Just thinking about my BFL plan and there's not really anything in there to target forearms..... The UBWO that I'm doing at the moment (will probably change it in a few weeks) is

Chest DB Bench Press with DB Flyes
Shoulders DB Press with side raises
Back Wide grip pulldown with reverse grip pulldown
Tris Seated DB extensions with lying DB extensions
Bis DB curls with hammer curls

Should any of that hit the forearms?

I know I'm only 2 weeks into my program, so not expecting stellar gains at the moment, but when I did my measurements last week, my bicep/tricep, chest, thigh and calf measurements were all up a bit, but my forearms were the same.

I have always had really pretty small wrists and forearms, so would like to make sure I get some good gains in those areas, but my UBWO is still running a bit too long at the moment... should I look at adding in a couple of sets of something with BB or DB to target the forearms in my UBWO, should I look at buying either one of those powerball gyroscope things or some grippers and do a seperate forearm workout at another time, or should I just hang tight and let the UBWO that I'm already doing have a knock on effect on my forearms?

Cheers

I think you'll hit your forearms indirectly with your UBWO. Give it 6 weeks and see what sort of results you get. If you think you need to add an exercise to isolate forearms you could add it then. By then you should be able to get your workout time down as well. You may even consider in the future further splitting up your routine instead of just doing UB/LB. That's what I'm considering for my next challenge. www.exrx.net has an extensive list of exercises and what muscles they targe.

Jen

Thanks for that advice Jen I'll wait till the end of week 6 and see if there's any progress.

That looks like a good link - I'll have a proper look at home tonight.

Hi Doogie,
I wondered about that too but the UBW, specifically the bicep exercises hit the forearms for me. My forearms always got sore after I did bicep curls on the pulley system (not sure of the "proper" name for that machine!) If you incorporate push-ups into your routine that seems to work well too.

Sheri

I had a look at www.exrx.net and it says hammer curls are good for forearms, so I might mess around and do main set of hammer curls with the extra set of curls.

nitrovixen - I'm not sure what machine you're talking about.... but I'll have a look in the gym - I do as much as possible with dumbells rather than machines.

Pushups are a good idea too, thanks

Ugh, I wish I knew what they are called. It is one of those machines that many people can use at once, with different stations. Ours also has pull-up bars, benches for rowing-type exercises, pull-down bars and attachments for tricep exercises, biceps, etc. People often buy smaller versions for home use.
Hope you know what 'm talking about. Can someone pipe in here with the name of this thing?!

Sheri

Finishing up week 6 here. For the first 4 weeks, for upper body I copied the plan from the book. Now I am doing :

Flat Barbell Bp with cable flyes
Barbell Military Press with Seated Bent Over Dumbbell Raises
Bent over rows with Pull ups
Triceps Extensions with Seated Bent Over DB extensions
Barbell Curl with Preacher Curls

My forearms haven't grown in 6 weeks, but man they are hard as a rock now! Plus I see more definition, muscles I didn't realize existed!

Hang in there!

Ah right, like multi-gym sort of things? I think I know what you're talking about now

Hi yellowman, I'm in my third week of workout regimen. I would like to put on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and so far, since I began, I've noticed a reasonable improvement. I'm just picking up where I left off, 4 years ago. It's amazing how much memory ,muscles have. My question to you, is: What is your average carb intake on a daily basis? And also,can you recommend a good energy boost? Thanks for any advice you may have...Wally

what are you doing for LBW? forearms are often exercised by gripping hard - and gripping hard for heavy lifts like deadlifts would be a good one. if you want specific forearm exercises, there are always wrist curls, towel-twists, roll-ups, etc.

Wally D,

My nutrient ratios are about 40% Protein, 15 to 20% Carbs (Fiber around 40 gm or so), and the rest is fat. I shoot for a 3500 cal deficit over a week, 750 a day from M - Saturday, leaves me with a 1000 calorie buffer on Sunday when I eat a bit more.

Don't really use an energy boost here, just like to sleep=) At the most, I'll drink a cup of coffee before a weights workout, only if it is afternoon or earlier. HIIT I can pretty much grit my teeth through (although I seem to have missed quite a few)

Trainer Dan over in the CKD forums knows all about the energy enhancement/thermogenic stuff, he is a wonderful source of information.

Good luck to you!

Thanks LisaS

For LBW I'm doing squats (was doing leg press, will possibly mix and match the two of them), leg extensions, leg curls and calf raises. I was doing DB lunges but my form was crappy and I've tried a few times with a gym staff member trying to get form right but I still have difficulty getting my feet right.

I've only tried deadlifts once while doing my induction type thing and it hurt my hamstrings like hell (and I've read that deadlifts are one of the easiest exercises to injure yourself doing).... I'll maybe have another shot now that I've been doing the leg curls for a while (which was sore in my hams but not nearly as much and has got a lot better/ heavier now)

then just load up the DB (maybe 45# per side) and do farmer's walks with them for your grip/arms. Fat gripping also builds forearms - if you don't have access to fat bars you can wrap a towel around DB handles when you carry them.

Or fashion your own roller - take a 12-15" dowel, tie a sturdy string around the middle, tie the other end around a plate or DB. Roll the dowel with your forearms (twist away from you)(wrist flexions) to raise the weight - and lower under control. do sets of these. Then raise it by rolling towards you (wrist extentions).

Another think you can do is with a light sledgehammer. hold the handle and flex your wrist in all 4 directions, under control, even varying which side the head falls to. You'll have to maneuver your arm so that you are working against gravity in each direction, but you can work that out.

Or the old strongman's forearm exercise. Take 2 buckets. Fill 1 1/2 way with water. Dip in a towel till it is saturated - then wring it out over the other bucket, twisting with your hands. Wring it as dry as you possibly can. Repeat. When you have moved all the water from bucket A to bucket B - twisting right hand way, left hand towards - move it all back again from B to A with reversing of the twisting motion. Don't cheat - add water to B as needed to make sure you move the same amount each way. Your forearms and grip will be toast after this.

two words: hammer curls

Wow, thanks LisaS, great list there!

legwarmers - I've changed my bi exercise to be mainly hammer curls

Thanks guys!