13 Best Exercises To Add Muscle To Your Forearms and Build Serious Grip Strength

Supercharge Your Back and Biceps with This Grip-Strength Ladder

A bigger chest, broader back and bulging biceps might be at the top of the wish list when shopping for gym goals, but it's easy to overlook the fact that a jacked set of forearms have long been a classic sign of rugged masculinity. And if the internet is anything to go by, this isn't just the niche opinion of a gym-bro, with a tongue-in-cheeke meme regularly doing the rounds stating that rolling up those sleeves is 'the sluttiest thing a man can do'. There’s also no getting away from the importance of grip strength — one of the main functions of the forearm muscles. Studies have shown that having a stronger grip is correlated with some seriously important fitness and health markers with research suggesting that men with weaker grip are at a higher risk of certain diseases, from diabetes to high blood pressure, to heart attacks and strokes.

When you're ready to get a grip and start hitting those forearms, we’ve got you covered, with a selection of the best movements, workouts, tips and techniques to help you supersize those forearms and build a vice-like grip.

The forearm can be divided into two main compartments: the anterior compartment, which creates flexion, and the posterior compartment, the muscles that mainly facilitate with extension.

However, unlike muscle-groups such as the biceps and triceps, which can be pretty quickly labelled and their usages defined, the forearms are extremely complex as they facilitate a litany of complex tasks, especially those involving the wrists and hands. Your forearms are absolutely pivotal in most of your fine motor-skills allowing you to perform tasks such as writing, typing, painting and using your phone. It's safe to say, then, there’s a lot more to them than just helping you to grip heavy barbells.

• Flexor Carpi Radialis: It helps you bend your wrist upward and sideways, making your hand move towards your thumb side.
  
• Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: This muscle lets you bend your wrist downward and towards your pinky side.
  
• Palmaris Longus: It tightens the palm of your hand and helps with wrist bending.
  
• Flexor Digitorum Superficialis: It helps you bend your fingers in the middle joints.
  
• Flexor Digitorum Profundus: This muscle helps you bend your fingers at the tips.
  
• Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus: It assists in bending your wrist backward and sideways, moving your hand away from your thumb side.
  
• Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis: This muscle helps you bend your wrist backward and towards your thumb side.
  
• Extensor Carpi Ulnaris: It helps you bend your wrist backward and towards your pinky side.
  
• Extensor Digitorum: This muscle straightens your fingers at the big knuckles.
  
• Extensor Digiti Minimi: It assists in straightening your pinky finger.
  
• Brachioradialis: It helps you bend your elbow and turn your palm down.

If your training regimen already includes movements such as pull-ups, deadlifts, rows and carries, you’re well on your way to thickening those forearms. But if you’re looking to go the extra mile to get those veins popping when you roll up your sleeves, we’ve got the 10 best exercises for bigger forearms that you can – and should – add to your workouts.

Whether you train with basic kit at home, in a fully-equipped gym, or even just your own bodyweight, we’ve got a solution to assist you in upgrading the gun show. Let’s get to grips with them.

1) Wrist curls

Why: Wrist curls are the first port of call for most people when it comes to beefing up those forearms. Think of them like bicep curls, for your wrists. You can perform wrist curls with pretty much any piece of equipment you can get your hands on, but traditionally you’ll see them executed using a barbell or dumbbells. Performing this movement both ways by turning your hands around allows you to work the forearms through both flexion and extension.

Form check: Set yourself up holding a barbell in both hands, or gripping a dumbbell in each hand, with your forearms laying flat across a bench or on your thighs – your hands hanging loose over the edge, palms facing upwards. Allow your wrists to stretch all of the way back (A) before curling the weight all of the way back up until your palms are facing you (B). Slowly lower and repeat. Once you complete your reps, flip the weights — and your forearms — so that your palms are facing the opposite way and repeat.

2) Zottman Curls

Why: Working both the biceps and the forearms synergistically, the Zottman curl puts a literal twist on forearm training by working them through a number of their functions while isometrically flexing and extending.

Form check: Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides, palms facing upwards (A). With minimal momentum and keeping your upper arms tight to your body, curl both dumbbells upwards, until your pinky fingers are near your shoulders (B). Squeeze here and rotate your wrists, lowering the dumbbells with palms facing the opposite way. Rotate your wrists back at the bottom and repeat.

3) Kettlebell Swings

Why: Performing high rep kettlebell swings challenges your grip and forearms by subjecting them to some serious 'time under tension'. To boot, a kettlebell handle is usually considerably thicker than a barbell or dumbbell. Sets of 20+ swings won’t just build your hamstrings, glutes and back, they’ll also help you to achieve that death grip.

How: With a kettlebell between your legs, hinge at your hips, swinging the weight backward, high between your thighs (A). Drive your hips forward to explosively blast it up to eye level (B). Let the momentum return you back into the hinge position and straight into rep two. Keep your torso flat and knees soft throughout.

4) Farmer's Carries

Why: This one should be obvious, but picking up something seriously heavy with each hand and going for a stroll builds unparalleled grip and forearm strength.

How: Stand tall with your weights (A). Let your arms hang freely at your sides, take a deep breath into your core, lock your shoulder blades down and back and begin a fast, deliberate march (B).

5) Plate Pinch

Why: You may not be able to handle the same load as you could with the farmer's carry, but a plate pinch hold or walk hits the parts of your forearms responsible for the strength of your fingers. It may not sound sexy, but if you want total forearm development (or to master the Vulcan neck pinch) these are a necessity.

How: Simply grip the the thickest, heaviest plates you have available between your fingers and thumb and take them for a walk, or opt for a hold. Alternatively you can attempt to pinch grip two plates at a time, crushing them together like a vice.

6) Meadows Row

Why: Although the meadows row is a compound back movement, it forces you to grip the thick, rolling end of the barbell, majorly challenging your forearms in the process.

How: Stand sideways at the end of your bar, hinge down with a flat back and grip the bar with one hand (A). Keeping your core tight and torso as steady as possible, draw your elbow back, behind your body, pulling the bar towards your hips. Pause here (B), then slowly lower the weight to the floor before repeating. After five reps turn your body 180 degrees, switch hands and repeat on the other side.

7) Reverse Grip Barbell Curl

Why: Flipping the script on the regular barbell curl by simply reversing your grip forces your forearms to work overtime to support your wrists. Bigger biceps, bigger forearms – a clear front runner in the arms race.

How: Stand tall with a barbell hanging at your waist, hands shoulder width apart, palms facing downwards (A). Keep your torso still and upper arms pinned to your sides as you curl the bar upwards towards your chin (B). Squeeze here and slowly lower the bar under control until your arms are straight. Repeat.

8) Towel Grip Pull-ups

Why: By wrapping a towel around your pull-up bar and gripping either hand you up the demands on your forearms, ensuring fresh growth isn’t far behind. Throwing in the towel never looked so good.

How: Hang a towel over a pull-up up bar, grip it in both hands and hang with straight arms. (A) Pull yourself up by flexing the elbows while pinching your shoulder blades together. When your chin passes your fists, (B) pause before lowering to the starting position. Repeat, alternating the side your head moves to with each rep.

9) Towel Grip Curls

Why: The extra strain of gripping the towel versus a specially designed handle means your forearms take a serious pasting here.

How: Pass a towel through the handle of a kettlebell and grip either end with your arms hanging directly in front of your body. Keeping your elbows tight to your ribs and avoiding any momentum from your body, curl the kettlebell upwards, turning your hands out as you do so until your palms are facing you (A). Squeeze here before slowly lowering your arms. Repeat.

10) Weighted Pull-Ups and Hangs

Why: Adding a bit of extra weight to your pull-ups or chin-ups, or simply hanging from a bar with some extra load attached challenges your grip, cliffhanger style. It may or may not save your life one day, but it will definitely blow up your forearms.

How: Strap a weight plate or dumbbell to yourself, grab a pull-up bar with an overhand or neutral grip.. Lift your feet from the ground and hang freely (A). Pull yourself up by flexing your elbows and pulling your shoulder blades down and back. Think of driving your elbows down into your pockets. When your chin passes the bar, pause (B) before lowering slowly to the starting position. Try to avoid excessive swinging.

11) Hammer Curls

Why: Using hammer curls in your bicep training routine will help you to target the brachioradialis, a key forearm muscle, as well as the long head of the bicep and the brachialis. You'll also be able to go heavier than regular curls. Try performing mechanical dropsets, once you've hit failure on regular bicep curls, switch to hammers and knock out as many reps as you can to really fire up those forearms.

How: Stand tall or sit on a bench holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides (A), with minimal momentum and keeping your upper arms tight to your body, curl both dumbbells upwards, keeping your palms facing each other throughout (B) Lower both bells and immediately repeat.

12) Reverse Grip Dumbbell Curls

Why: Just like flipping your grip with barbell curls, this dumbbell tweak will add extra emphasis to your forearms and build your grip strength as you have to clamp down extra hard to keep those 'bells in your mits.

How: Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your body, palms facing your body (A). With minimal momentum and keeping your upper arms tight to your body, curl both dumbbells upwards, finishing with your palms facing away from your body (B). Squeeze here and reverse the movement under control.

13) Dumbbell Walking Lunges

Why: A leg exercise on a list of the best exercises designed to grow a part of your arms, surely not? Well, yes, actually. By switching from movements like squats and leg extensions, to dumbbell walking lunges, you're able to get a bit of extra grip and forearm frequency in, even when it's not arm day. Just like farmers walks, walking lunges provide a serious challenge for your grip, even if you are trying to train those pins.

How: Standing tall, grab a set of dumbbells and hold them with straight arms by your sides (A). Keeping your chest up at all times, take a long step forward with one leg, bending your front knee until the back knee touches the ground (B). Stand up explosively, pause and repeat with the other leg, moving forward.

• Invest in a set of 'fat grips'. Specialist rubber grips that wrap around your dumbbells and barbell massively ups the challenge on your grip and forearms – can get them, here!
• Towels. Don’t have room in your kit bag for grips? Your gym towel will work just as well. Wrap it over the bar for pull-ups, pass them through kettlebells for curls and rows or just wrap them around a barbell to thicken the grip.
• Using metal handles and attachments on the cable machines in the gym? Switch them out for the rope attachments to challenge your grip strength.

If you don't have extra time to commit in the gym but want to try and thicken up those forearms, try out some of these DIY training ideas that you can tackle at home.

Rice gripping

Fill a bowl with rice. Put one or both hands into the bowl and grab a handful of rice. Squeeze your fists as hard as possible, until the majority of the rice has run through your fingers or out of your hands. Re-grip and repeat. Just wash it afterwards, yeah?

Book Pinching

Grab two or more large books, the heavier the better. Hold them, pinched together, at your sides. Squeeze them as hard as possible until your forearms give out, then repeat on the other side.

Door Hangers

Open a (sturdy) door in your house and grip it between your fingers and thumb at around waist height. Next, squat down and lean back until your arm is straight and your bodyweight is pulling against your grip. Hold here for as long as possible before switching arms. Bro tip: put a pillow just behind to protect your bum against inevitable grip failure.

Doorway Towel Rows

This hack will have you strengthening your forearms as well as blowing up your back and biceps from the 'safety' of your own home, using just a towel and sturdy door.

• This Lunge, Carry and Jump Workout Builds Strong Legs, Serious Stamina and a Solid Core
• Carry Your Way to a Rock-Hard Upper Body with Our Barbell Carry Triad
• This Workout Builds Your Back Using One Dumbbell
• Use the Mechanical Dropset Technique for a Bigger Back and Biceps in Just Three Moves
• Try Our Pull-Up 'Drop Set' Workout for Massive Back Gains

Andrew Tracey

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.    

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.   

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.   

 You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.