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How Big Are Your Forearms? Do Grippers Really Get Them Bigger?


KBI

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We've been waiting 12 years for that, Joe, lol (last post on this thread was 12 years ago!).

I think the relevance of big forearms depends a lot on the rest of your body.  Mine are "only" about 14-14.5 inches, which someone on this thread said seemed average for gripsters.  But people sometimes look at me and say, man, look at your forearms!  Even big guys.  More than one person has spontaneously called me "Popeye."  Because, well, I am short, and only 175 pounds, and even my biceps aren't much more than 14 inches.  So my forearms look relatively big, and they are indeed big for a smaller guy, and strong for my overall bodyweight.  But if you put my forearms on a typical big guy (220-240 pounds), they'd look just right.  Not huge like they look on me, or small like they'd look on a 300-pound grip expert.  

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Oof, my forearms are 11-1/8” and I have always been self-conscious about them and my wrists which look painfully thin. My wrist is a whopping 6-1/2”. I try and have a “just shake what your mama gave you” attitude. I feel I did really well on grippers.

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2 hours ago, Cannon said:

Oof, my forearms are 11-1/8” and I have always been self-conscious about them and my wrists which look painfully thin. My wrist is a whopping 6-1/2”. I try and have a “just shake what your mama gave you” attitude. I feel I did really well on grippers.

Yes, you are probably the lightest ever MM1.  At least for the ones that are recorded.  That's some efficient muscle use there!

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Mine are 12.5" (unpumped) straight arm at 165lbs. Bone wise i have good size hands but i started with tiny 6.5" wrists and they are only 7" now after years of training. Still tiny.

Grippers do build forearm size if you do higher reps and volume. I think most people do very low reps what dont build as much size. They are not the best way to build size though. To me thick bar and wrist work build the most size. 

20210723_184804.jpg

Edited by mcalpine1986
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1 hour ago, Joe Sullivan said:

I agree. High reps with grippers build size for sure.

 And great forearm there, brother!!! Swole for sure!

Appreciate the kind words. No where near your huge arms though. 

This thread needs more forearm pics. 

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If I had posted my forearm in a forum with my college classmates or work folks or Facebook generally, I’d have felt vain.  But after seeing the humongous hams you guys posted I certainly don’t feel like a braggart posting this lol.

D1E74F9E-1E5A-406D-9006-D06B9721E912.jpeg

2F1702BA-73E7-4F09-9575-E26E0B25C3C1.jpeg

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31 minutes ago, Joe Sullivan said:

 Vin, your forearms On your frame are so ridiculous they look like a caricature of forearms....

Well that's the pot calling the kettle Popeye ...

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16 hours ago, Vinnie said:

If I had posted my forearm in a forum with my college classmates or work folks or Facebook generally, I’d have felt vain.  But after seeing the humongous hams you guys posted I certainly don’t feel like a braggart posting this lol.

D1E74F9E-1E5A-406D-9006-D06B9721E912.jpeg

2F1702BA-73E7-4F09-9575-E26E0B25C3C1.jpeg

Very thick forearms. Meaty flexors.

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14 hours ago, Joe Sullivan said:

You twisted my “arm”.... haha .... can never have too much  forearm Vanity!!

 

836327CA-2059-4CEB-931E-000EC52AAA89.png

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Massive! Back at you 😂

20210717_072651.jpg

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On 11/2/2009 at 1:24 PM, mobsterone said:

Joe Roark has measured as many as anyone and he's also THE man to tell you that not only do most people BS they also measure them differently. If one guy claims an accurate 15-inch but it's goosenecked and another straight arm fist flexed claims the same then the straight arm measure is better. If you post a size up be clear what style you used.

At my heaviest and with a pump arm out but with a slight bend to my elbow I've had 16.25-inches. Being tall and with many years under my belt the muscles have become more developed nearer the wrist than back when it was all at the elbow so they look bigger due to over all mass than a shorter muscle looks.

As for grippers making them big... nope. Not on their own. Who here ONLY trains grippers?? No one I'll bet. Nearly all of ya do 2 or more movements. If you wanna work the meat use the old forearm curls, thick bar inc reps with an RT) or do some wrist roller work. But if you train for an all round grip inc pinch you'll get some development that way too.

To update this a few mionths back they hit a fraction under 17-inches  at a bodyweight of (then) 329lbs. Pumped, arm usual angle, fist bent

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In my few years doing grippers, I'd say they have increased my forearm size some, but probably not once I passed my beginner's surge (where I got better fast, contrast to now, where I can be stuck on one gripper as my max for months).  I don't do ONLY grippers but I do MOSTLY grippers (maybe 80 per cent of my working out is grippers).  I actually don't want to make my forearms bigger because, at 14-ish inches, straight, they already look big on my 175 pounds.  I'd rather tone them and get some more definition, if we are just talking about what they look like.  On the other hand, I would kinda like to get the IM cert (who wouldn't?), and I'm not all that far from it, so if working grippers has made/does make my forearms bigger while trying, c'est la vie. But I don't think at this point it is really doing much size-wise anymore. 

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I've added some size since starting but not like i should Its taken me almost two years to realize i've been biting off more than i can chew, trying to tackle too many goals and not accomplishing any of them. But straight out, mine are probably 11 1/4inch... Flexed, about 12.5, maybe closer to 13".   I weigh 175,, trying to get 14  inchers.... Had to ease up a little due to some achy wrists....Now that i'm only going to focus two things, plus wrist rolling

IMG_0066.jpg

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1 minute ago, Blacksmith513 said:

I've added some size since starting but not like i should Its taken me almost two years to realize i've been biting off more than i can chew, trying to tackle too many goals and not accomplishing any of them. But straight out, mine are probably 11 1/4inch... Flexed, about 12.5, maybe closer to 13".   I weigh 175,, trying to get 14  inchers.... Had to ease up a little due to some achy wrists....Now that i'm only going to focus two things, plus wrist rolling

IMG_0066.jpg

Nice shot. Are you an actual blacksmith? When you are talking about flexed do you mean a goosenecked measurement in your photo yes?  

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31 minutes ago, mcalpine1986 said:

Nice shot. Are you an actual blacksmith? When you are talking about flexed do you mean a goosenecked measurement in your photo yes?  

Thank you Hobby, but would love to be full time. and we have a family run construction company. Right now I’m trying to get in the National Guard (would of loved active duty but have some commitments)so I’m focusing more on endurance.

 

when I measured flexed, I didnt gooseneck it. But my measurements don’t change that much, gooseneck or not.

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1 hour ago, SeNoLD said:

For the US folks who don't feel like looking it up, 43 centimeters is 17 inches (16.9-something, actually, but you know, if he eats an extra cookie or two he's there).

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43 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

For the US folks who don't feel like looking it up, 43 centimeters is 17 inches (16.9-something, actually, but you know, if he eats an extra cookie or two he's there).

Yep and ripped to shreds. Incredible forearms. Potential COC 4 CCS cert as well. 

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51591D69-21F7-430C-AF84-21CF73CD5155.thumb.jpeg.d9da6fd4204c6548f6b1be4b242a9546.jpeg
 

remarkably small if one considers the 20+ years training lol! I look at the men I lift with routinely - Tanner, Tommy J, Stephen, David T, Eric, Roy- I truly have the most puny looking arms out of the whole crew. I’m just all tendon, and no amount of volume has ever really changed my forearms that much. This last year lots of plate curls - chin ups- fatbar - and table time arm wrestling…forearms look pretty much identical to 2 years ago but ridiculously stronger. 

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1 hour ago, AdamTGlass said:

51591D69-21F7-430C-AF84-21CF73CD5155.thumb.jpeg.d9da6fd4204c6548f6b1be4b242a9546.jpeg
 

remarkably small if one considers the 20+ years training lol! I look at the men I lift with routinely - Tanner, Tommy J, Stephen, David T, Eric, Roy- I truly have the most puny looking arms out of the whole crew. I’m just all tendon, and no amount of volume has ever really changed my forearms that much. This last year lots of plate curls - chin ups- fatbar - and table time arm wrestling…forearms look pretty much identical to 2 years ago but ridiculously stronger. 

Strength > Size. Any day of the week. 

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12 hours ago, AdamTGlass said:

51591D69-21F7-430C-AF84-21CF73CD5155.thumb.jpeg.d9da6fd4204c6548f6b1be4b242a9546.jpeg
 

remarkably small if one considers the 20+ years training lol! I look at the men I lift with routinely - Tanner, Tommy J, Stephen, David T, Eric, Roy- I truly have the most puny looking arms out of the whole crew. I’m just all tendon, and no amount of volume has ever really changed my forearms that much. This last year lots of plate curls - chin ups- fatbar - and table time arm wrestling…forearms look pretty much identical to 2 years ago but ridiculously stronger. 

Very impressive forearms. Those tendons look as thick as pencils and scream Power.

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