Arm wrestling is a sport characterized by two participants grabbing hands and competing with strength to beat the opponent. The position of grabbing the opponent's hand with a bent elbow touching the table requires specific movement patterns that recruit various muscles and muscle groups. The best arm wrestlers have superior strength in these muscles, which include the forearm, biceps, chest and back.
Forearms
The forearm muscles are the most important for arm wrestling, according to the Armwrestling Supersite. These muscles are responsible for grip and wrist strength, which maintain a firm hand and arm position. This allows you to maximize your strength by gaining leverage to overcome the opponent and force his hand to the table. You can improve your forearm and grip strength by performing various wrist curls and extension exercises with lightweight dumbbells.
Biceps
Your arm position during an arm wrestling match forces your elbow into flexion that recruits the biceps muscle -- located on the top, or front, of the upper arm. The biceps muscle is responsible for elbow flexion and helps to maintain proper arm and hand position during a match. You can improve the strength of the biceps by incorporating exercises such as preacher curls and dumbbell curls into your strength-training program.
Chest
The chest is commonly overlooked in arm wrestling, but it is responsible for the internal rotation of the shoulder that helps to overcome your opponent. As you roll your shoulder over your hand to take down your opponent, the chest muscles -- pectoralis major -- are used to push the arm down. Improve your chest strength by performing bench press and dumbbell flys.
Latissimus Dorsi
Another commonly overlooked muscle is the latissimus dorsi. The "lat" is also responsible for internal rotation of the shoulder that helps to beat your opponent. This large muscle spans the width of your back and also recruits smaller muscles such as the teres major during arm wrestling movements. Perform lat pull downs, dips and bent-over rows to improve the strength of the latissimus dorsi.
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