Forearm workouts at home
Whether you choose to believe it or not, the fore-arms plays a major in your overall fitness journey. The lower part of your arm is the area that holds the most tension, providing avenue between your hands and your upper arm. This link is very important when it comes to lifting heavy objects as we do most of the resistance controls. But in addition to helping with daily lifting activities, your fore-arm muscles play an important role in your overall appearance.
What does the forearm muscles do?
The forearms are made up of a number of small muscles that move in four main directions, bending the palm inward (wrist flexion), raising the back of your hand (wrist extension), rotating the palm down (forearm pronation) and rotating the palm up (supination).
Working the forearm in all the range of motion will help for a better forearm development, and therefore help with everything from carrying of things, barbell to kids, to suitcases, to furniture.
Having a well-developed forearm strength helps you pick up heavy stuff and move it around. Of course, not only lifting heavy weights – working on grip strength (especially arm exercises) can also increase the size of your arms.
Forearm workouts without weight
Want to train your fore-arms at home without any weight? Here are some of the most effective forearm workouts you can do at home to improve grip strength and develop big forearms.
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Isometric wall push
- Place your hands on a wall in front of you
- Press firmly against the wall for 30 seconds.
- Release. Repeat 2-3 times.
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Sphinx push-ups

“File:IMG 0585 2– Swan.jpg” by Christy Collins, photographer is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
- Start in a plank position with your forearms, either on the toes or on the knees.
- Press the hands down firmly and try to lift the forearms until the arms are straight.
- Lower yourself down in a controlled manner.
- Release. Repeat 2-3 times.
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Forearm squeeze
- Use the forearm or something to squeeze, such as a tennis ball or socks.
- Extend and rotate your fingers to squeeze the object.
- Hold for 3 to 5 seconds and rest your hold for a few seconds.
- Continue for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Fingertip push ups
“File:Mr-yoga-pendant pose.jpg” by Mr. yoga, photographer is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
This exercise has all the benefits of regular pushups but has the added benefit of increasing the tension in your forearms.
- Kneel on the floor, bench or sturdy object, and bring your fingertips down on the surface to the floor.
- Slowly and controlled, bring your chest to the bench, bending your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
- Return to the starting position.
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Crab walk
This is an exercise which works not just your forearms but also your abs.
- In a reverse tabletop position
- Place your hands under your shoulders with your fingers faced forward.
- Align your ankles directly below your knees.
- Move forward with your hands and feet up to one minute at a time.
- Pullups
Usually, this can be normally done in the gym, but it can be done without a pull-up bar. You can use the door for this exercise. Note; the door must be strong enough to hold your body weight.
How to do it:
- Hold on to the top edge of the door and keep a firm grip. Use a towel in case of bad edges.
- Pull yourself up as high as you can.
- Lower yourself down and repeat
This exercise will not only work on your arms, but will also works your shoulders and core.
How to do it:
- Get down to all four. Stretch your legs behind you and place your arms under your shoulders. See that your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
- keep your toes erect, lower your body by bending your elbows.
- Once you are close to the ground, press your body to return to the starting position. Then repeat.
- Do 2 sets of 15 reps each.
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Chair ups
This exercise can be done with a chair, on its own, but weights can be added to increase the difficulty.
How to do it:
- Keep the chair in front of you and lie down in front of it. Your body needs to be down.
- Extend your arms out in front of you and hold one leg of the chair in each hand. Your elbows need to be kept firmly in place.
- Without lifting your elbows, lift the chair by simply using your wrists and arms. Hold this position for 45-60 seconds.
- Lower it and repeat.
- Do 3 reps of this and place the weights on the chair to increase the level of difficulty.
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Hand Gripper
This is not a household item but it is relatively inexpensive, easy to find and portable. This exercise has been around for decades in one way or another and has been a great help in building strong, muscular arms.
How to do it:
You can successfully train your forearm by squeezing the hand gripper for a period of time, isometrically by trying to squeeze it as long as possible without stopping. You can also do regular repetitions.
You can do them time sitting in crowded places, in front of the television or in the bathroom.
Tip: Keep one in your pocket throughout the day and use it whenever you get the chance. The muscles of the forearm quick to recover at work and can be trained regularly to get quick results.
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Towel curls
First find a standard bath towel or any size or length of fabric will do. I recommend the towel though, as it is easy to hold and hold comfortably for any length of time.
How to do it:
- Find a flat surface such as a chair or a low table, place your arm flat or up on your wrist and hand just off the edge of the surface.
Hold the towel in the middle with your hand on the table and the hanging edges of the towel with your free hand. - Pull down slightly with your free hand as you use the other hand flex your wrist up try to turn the wrist of your table up.
This is a very simple but brutal exercise that uses the strength of one hand against another. Make sure to alternate hands and the direction of your palms.
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Towel hangs
Here’s another great exercise.
The towel hang is simple and effective but can be taxing on the forearms, the towel hang develops incredible strength, and mental toughness.
How to do it:
- Wrap your towel over a door or a bar, so that the ends hang evenly. Now you can hold the ends of the towel, one in each hand, lift your feet off the ground and hang there. That’s all there is to it.
- When you can easily hang for more than a minute on both hands, try to do it with one hand.
Recovery after forearm workouts at home
Rest is as important as your physical exercise, so do not overdo it with your forearm exercises. Stretching and healing of any muscle that you train with high intensity is important. We use the forearm muscles to interact with our environment every day, not just when we train.
Conclusion
These forearm workouts at home are easy to do. There is no need to despair because you lack the equipment or access to facilities. You can still get an effective forearm workout that will build you an impressive forearm without weights or going to the gym.
You don’t have to do all the exercises, just choose a couple of few you like and change things from time to time to keep things fresh, don’t get bored and work your forearm muscles from different angles.
All you need is dedication, consistency and commitment. It won’t happen overnight, but soon, you’ll have a muscular massive forearm that you can be proud of.