grip Crushers are an easy exercise that needs no formal training or guidance, too, and you could perform it even while you are watching a movie or relaxing on a couch. All you need to do is hold it in your hands and try to close it fully around five to ten times. You could repeat the same with the other hand and continue the same routine for two to three sets. Besides strengthening your forearms, it also gives you a strong grip.
Remember that you do not need to invest in expensive equipment or gym memberships to strengthen your muscles. For instance, in this article, we have provided you with a combination of workouts you could do at the gym, at home, and on the go. This ensures that even those working out at home can make the most out of their exercise routines.
So, which of these workouts have you tried before or planning on trying? Do let us know in the comments section.