Guest Shano_mac Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 What do you guys think about the size of your forearms or how much muscle there is affecting grip strength. I know that in my family all the guys have big forearms especially when compared to the upper arm. Also to the same degree we all have fairly strong grips. So how much of a role does the forearm play in grip strength ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Van Weele Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 I think it helps. Get your forearm area as big as you can and your grip should go up. Your number one priority though is to be strengthening your grip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tou Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 It helps but it's not the main factor. I have big forearms. Bigger than many people here. However, MANY are A LOT stronger than me. Size doesn't always equal strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Dockery Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 I agree with Tou. I've got a buddy who's into Bodybuilding. His forearms are huge. Much bigger than mine. However, my grip is MUCH stronger than his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratavarious_connection Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Expanding on what Tou has said. Forearm size and strength is relative to the person in question. Someone who gets stronger at their grip WILL get bigger forearms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubthewonderscot Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 It seems to me that alot of grip work is tendon related. I don't know of those being a big portion of overall forearm size. Yeah, you can have thick tendons and small forearms. Just my 2 cents Weldon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Edgin Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 If you have a really strong grip, you will likely have larger forearms. But the converse is not true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wells Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 You guys forgot about rock climbers and other specialized body types. To general of an assumption IMO to make: Bigger forearms=stronger grip and/or strong grip=big forearms I think not. Mass as in size doesn't necessarily reflect functional strength, hardness, tendon health (as in strength, flexibility, recovery, etc.), as well as healthy wrists and other important aspects of athletic nature. No science behind these statements of yours, sorry to say... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bender Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 From my RB Dyno results, the highest numbers have all come from one body type: guys 35-40, very-low body fat, thin build, dense muscles, thick tendons. Hand strength is in a large part dependant on tendon strength. Your muscles can only pull as hard as the tendons allow you, and for 99% of the population, increasing mucle strength is secondary to waiting for the tendons to strengthen. This goes for the "real strength" that comes in the 30's, and is why even the strongest man can't do some specific grip feats. Both rely on tendon strength. You can train your arms to be as big as you want, but if you want hand-strength, just train heavy and your hands will strengthen. Again, the most important part of our sport is to have the dicipline to train hard and train smart for 10 years. Real gains don't come in 1-month bursts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wells Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Physiologically speaking, Bender has 'nailed' it right on the head... or in Bender's case: bent the nail's head to it's foot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratavarious_connection Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Train your grip for a while and watch what happens to the dimensions of your forearms. even the tendons getting thicker, over time makes the forearms bigger.....you can find pretty thin man with a strong grip with small forearms, sure...but I also bet that before that person started training their arms, they were smaller. Unless that person is a anatomical/physiological anomaly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sausage Fingers Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 whats up you all??????? with me its kind of funny my stonger forearm is smaller than my weaker forearm its always been that way........... bender a ??????? : how do you increase the thickness/strength of your tendons???????? P.S. and whats that about the 30's??????? its my b-day today ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerryg Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 (edited) What to you guys call a large forearm?I know some "fat" men who have large forearms but are weak in thier weight and grip training. Edited February 5, 2004 by gerryg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerryg Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 What do you guys call a large forearm?I know some "fat" men who have large forearms but are weak in thier weight and grip training. Spelling mistake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bender Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 how do you increase the thickness/strength of your tendons???????? Time and Heavy Training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bender Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Speaking of forearm size, I havn't noticed very much forearm groth at all. I'd like to state that my forearm has not changed shape, only density. I've also done minimal rep work and havn't spent much time with wrist curls or wrist rollers. I thought there'd be more gain over the last 2 years, but apparently it's been almost non-existant. On the other hand: the section of my forearm between my wrist and the bulge of my traditional "forearm" has gotten considerably bigger. I have no measurements, but it's 1" or more. That's been cool and I notice it often. The gain is from the bundle of tendons in the lower arm and some of the muscles on the back of my wrists from sledge play. Anyone else notice this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratavarious_connection Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Point is, something WILL get bigger as you get stronger :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landon Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 yah, forearm size hasn't really increased, just the densness of them has. But I'm not using a repetition method so muscle hypertrophy won't be as apparent (even though it's probably happening, just at slow rates). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landon Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Point is, something WILL get bigger as you get stronger :P yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 I don't know. I train forearms butally and have gotten them very strong, and some say they are very large. But I train grip just as hard. So I don't think that training one will accomplish the other. I think you must train both - for both. Sixgun. (32 years of lifting) sixgun35703@yahoo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shano_mac Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Thanks for the info. I like to train my forearms get a really nice burn that is differnt from most other muscle burns and I usually cant squeeze a walmart bought gripper afterwords. I always thought itd be neat to achieve 17 inch dense muscular forearms, rival popeye. However I would have to say that I trained my forearms far longer then my grip and once I got my CoC trainer I could close it no problem. So I think that training both would be most beneficial to overall grip strength. What do you guys think about alternating training days with day 1 grip training day 2 forearm training. Would this be over training or could the forearms and the hands take it ? I have noticed that after a hard forearms workout my muscles are super pumped and beat red, which is the same if I do say a chest workout. But the burn is far more intense in the forearms while exercisingthey feel like they are going to burst through the skin. However the following day my chest is sore so I know its growing but my forearms never get that kind of muscle soreness or the growing feeling. So which leads me to more questions. what types of muscle fibres are in the forearms ? Could the forearms be trained daily because they are constantly used ? DO they require higher rep training to get that kind of growing soreness ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Would not the calf area represent how a forearm would repond to training? Many factors: 1) genetics a) long muscle bellies - great for adding muscle mass and strnegth b) short muscle bellies - great for power transfer and strength harder to grow (look big) c) big boned folks usually have big forearms and calves d) lithe folks usually have smaller forearms and calves 2) excercie/training/work performed a) ballistic - a combo of tendon and muscle but, most is tendon and this type improves eleasticity a lot and stiffness a bit. b) slow/isometrics high effort- hits everything equally and builds tendon stiffness a lot and elasticity a bit. c) ultra high reps low intensity - usually only increases tendon elasticity a good amount and stiffness a bit. d) med high reps med (pump) intensity - usually builds muscle and tendon elasticity and tendon stiffness a bit. 3) amount of food intake and how your body utilizes the nutrients. 4) steroids and other... There are many others but, like PLers and OLers it takes reps usually to get bigger and after awhile stronger. After awhile (1-10+ years) you will stop getting stronger without adding size. Thoughts from a newbie... -Keith- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulgrim Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Iv'e noticed some size on the supine side of the forearm between the wrist and "bulge" but asides from that, none Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianders1 Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 a) long muscle bellies - great for adding muscle mass and strnegth b) short muscle bellies - great for power transfer and strength harder to grow (look big) As someone blessed/cursed with long muscle bellies, I have to disagree. It's much easier for someone to build up significant size if they have short muscle bellies. They may not look as impressive, but it takes a lot of hard work and a long, long time to increase the size of long muscle bellies. I've weigh 225-230, but my arms are only about 15" (cold, outstretched) and my calves 16.5" Many guys I know have a fraction of the mass (weighing 180 or so) and though they're the same height, their muscle bellies are short and they've got huge guns. Granted, some day, when my measurements are the same, I'll look much better, but alas, that will take a while... Think of it as volume - how much to fill a shot glass vs. a pint glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffPeterson Posted February 6, 2004 Share Posted February 6, 2004 I wish I had bigger forearms mine are only 13.5 inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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