The forearms contain flexor and extensor muscles. The flexors sit in the inside, or medial side, of the forearm, and they get activated when you move your hand toward your forearm. The extensors sit on the lateral side of the forearm and perform the complete opposite movement. Dumbbell exercises allow you to work the flexors and extensors with these movement patterns involved. Because you want big forearms, use heavy weights. Dumbbells range from 1 lb. to over 100 lbs., so you have plenty of weights from which to choose.
Reverse Curls
Standard dumbbell curls work the biceps muscles in the front of the upper arms. By doing reverse curls, you will shift a lot of the emphasis to the brachioradialis muscle that runs down the top of the forearm. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing your body. Keeping your upper arms tight to your sides, bend your elbows and move the weights up toward your chest. Once your palms face forward, slowly lower the weights back down and repeat. Hammer curls with your palms facing each other also work the brachioradialis.
Wrist Curls
Wrist curls work the flexors of the forearms, and you need a weight bench to do them. While kneeling on the floor, rest your forearms across the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing upward. Your wrists should be just past the edge of the bench at this point. Keeping your forearms still, bend your wrists and lower the weights down as far as possible. Bend your wrists back up as far as possible and hold for a full second. Slowly lower the dumbbells back down and repeat. You also have the option of working one side at a time.
Reverse Wrist Curls
Reverse wrist curls work the lateral side of the forearms, and they involve extension. Sit on the end of a bench with your forearms resting on your thighs, dumbbells in your hands and palms facing down. Your wrists should be just past your knees at this point. Slowly lower the weights down by bending your wrists. Keeping your forearms still, lift the weights back up as high as possible by bending your wrists. Hold for a second and repeat. For a variation, do these one arm at a time.
Radial and Ulnar Deviation
The radius and ulna are the two bones in the forearms. A radial and ulnar deviation exercise involves movement in the direction of each bone. For these exercises, you need to use a dumbbell with weight plates. Before you begin, secure a weight plate on one end of the dumbbell handle. To do radial deviation, stand or sit with the dumbbell in your right hand, arm out at your side and the weighted end on your thumb side. Keeping your forearm still, bend your wrist laterally and move the weight up as high as possible. Hold for a second, slowly lower the weight and repeat. After finishing a set of reps, switch sides. Perform ulnar deviation the same way, except hold the dumbbell with the weighted end on your pinky side.
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