Forearms are rarely, if ever, prioritized in a training routine. If anything most people simply toss in a couple light sets of wrist curls at the end of their workouts. But serious forearm training could be the key to success in breaking through training plateaus and/or taking sports performance to the next level. Regular forearm training can also help prevent injuries such as carpel tunnel syndrome and elbow tendonitis (i.e. tennis elbow).
Here is a great forearm exercise that you can do in the gym. All you need is about 7 feet of rope and a thin strip of rubber about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide, an old bicycle tube or something similar would be ideal.
- Set an Olympic barbell in a rack so the barbell is approx. shoulder height.
- Place a 45 lb. plate on one end of the barbell, this will balance out the weight and prevent the barbell from tipping.
- On the other end of the bar wrap the strip of rubber around the middle of the sleeve of the Olympic barbell.
- Tightly tie one end of the rope around the strip of rubber. The rubber is used to keep the rope from slipping on the barbell.
- Tie the other end of the rope to a dumbbell.
You now have an excellent thick bar wrist roller set up. The thick end of the Olympic barbell will work the forearms and grip a lot harder compared to a thin handled wrist roller. And because the barbell is supported in a rack you can focus 100% on working the forearms. Rather then having to hold the weight out in front of you like in a traditional wrist roller exercise.
You will need to use some chalk in order to get a good solid grip on the smooth barbell sleeve. Next time you're at the gym, give this exercise a try.