The 10 Best Forearm Workouts to Build Forearm Muscle

As more and more people of different ages and different fitness levels start to strength train regularly, those same people are learning about the benefits of working out parts of their bodies and muscle groups that they never would have thought about before. 

One such body part is the forearms, which play a key role in grip strength, support wrist stability and injury prevention, contribute to overall upper-body strength, and more. Here, we’re sharing everything you need to know about how to build forearm muscle, plus the best forearm workouts to get you there.

Let’s get started!

Forearm anatomy 101

For starters, your forearm refers to the section of your arm between your elbow and wrist. And for a small area of the body, there are a surprisingly large number of muscles. They can be broken up into two categories based on where they sit within the forearm. 

The first group is the superficial muscles, or those right beneath the skin, on both the underside and the top of the forearm. The second group is the deep forearm muscles, which are located beneath the superficial muscles, closer to the bones in your forearm. 

Why are there so many muscles in your forearm? Because these muscles are responsible for controlling the minute, complicated movements of your wrist and fingers, of which there are many. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the forearm muscles allow you to bend and extend your wrist and fingers, turn your hand so your palm faces up or down, and move your fingers and thumb at the top joint.

The benefits of forearm training

There are many benefits to strengthening your forearm muscle. Here are some of the biggest ones:

1. Enhanced grip strength

The perks of having a strong grip, which is powered by strong forearm muscles, is twofold. First, you’ll be better equipped to hold heavy weights or carry heavy things—or anything, really—in your hands, which comes into play often in your daily life. 

Second, lower grip strength has been linked to reduced muscle quality throughout the body, which can contribute to chronic illnesses. Grip strength tends to go unnoticed and taken for granted until it starts to weaken, so focusing on maintaining or improving it now can go a long way.

2. Better hand and wrist dexterity

We already mentioned all the small yet vital movements of the hands and wrists that are controlled by the forearm muscles. The stronger these muscles are, the better control you will have over these movements, ensuring that you maintain your range of motion, stability, and fine motor skills as you age.

3. Lower risk of injury and illness

You’ve likely heard before that strong muscles help protect your bones and joints, lowering your risk of injury, and the muscles of the forearm are no exception. Keeping the forearm muscles strong can also reduce your risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition in which nerve compression in the hand and wrist causes pain, tingling, and numbness. It may also help prevent tennis elbow, a common overuse injury that causes pain and inflammation where the forearm muscles attach to the outside of the elbow.

4. Improved circulation

When you are exercising a specific muscle or muscle group, your body will increase blood flow to that area. Ultimately, regular exercise can help improve bodywide circulation, limiting the circulatory issues that accompany conditions like diabetes. 

When people have conditions that affect their circulation, their hands and feet are typically the first body parts that are affected. But if you are exercising regularly, it will help promote blood flow to the area, counteracting these potential circulatory issues. 

The 10 best forearm workouts to try

Ready to start strengthening your forearms? Here are 10 of the best forearm exercises to add to your routine:

1. Wrist curls

2. Reverse wrist curls

3. Farmer’s carry

4. Forearm squeeze

5. Dead hang

6. Planks

7. Reverse curl

8. Wrist twist curl

9. Forearm flexor push-ups

10. Finger extensions

1. Wrist curls

This exercise can be done without adding resistance or holding a small dumbbell or any item in your hand.

How to do a wrist curl:

1. Come into a half knee position and rest your elbow on your knee with your palm facing up.

2. Keeping your entire arm still, bend just your wrist up to curl the weight in your hand up toward your arm. Slowly return to start.

3. Repeat on the other side.

2. Reverse wrist curls

This exercise can be done without adding resistance or holding a small dumbbell or any item in your hand.

How to do a reverse wrist curl:

1. Come into a half-kneeling position and rest your elbow on your knee with your palm facing down.

2. Keeping your entire arm still, bend just your wrist back to curl the item in your hand up toward your arm. Slowly return to start.

3. Repeat on the other side.

3. Farmer’s carry

Since you aren’t lifting them, don’t be afraid to choose heavier weights for this exercise.

How to do a farmer’s carry:

1. Hold heavy weights at your sides with your arms and back straight.

2. Brace your core, back and glutes, pull your shoulders back and down, and keep your chest lifted as you walk.

4. Forearm squeeze

You can use a grip strengthener for this exercise or anything you can squeeze (like a stress ball).

How to do a forearm squeeze:

1. Hold the grip strengthener or other item in your hand with your thumb facing up.

2. Squeeze your fingers toward your hand, hold for a second or two, and release.

5. Dead hang

You’ll need a pull-up bar for this move. If you don’t have one, a stationary dumbbell hold (or a farmer’s walk without the walking) is similar.

How to do a dead hang:

1. Grip the pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. If your feet are touching the ground, bend your knees to lift them up.

2. Hang still, with your arms straight.

6. Plank

Holding a plank position with your fingers spread and loaded evenly will engage your forearm muscles. 

How to do a plank:

1. Come into a push-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your feet about shoulder-width apart.

2. Keeping your hips facing the floor and your body as parallel to the floor as possible, lift one hand to tap the opposite shoulder, then return to start—all while maintaining an engaged core. 

7. Reverse curl

You’ll strengthen the forearms and the biceps with this exercise, for which you’ll need light to medium weights.

How to do a reverse curl:

1. Hold a weight at your side, palm facing the back.

2. Keeping your palm down and your wrist straight, curl the weight up to your shoulder, then slowly return to start.

3. Repeat on the other side.

8. Wrist twist curl

Use light weights for this exercise, which strengthens a key range of motion for the wrist and forearm.

How to do a wrist twist curl:

1. Hold a weight at your side, palm facing forward.

2. Curl the weight up to your shoulder, slowly twisting your wrist as you do so that you end with your thumb up and palm facing in (a hammer curl position).

3. Slowly return to start, twisting your wrist back to have your palm facing forward.

4. Repeat on the other side.

9. Forearm flexor push-ups

This seemingly simple push-up variation targets the forearms. 

How to do a forearm flexor push-up:

1. Kneel on the floor and place your hands flat on the floor about six inches in front of your knees, fingers facing forward. 

2. Keeping your arms straight, push down through your fingers to lift your palms off the ground. Your fingers should stay flat on the floor.

3. Slowly return to start.

10. Finger extensions

You’ll be surprised by how much this move contracts the muscles in the forearms.

How to do finger extensions:

1. Lift your arms straight out in front of you with your fingers pointing up and together. 

2. Open your fingers as wide as you can, then return to start.

How to program forearm workouts

You don’t need to focus specifically on your forearms too often in your strength training program. After all, every time you pick up and hold a weight or get into a push up or plank position, you’re going to naturally engage your forearm muscles. We recommend incorporating exercises like those above into your upper-body workouts once a week. 

Training tips for building forearm muscle

To get the most out of your forearm workouts, keep these tips in mind during your sessions:

• Don’t overdo it. The forearm muscles are relatively small, so you don’t need to use a lot of weight or resistance to strengthen them. Likewise, you are engaging your forearm muscles in almost every upper-body exercise, so you don’t need to incorporate tons of exercises that target the forearms for them to get enough work. 

• Pay attention to your range of motion. Maintaining a healthy range of motion in your wrists is one of the biggest reasons for building forearm muscle. Pay attention to whether it’s staying consistent or if it starts to shrink, which would signal that you need to target your forearms more often.

• Change up your “weights.” One of the best ways to improve your grip strength and strengthen your forearm muscles is to challenge your hands with weights of different shapes and sizes. If you’re used to working out with dumbbells, consider putting your dumbbell in a tote bag or backpack and lifting with the straps or wrapping a towel around the center of the dumbbell to make it thicker and harder to hold. 

Get started with forearm workouts today!

While you may not spend much time thinking about your forearm muscles, making sure they are strong is important to your overall functional fitness and strength. Building your forearms can also protect you from wrist injuries and issues like carpal tunnel syndrome as you age. 

And, as we mentioned above, there are tons of different ways to work your forearms. One that we haven’t talked about yet is rowing. Gripping the handle and pulling through each stroke engages and strengthens many of the muscles in the forearm, and utilizing workouts like those included with the Hydrow rowing machine will ensure you get these benefits and more. Plus, for more traditional forearm training, the Hydrow workout library includes plenty of strength training workouts that target the upper body. 

Learn more about the benefits of rowing and a Hydrow rowing machine today!