The forearm muscles' main function is wrist and finger movement. The forearms consist of multiple muscles that stretch from your elbow all the way to your fingers. These muscles are naturally long and lean, and require a variety of high repetition and high intensity exercises for maximum and efficient muscle growth. As with muscle growth with any other part of the body, there are a variety of outside factors that contribute to fast growth other than just lifting weights.
The Workout Room
Step 1
Grab one lightweight dumbbell with each hand and begin doing wrist curls. Get down on both knees in front of a weight bench or chair and rest your forearms on top of it, keeping your palms facing up. Let your wrist relax so the dumbbells bring them down, then curl your wrist up toward the ceiling flexing your forearms. Do four sets of 15 to 18 repetitions, and one last set until muscle failure.
Step 2
Grab two mid-weight dumbbells and begin doing wrist flips. Stand straight up with your feet at shoulder-width and back slightly arched. Hold the dumbbells at belly button level about 6 to 9 inches in front of you with your palms up. Twist your wrists so that your palms are facing down and stop when your natural range of motion stops. Continue this motion for 60 seconds. Do four sets using the same weight, and one last set until muscle failure.
Step 3
Build your forearm muscles by doing reverse barbell curls. Stand straight up with your feet at shoulder-width and back slightly arched. Hold a straight barbell with little to no weight on it down in front of you, with your palms facing your body. Curl the bar up and stop when your elbows reach the end of their natural range of motion. Do four sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, and one last set until muscle failure.
Hypertrophy, Diet and Rest
Step 1
Perform hypertrophy training. In order for your muscles to grow as quickly as possible, you must perform weight lifting sessions using hypertrophy. Use a partner when working out, and when you reach muscle failure after your final set, have your partner only very slightly give you some assistance for two to three more repetitions. This overloads the muscle and promotes maximum muscle contraction beyond what you would normally get with a standard solo set.
Step 2
Eat lots of protein. In order for your muscles to grow, they need to be supplied with a massive amount of protein. A study conducted by Dr. Peter Lemon at the University of Western Ontario showed that in order for an active individual to achieve maximum muscle gain after workouts, they must eat between 1.6 and 1.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight, every day.
Step 3
Get adequate rest so that your muscles can grow. In order for your muscles to recover and grow back larger, you have to get as much rest as possible between workouts. The time when your body is in its deepest and most efficient time of rest is when you are sleeping. In order to get maximum muscle recovery and growth, get between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night.
Tips and Warnings
- If you are unsure of how much weight to use for a movement, it's always best to use too little weight until you memorize the proper form.
- If you start with too much weight you run the risk of straining or even potentially tearing a muscle in your forearm, putting you out of commission for an extended period of time.
Things You'll Need
- Dumbbells
- Barbell
References
- Georgia State University: Training for Hypertrophy
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition: Beyond the Zone: Protein Needs of Active Individuals
- Shape Fit: Forearm Exercises - Reverse Barbell Curls
- BodyBuilding.com: The Importance of Sleep
- Gateway Community College: Major Superficial Muscles: Anterior Forearm
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