Q:I’ve always struggled to produce decent results with my forearms, they’re the body part I’m most ashamed of. The rest of my physique is top-notch, and I’ve worked very hard for it, but I always thought that be focusing on the upper body’s most commonly worked areas, the forearms would more or less just get big on their own, sort of weaning off the major exercises. What gives? How do I address this directly?

A:Okay, here’s the deal with all bodybuilding training: To gain mass in some areas, you don’t have to think about anatomy at all – just train like an animal and let mother nature take over.

Then again, with some body parts, knowing and studying anatomy is key to growth because if you don’t know the mechanics of how it works and functions, you won’t know how to unlock the secrets of mass.

Constructing a forearm workout is a scientific affair – it’s an amalgam of flexion and extension and supination and pronation. Know this and you’ll build better muscle faster than if you don’t.

The hard part is, we use the forearms in almost all exercises that require holding a weight – meaning all upper body exercises. These exercises cause the forearms to work indirectly and open this muscle group up to a plethora of undesirable movements that don’t allow any knowledge of what’s working and what isn’t, or how often to train the muscle group. It’s also the reason a lot of people don’t train forearms at all – thinking that what they do in other lifts will benefit them enough to cause them to skip forearm training.

Truth be told, you can train the forearms, targeting four concepts (flexion, extension, supination and pronation), up to 3 times a week. High rep training is always best – 20 to 30 reps at a pop. Of the two to three times a week, do at least one of them weighted.

The main muscles within the forearm area comprise what we call flexors and extensors. But there are several important areas: flexor carpi radialis, the brachioradialis, the flexor carpi ulnaris, the extensor pollicus brevus (short wrist extensor) , the extensor pollicus longus (long wrist exentsor), Extensor carpi ulnaris, pronator teres and the palmaris longus are the full extent of the forearm muscles. But strangely enough all these muscles serve only to move the hand – making forearms one of the most complex muscle groups in the body.

But all muscles in the forearm are overlap function in relation to arm and hand control. So, because the functions the muscles of the forearm are so complex and multi-use is prevalent, you need to approach your training with great diversity.

Exercises for Forearm development:

• Barbell exercises: Reverse curl, Reverse Preacher curl
• Cable exercises: Reverse curls, Reverse Preacher curls
• Dumbbell exercises: Hammer curls

Wrist Flexors

• Barbell Exercises: Wrist curls
• Cable Exercises: Wrist curls, Wrist rollers
• Dumbbell Exercises: Wrist curls

Wrist Extensors

• Barbell Exercises: Reverse wrist curls
• Cable Exercises: Reverse wrist curls
• Dumbbell Exercises: Reverse wrist curls

Pronators

• Dumbbell Exercises: Lying Pronation

Supinators

• Dumbbell Exercises: Lying Supination

Workout:

1. Reverse Preacher Curls 3 x 8, 10, 12
2. Incline Hammer Curls 3 x 10, 10, 12
3. Seated Barbell Wrist Curls (over knees) 3 x 12
4. Behind the back Wrist Curls 3 x 12
5. Static Holds - 1 minute with barbell x 3

Workout: Should take 20 minutes, with a minute rest in between sets. Do this workout 2 times per week to start. Graduate to 3 times a week and watch forearms light up and explode.

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