Forearm Workout for Beginners
This session is for you if you're brand new to training your forearms and want to build a stronger grip and more capable hands. It works the muscles that run along your lower arm — the ones you use every time you carry, lift, or hold anything. We'll walk you through it step by step, so you can get started with confidence.
What the research says
A handful of studies give us useful clues about grip and forearm training. One review looked at isometric handgrip exercise — that means squeezing hard without moving the joint — and found that most of the randomized controlled trials it examined reported reductions in resting blood pressure following this type of training. The same review also found convincing evidence across several trials that this kind of exercise reduced pain sensation acutely. A meta-analysis on older adults found that exercise training produced clear improvements in handgrip strength overall. Rock climbing research noted that handgrip endurance drops off more than raw handgrip strength during hard climbing efforts, pointing to endurance as a meaningful factor in grip performance.
Moderate — the grip strength and isometric handgrip findings come from controlled trials and a meta-analysis, which are reasonably solid, but some studies reviewed were small or mixed in design.
A systematic review of 89 studies found that most randomized controlled trials (17 out of 26) reported reductions in resting blood pressure — mostly systolic blood pressure — following isometric handgrip training. The same review found convincing evidence across randomized controlled trials (4 out of 6) that acute isometric handgrip exercise reduced pain sensation.
View study →A review of rock climbing physiology found that handgrip endurance decreased to a greater degree than handgrip strength during severe climbing efforts.
View study →A meta-analysis of 24 trials in healthy community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and above examined the pooled transfer effects of different exercise training modalities on handgrip strength compared to control groups; the abstract does not report the final effect size or whether the pooled result was statistically significant, as it was truncated before reporting outcomes.
View study →The routine
Warmup
Start by standing straight with your feet being shoulder width apart from each other. Elevate your arms to the side of you until they are fully extended and parallel to the floor at a height that is evenly aligned with your shoulders. Tip: Your torso and arms should form the letter "T: Your palms should be facing down. This is the starting position. Keeping your entire body stationary except for the wrists, begin to rotate both wrists forward in a circular motion. Tip: Pretend that you are trying to draw circles by using your hands as the brush. Breathe normally as you perform this exercise. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Main
Start out by placing a flat bench in front of a low pulley cable that has a straight bar attachment. Use your arms to grab the cable bar with a narrow to shoulder width supinated grip (palms up) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the top of your thighs. Your wrists should be hanging just beyond your knees. Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling. Keep the contraction for a second. Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling. Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Hold a barbell with both hands and your palms facing up; hands spaced about shoulder width. Place your feet flat on the floor, at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position. Lower the bar as far as possible by extending the fingers. Allowing the bar to roll down the hands, catch the bar with the final joint in the fingers. Now curl bar up as high as possible by closing your hands while exhaling. Hold the contraction at the top.
Start out by placing two dumbbells on one side of a flat bench. Kneel down on both of your knees so that your body is facing the flat bench. Use your arms to grab both of the dumbbells with a pronated grip (palms facing down) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the flat bench. Your wrists should be hanging over the edge. Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling. Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling. Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Start out by placing a barbell on one side of a flat bench. Kneel down on both of your knees so that your body is facing the flat bench. Use your arms to grab the barbell with a pronated grip (palms down) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the flat bench. Your wrists should be hanging over the edge. Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling. Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling. Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Start out by placing a barbell on one side of a flat bench. Kneel down on both of your knees so that your body is facing the flat bench. Use your arms to grab the barbell with a supinated grip (palms up) and bring them up so that your forearms are resting against the flat bench. Your wrists should be hanging over the edge. Start out by curling your wrist upwards and exhaling. Slowly lower your wrists back down to the starting position while inhaling. Your forearms should be stationary as your wrist is the only movement needed to perform this exercise. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Cooldown
Start by kneeling on a mat with your palms flat and your fingers pointing back toward your knees. Slowly lean back keeping your palms flat on the floor until you feel a stretch in your wrists and forearms. Hold for 20-30 seconds.
Set and rep ranges are general starting suggestions based on this guide's level — adjust to your own experience, and progress gradually.
This entry is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice — if you feel sharp pain in your wrists or forearms at any point, STOP and rest; pain is different from the normal feeling of a muscle working hard, and it's always okay to use lighter weight or skip a movement until you feel ready.