10 Best Forearms Exercises

Training your forearms is essential for developing functional grip strength that translates to nearly every upper body movement. Strong forearms improve your performance in pulling exercises, enhance your ability to handle heavier loads, and reduce the risk of injury during compound lifts. Whether you're gripping a barbell, carrying heavy objects, or performing bodyweight exercises, your forearms serve as the critical link between your body and the resistance.

The versatility of training forearms with any equipment means you can build serious grip strength and muscular endurance regardless of your training environment. From barbells and dumbbells to simple weight plates and pull-up bars, each tool offers unique stimulus to target the flexors, extensors, and stabilizers of the forearm complex. This comprehensive approach ensures balanced development and prepares your grip for any physical challenge.

Dead hang

This foundational exercise builds passive grip strength while simultaneously engaging your lats for upper body stability. The dead hang is an excellent assessment tool and developer of raw hanging endurance that carries over to all pulling movements.

Instructions

1. Grip a pull-up bar with an overhand (palms facing away) grip, about shoulder-width apart.

2. Let your body hang with your arms fully extended and feet clear of the floor. Relax your shoulders and back, keeping your core still to prevent swinging.

3. Hold this passive hang for the desired amount of time.

Hammer curl

Hammer curls uniquely target both the biceps and forearms through a neutral grip position that emphasizes the brachioradialis. This grip variation reduces stress on the wrists while maximizing forearm engagement throughout the entire range of motion.

Instructions

1. Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your palms facing each other (neutral grip).

2. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders.

3. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Plate pinch

Few exercises challenge your finger and thumb strength as directly as the plate pinch. This movement develops crushing grip strength and targets the often-neglected muscles responsible for pinching and grasping objects.

Instructions

1. Place two or more weight plates together on the floor and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.

2. Pinch the plates together using only your fingers and thumb, then lift them off the ground.

3. Hold the plates for the desired amount of time before slowly lowering them back down.

Farmers walk

The farmers walk is a total-body exercise that places exceptional demands on your forearms, abs, and obliques while building functional carrying strength. This loaded carry variation develops grip endurance under dynamic conditions that mirror real-world activities.

Instructions

1. Place two heavy dumbbells on the floor, one on each side of your feet. Hinge or squat down with a flat back and take a firm grip on each dumbbell.

2. Stand up by driving through your legs, not your back. Once standing, maintain a tall, upright posture with your shoulders pulled back, your chest up, and your core braced.

3. Begin walking forward, taking short, controlled steps. Keep your eyes forward and maintain your posture for the desired time.

4. To finish, bend your knees and carefully place the dumbbells back on the floor.

Zottman curl

This advanced curl variation combines concentric and eccentric overload by switching grip positions mid-rep. The Zottman curl trains both your biceps and forearms through different phases of contraction, making it exceptionally efficient for arm development.

Instructions

1. Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with an underhand grip (palms facing forward). Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the weights up towards your shoulders.

2. At the top of the movement, pause and rotate your wrists 180 degrees so that your palms now face forward (overhand grip).

3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position using this overhand grip. Once at the bottom, rotate your wrists back to the initial underhand grip to begin the next rep.

Barbell wrist curl

Barbell wrist curls isolate the flexor muscles on the underside of your forearms with direct, focused tension. This exercise allows you to handle substantial weight while achieving a deep stretch at the bottom position for maximum muscle fiber recruitment.

Instructions

1. Sit and rest your forearms on your thighs or the edge of a bench, holding the barbell underhand with wrists hanging over the edge.

2. Curl the barbell upward as high as possible by flexing only your wrists.

3. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position, allowing it to roll toward your fingertips for a full stretch.

Incline hammer curl

Performing hammer curls on an incline bench increases the stretch on your biceps and forearms at the bottom position. This variation enhances muscle activation throughout a longer range of motion while maintaining constant tension on the target muscles.

Instructions

1. Sit back on an incline bench (set to about 45 degrees), holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended and palms facing each other.

2. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders.

3. Slowly lower the dumbbells with control back to the starting position.

Dumbbell wrist curl

The single-arm dumbbell wrist curl allows for unilateral forearm training that can address strength imbalances. This isolation movement provides excellent control and the ability to focus intensely on each forearm independently.

Instructions

1. Hold a dumbbell with your palm facing up. Rest your forearm on a stable surface so your wrist hangs off the edge.

2. Slowly lower the weight towards the floor.

3. Curl your wrist upward as high as possible.

Reverse EZ bar curl

Using an overhand grip shifts the emphasis from your biceps to your forearm extensors and brachioradialis. The EZ bar's angled grip reduces wrist strain while allowing you to load this movement pattern with meaningful resistance.

Instructions

1. Stand holding the EZ bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, keeping your hands about shoulder-width apart.

2. Curl the bar toward your shoulders while keeping your elbows tucked firmly at your sides.

3. Lower the bar back to the starting position with control, maintaining a steady tempo.

Reverse barbell curl

The reverse barbell curl is a fundamental exercise for developing the extensor muscles of the forearms. This movement pattern strengthens the often-underdeveloped top side of your forearms while improving overall arm balance and elbow health.

Instructions

1. Stand holding a barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing down), with your hands and feet about shoulder-width apart.

2. Keep your elbows tucked at your sides and curl the bar upward toward your shoulders.

3. Slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position, resisting the weight on the way down.

Summary

Building strong forearms requires consistent training with a variety of grip positions and loading patterns. Focus on progressive overload by gradually increasing weight, time under tension, or volume across these movements. The beauty of forearm training with any equipment is that you can adapt your workouts to whatever tools are available, whether that's a full gym setup or minimal home equipment. Track these sets in the FIREFUL app to ensure consistency and progress, and you'll develop the grip strength and forearm size that supports all your training goals.