Lower Arm/Upper Arm Size Balance
One of the best indicators of upper body strength is possessing a pair of fully developed forearms.
When the forearms are properly trained, the biceps/triceps look much more impressive regardless if the arms in a flexed position.
Like any other muscle group, training the forearms requires much patience (especially if you have naturally small wrists and thin radius/ulna forearm bones). Unfortunately, many of the exercises suggested to weight lifters with lagging forearms are ineffective.
To have very aesthetic/symmetrical arms, your flexed biceps should be slightly bigger than either of your forearms. With forearms that are sized within a few inches of the biceps, this gives you a much more anatomically proportionate physique. (see What is the Golden Ratio).
Building sizeable forearms take a little bit more work than doing wrist/barbell curls, read more for some effective techniques that can be used to develop this muscle group.
How to Build Aesthetic Forearms
The forearm muscles are divided into two large groups, the flexors and extensors. Of the two, the flexors are the strongest and largest muscles in the forearm, which is where most of your growth from training will come from.
The flexor muscles respond the fastest from static hold exercises and see very little results from curling motions. Wrist curls performed too frequently can result in wrist strain and impair strength on similar barbell/dumbbell exercises.
The following exercises can be very effective for adding size to the flexors muscles to develop the forearms:
Static Movements
Farmer Walks:
Farmer walks involve walking a short distance with a pair of dumbbells or any kind of heavy object with an upright back. Try to aim for a 60-90sec hold and progress with heavier weights over time.
Forearm Twists:
This is a great static hold exercise that works both the flexors and extensors in the forearm. Start with a weight you can hold for at least 30 seconds for 3 sets.
Compound Movements
Pull Ups/ Chin Ups:
As stated earlier, the forearms are one of the best indicators for upper body strength. The prime upper body exercises, pull ups/chin ups, uses the forearm and back muscles to pull the weight of your body against the force of gravity. This compound movement becomes much more difficult the further the range of motion is during the exercise.
For this reason, you’ll want to start with regular pull-ups/chin-ups and then advance to using the weight belt for more resistance. You can make this exercise more difficult by wrapping a towel over the bar and grabbing both ends to pull up or using a pair of hanging gymnastic rings in the gym.
The Wrap Up
Aesthetic forearms should be developed in ratio to the size of the upper arm. To develop sizeable mass in the lower arms, focus on training the flexors muscle group with static hold exercises for a minimum of 30-60 seconds, along with a program of upper body compound movements. By training your forearms this way, intermediate/advanced weightlifters that lag in this area will visually see much better results in their overall physique.
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