/
 
 

Issue #160

Contents

Editorial
by Juan Carlos Lopez

20 Questions with Cover Model Michele DaSilva

Video Interview with Pro Figure Michele DaSilva

Pictorials
Michele DaSilva, Rachel Fechner, Rachel Miles, Nicola Denise, Kelly Nayoukas

Fast and Furious Four Cycle Forearms Blast
by Tina Jo Orban

Video Interview with Amateur Figure Kristy Mitchell

 

Fast and Furious ‘FOUR CYCLE FOREARM’ Blast by Tina Jo Orban

Did you know by simply improving your grip strength you can actually increase your overall maximum output for carrying heavy loads?  Yes, you can! Better said that is; by having incredible grip strength you can max out the weight you can handle holding in order to train other body parts! Most people don’t think of forearm training when they think of incredible arms. Yet, without forearm strength and grip strength you’re not getting the total picture of your potential. In order to have incredible arms your forearms are important in all of your training because your forearms are linked to your grip strength (as well as overall aesthetic to beautiful arms). Thus exercising your antebrachium (Latin for forearm) wrist flexors and wrist extensors is essential. It not only improves your grip strength, but allows you to hold heavier weights as you continue to max out your loads for training the rest of your body.
You see, if you can hold heavier weights for longer periods you can train heavier and harder! Thus gains can be linked to improved forearm strength. Even just holding incredibly heavy dumbbells for example, when performing leg-lunges require great grip strength. You can hold heavier for longer before your forearms fatigue. So improving your forearm strength can help improve your overall maximum load that you can carry! You follow? Well follow this forearm blast maximally once per week. This is a quick forearm workout that can help improve your grip strength and thus overall increase your stamina for carrying heavy loads and corollary to that improve strength and gains overall.
In a squat rack (if you have access to one take an Olympic bar that is 45 lbs.), leave it on the safety arms of the the squat rack (I like ROGUE© equipment* see 2 in footnote) grab the bar with an overhand grip (palms toward you). This trains your wrist extensors. Roll at a good pace do this for a solid minute. Use the safety rack in case your forearms get tired (lest you drop the bar! –I have seen it happen). As soon as you’re done with rolling the bar away from you blasting wrist extensors— wait ten seconds! Reach up to the chin-up bar on your squat rack’s top bar and hang! Hold for 30 seconds letting your forearms burn. This is an isometric contraction to really fatigued the arm jump off give yourself ten seconds, take the bar again (pronate grip again) this time roll the bar toward you. This time you are working your wrist flexors on (muscles on the palm side of your forearm). Jump off and hang again for 10 seconds. If you dare, repeat this for four cycles. If you can! To fully pulverize your forearms at the very end of your “four cycle blast”— grab some heavy dumbbells and simply grip and walk with them for 30 seconds up to a minute. This is anaerobic style training. It is glycolic metabolic pathway training and thus theoretically is for growth and strength. It is like Tabata[1] , or HIIT (high intensity interval training) but for forearms! The isometric contraction will improve your grip strength and stamina. The concentric eccentric work will improve overall functionality of grip. In addition to all of these exercises there are some pretty good concentric contraction devices out there: Such as the Rogue “crush gripper.”[2] As a nationally licensed massage therapist and certified personal trainer I rely on my grip strength as part of my profession and am perpetually searching for ways to improve my grip, I have used the Rogue gripper and when I am consistent with it— have noted an improvement (especially opening those infamously hermetically sealed glass food jars). Now get out and train those forearms.


[1] Tabata: theory in anaerobic training sourced from; www.Verywellfit.com/tabata-training-definition-1230982. VERYWELLFIT.com  
[2] Rogue “Crush-gripper” found online at: https://www.roguefitness.com/captains-of-crush-grippers. Roguefitness.com.

Back to Issues

 

 
 
© 2004-2015 HardFitness Design All right reserved.