Building forearm strength may not be your top priority, but strong forearms can improve your workout performance and help you lift heavier objects - and this forearm workout with dumbbells is a certified arm tocher

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All lifts that require having the best adjustable dumbbell, kettlebell, and barbell sets activate the forearms and require hand and grip strength. Without sufficient grip strength, it will be difficult to hold heavy weights in strength training or light weights for long periods of time in muscular endurance training.

This is true outside of the gym as well as in simple everyday exercises such as carrying groceries or moving furniture. This forearm workout with dumbbells targets the wrist and forearm muscles and loads the biceps and shoulders to build upper and lower arm strength as well as grip strength.

Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Extremity, Forearm Muscles (open in new tab) The forearm muscles are divided into two muscle compartments: anterior (flexors) and posterior (extensors). Between these two compartments are included 20 muscles that "act" on the elbow, wrist, and hand joints. Each compartment can be further divided into superficial and deep muscles.

Of the flexor muscles, the superficial compartment includes five muscles and three deep muscles. Of the extensor muscles, the superficial portion includes seven muscles and the deep portion includes five muscles.

The forearms are essential for the movement of the upper extremities and the complex movements of the arms, wrists, and fingers. During extension, the fingers are lifted toward the forearm, and during flexion, the fingers are drawn toward the underside of the wrist.

Training in different planes of motion, such as extension, flexion, side to side, and rotation, strengthens a variety of muscles. As some people struggle to maintain grip strength as they age, regularly training forearm and grip strength can help improve upper body strength with exercises such as deadlifts, bent-over barbell rows, pull-ups, hanging leg raises, and dead hangs.

These five exercises are a quick 15-minute forearm workout with dumbbells that can be done anywhere. They can be incorporated at the beginning of a workout as a warm-up or as a finishing touch to an upper or lower body strengthening program. The short routine helps to improve wrist mobility along with strengthening.

One set of light dumbbells is all that is needed; as part of the EMOM (one rep per minute), work to achieve maximum reps in 50 seconds; after 10 seconds of recovery, perform the next exercise three times per minute. Try to do the same number of reps each time.

The supinated wrist curl focuses on flexion and extension to strengthen the forearms.

Method:

The Zotman curl targets the muscles of the upper and lower arms, including the forearms and triceps, with varying palm positions.

Method:

This wrist-rotating movement uses speed and rotation to strengthen the forearms, improve grip strength, and reach fatigue faster. This should be felt in the arms and shoulders. The video above is a slow version using only one dumbbell.

Method:

There are two ways to do this dumbbell hold. Either way will fatigue the shoulders, arms, and forearms. This exercise should be held for 50 seconds.

Dumbbell end-to-end taps are effective for end-to-end range of motion and forearm strength.

Method:

When you finish the workout, dead hang from a pull-up bar (or similar setup) and just hang on the bar for a minute to focus on grip strength, forearms and shoulders. If you're not sure, I did 90 hanging leg raises every day for a week, and this is how I nailed the dead hangs.