If we’ve learned one thing this year about what ladies find attractive in men, it’s forearms: forearms sticking out of rolled-up sleeves. forearms holding the handlebars. forearm manipulation tools. Women love the look of a man’s well-developed forearms.
Strong forearms are also functional: they improve throwing ability and help you lift, carry and hold things better.
If you’ve been wanting to build bigger, stronger, more defined forearms, today we’re going to get a how-to tutorial from someone who turned forearm development into an art: Bruce Lee.
A dragon’s forearms
Last month, we detailed the general physical training protocols that Bruce Lee used to build his strong and chiseled physique.
But there wasn’t room in this article to delve into how Lee worked his forearms, an area of his body he was particularly dedicated to developing. Lee believed that forearm strength was necessary for punching power and grip strength, skills that were fundamental to his great life’s goal: to become the best martial artist in the world. And, as someone who wanted to fully express the beauty of his body, he also appreciated the aesthetics of muscular forearms.
Lee’s wife, Linda, called him a “forearm fanatic.” Martial artist Bob Wall recalled, “Bruce had the biggest forearms in proportion to the body of anyone I’ve ever seen. I mean, his forearms were huge! He had incredibly strong wrists and fingers – his arms were just extraordinary.” Another friend said that “If you ever held Bruce’s forearm, it was like holding a baseball bat.”
Bruce Lee’s Forearm Exercises
The forearms include numerous muscles that can be broadly categorized into two groups: the flexors (on the underside of the forearm) and the extensors (on the top of the forearm).
To develop really fleshy forearms, you need to do exercises that work both of these muscle groups. As you do this, your forearms will not only grow in size, sharpness and strength, but you will improve the stability, strength and endurance of your wrists and grip as well.
Lee only lifted weights three times a week, but he trained his forearms every day, doing a variety of exercises that worked all of their muscles.
While Lee commissioned the creation of several specialized forearm training devices, most of the exercises he did, which we’ll cover below, can be replicated by the average Joe:
Wrist roll. Lee was a big fan of this classic forearm exercise, which targets both the forearm extensors and flexors. To perform this, you need a wrist-roll device: a bar/rod from which hangs a rope attached to a light weight (usually 5-10 pounds).
To perform the wrist roll exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the wrist roll bar straight out in front of you with both hands, palms facing down. Begin curling the weight by rotating your wrists. focus on using your wrists to roll the rope around the bar, rather than moving your arms or shoulders. Do not bend your elbows. Continue rolling until the weight reaches the top, near the bar.
Slowly lower the weight in a controlled manner by reversing the movement.
Lee could do push-ups with only two fingers (index and thumb) of one hand.
finger push-ups. Finger push-ups are performed like you would traditional push-ups, but instead of placing your entire palm on the floor, you support your body weight with just your fingertips. As you get stronger at this exercise, try to gradually remove one finger from each hand. Lee eventually got to the point where he could do this exercise with just two fingers on one hand.
Reverse curl. The reverse curl targets the brachioradialis, a forearm muscle that bends the forearm at the elbow. it will also hit your forearm extensors.
Usually when you do a curl, your palms are facing up. with a reverse curl, your palms are facing down. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasping the barbell or dumbbells with an overhand grip, with your hands shoulder-width apart. Let your arms hang in front of you, fully extended, with the barbell or dumbbells resting on your thighs.
Keeping the arms still, curl the weight up by bending your elbows. Focus on using your forearms to lift the weight, not your shoulders or arms. Raise the weight until your forearms are fully contracted and the weights are at shoulder height.
Now lower the weight slowly to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement. Fully extend your arms at the bottom of the movement to complete one repetition.
Seated wrist curl. The barbell wrist curl is an effective exercise for targeting the forearm flexors. Perform the exercise sitting on a flat bench or on the edge of a seat with your feet flat on the floor.
Grip a barbell with your palms facing up, hands shoulder-width apart. Rest your forearms on your thighs, with your hands extending 2-3 inches in front of your knees. Curl the bar up by bending your wrists. Focus on using your forearm muscles to lift the weight, not your shoulders or elbows. only your hands should move. Raise the bar until your wrists are fully bent and the bar is close to your forearms.
Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position, extending your wrists and lowering the bar as far as possible without overextending it to avoid unnecessary strain.
Seated barbell wrist curl. Same as above, but your palms should be facing down when you grip the bar.
Zottman Curl. Named after strongman George Zottman, the Zottman curl combines a standard biceps curl with a reverse curl and targets both the biceps and forearms. To do a Zottman curl, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a pair of dumbbells with an underhand grip (palms up), arms fully extended at your sides. Keep your arms still and curl the dumbbells up toward your shoulders by bending your elbows. Keep the movement controlled and squeeze the biceps as you lift the weights.
When the dumbbells are at shoulder height, rotate your wrists into an overhand grip (palms down).
Slowly lower the dumbbells down to the starting position with your palms facing down. Once your arms are fully extended, rotate your wrists back to the bottom grip to begin the next rep.
Do not use momentum to lift and lower the weights or swing them. Make sure you complete the full range of motion in all phases — fully extending and contracting your arms.
Leverage bar curls. In his forearm training, Lee made frequent use of leverage bars. You can too. A leverage bar is any tool you grab off-center. By performing standard exercises, such as curls, with the weight so unevenly distributed, you work your muscles in a different way.
To do a barbell curl, grab a loaded dumbbell with one hand. To get the leverage effect, hold the dumbbell closer to one end. This will make lifting much more difficult. Your arm should hang naturally at your side with your wrist in a neutral position. Slowly roll your wrist up as far as you can. Then slowly lower the dumbbell to the starting position. This is a representative. You can add weight to the end of the dumbbell you’re not holding for added resistance.
Reverse Leverage Bar Curls. This is the same as above, but you point the end of the dumbbell behind you. Drag the wrist up and down. This will work a different part of your forearm.
Lever Bar Twists/Rotations. Hold a dumbbell by one end with your arm bent at 90 degrees. Rotate the dumbbell from side to side.
Isometric compression. Isometric exercises played a big part in Lee’s overall fitness routine, including building forearm strength. One of Lee’s exercise rules for himself was “Carry a sponge and use as much as possible every day.” While we don’t know exactly what this “sponge” was, it appears to be something that could push, using isometric resistance to enhance grip and forearm strength. Similar results can be achieved using a classic spring loaded handle or even a tennis ball.
Bruce Lee’s Forearm Workout
Bruce Lee performed a special forearm workout every day. Here’s an example of one of his typical habits:
- Underhand Wrist Curl: 4 sets x 17 reps
- Overhead Wrist Curl: 4 x 12
- Leverage Bar Curl: 4 x 12
- Reverse Leverage Curl: 4 x 12
- Reverse curl: 4 x 6
- Wrist Roll: 4 full wraps
- Leverage Bar Twist: 3 x 10
In addition to his daily forearm training, Lee also did forearm exercises at random times throughout his day, whether he was at home or on a movie set. According to his wife Linda, he did Zottman curls whenever he had a free moment, often performing them with one hand while reading a book with the other.
He also used a grip machine he designed and kept on his desk and did reps when he had downtime between tasks and squeezed his sponge as he went about his daily routine. You can repeat these exercises by holding a handle (I like the ones from Captains of Crush) in your desk drawer and squeeze in some reps whenever you get the chance.
With some dragon-like passion and a dose of Lee’s dedication, you’ll be filling up your shirt sleeves in no time.
Source:
Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing the Human Body by John Little
