Forearm Strengthening

[SilkSeaWater]

I am looking for some suggestions for strengthening the forearms. I would like to integrate some new methods into my upper body workout routine to help in this area.

Thanks for your help.

[Ishinguy]

A good and simple exercise for this is to get a piece of dowel or part of an old broom stick, drill a hole in the middle and suspend a weight from a cord hanging from the dowel. Then twist your hands alternately bringing the weight to the top and down again, do a set of ten every day or so.

[SilkSeaWater]

Thank you both for your kind reponse.

W.Kent Bergstrom, I will study your site. Thank you.

Ishinguy, thanks, I have actually made on of those. Just need to use it more. :D

Any other ideas?

[Jeremy Hulley]

Check out the tanren bo article by Kim Taylor here http://ejmas.com/pt/ptsplash.htm. I did a slow buld up over the course of about six months. Its a great training tool.
Jeremy:smash: :smash:

[SilkSeaWater]

Thanks for the reply. The link doesn't seem to work.

Thanx.

[Blackthorne]

This link does work. A period somehow got integrated into the link and that is why it doesn't work. Here is a functional link: Physical Training: Fitness for Combatives (http://ejmas.com/pt/ptsplash.htm) . Just click on the sumo image and you'll get in.

Hope this helps,

[SilkSeaWater]

Yup, now it works. Thanx.

[NoMan]

Great link Kent! One of my favorites for working on my grip strength is by throwing a really strong towel over a pullup bar. Then, grab a fistful of the towel, and start doing pullups. You'll have to already have pretty good forearm strength to do that one. If you like to use weights, put a moderately weighted barbell in your hand, and let the bar go down until it's on the tip of your fingers, then pull it back up towards your palm using your grip muscles.

Also, make sure you work your extensors as well as your flexion muscles. If you constantly do grip work without working your extensors, you'll get carpal tunnel syndrome over time. It's kind of like shin splints whenever your posterior calf muscles over power your anterior calf muscles. For an extensor workout, just cup one hand over the other, so that your fingertips are in the palm of your hand. Then, extend your fingers outward, pushing against the palm. Do about 15 reps of this.

Another exercise for developing grip, if you lift weights, is any kind of back exercise like bent-over rows, shrugs, exercises like that. If you don't use grip gloves, it provides quite a workout.