dual topic: forearms and straps

[swoleberry]

hey brothers, need some help with two topics. they kinda go hand in hand.
1. need some exercises to produce some forearm mass, granted i know one's grip can only get so strong but i think i still have some room left.
2. straps for doing deadlifts? yes or no? the way i see it i am doing DL for my back not my forearms.

[AWARD]

1. I have a really small frame, along with small wrists and always had small forearms. I've always included wrist curls (underhand and overhand), hammer curls and reverse curls with a barbell in my routines. Somtime's ill super-set them (underhand wrist curls + overhand wrist curls) and sometimes put in dropsets. It's been working great for me.

For grip, I recently started gripping plates together; holding two 10lb plates squeezing them together and letting them hang alongside my leg, holding as long as possible.. If your gym has iron plates it'll be more challenging and more beneficial compared to rubber coated ones.

2. Different people have different opinions about straps with deadlifts.. personally i do use them sometimes because my forearms will give out before other muscles. But i try to lift without them sometimes so im not dependant on them.. When i dont lift with them, chalk helps a lot with grip.

[woody06]

2. straps for doing deadlifts? yes or no? the way i see it i am doing DL for my back not my forearms.

Yea youre doing DLs for your back. The straps will help you lift higher weight because the straps hold alot of the weight instead of relying all on your grip. More weight More gains.

[Dingo]

barbell shrug with your hands using the same grip, either both hands over or both hands under. This will force you to work on your grip since the bar will try to roll out of your fingers. Once your grip fails using the same grip for both hands, then use a mixed grip. Also farmers walk with heavy dumbbells, I have found in the past that wrapping a small hand towel around the dumbbell handle really works my grip in a farmers walk.

as far as straps for DL, use them only for your heaviest sets when you know your grip will fail. for your warm ups and intermediate weights make your forearms work too.

[msktyshha]

hey brothers, need some help with two topics. they kinda go hand in hand.
1. need some exercises to produce some forearm mass, granted i know one's grip can only get so strong but i think i still have some room left.
2. straps for doing deadlifts? yes or no? the way i see it i am doing DL for my back not my forearms.

Don't use grips on your first few lighter sets, but towards the end of your workout when you feel the weight is slipping off than use grips. I do back and biceps together, so my heavy back training does the job for forearms, barbell curls somewhat involve forearms too, than when I end my workout with hammer curls it just kills the forearms there

[C.Coronato]

I dont use straps for DLs unless im going for a huge set, like in the Cage at the Arnold i used straps, but i did 315 for 18 ..

Forearms .. I train them every single week with arms. And they have grown alot ..

I like reverse curls, PVC Pipe roll ups, DB twists .. do them as supersets.

[Aggression]

This article changed my life on the forearm/strap game:
http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?section=training&ID=225

[NaturalTrainee]

Deads for back, forearms exercises for forearms. Other than that, I odn't use straps only when going light.

[live2lift]

Like it's been said on here...use em for your heaviest sets if you have to, but limit the use of them. Two other things you could try is to use a over under grip on DLs if you don't already. I find that because of the hand placement one hand kind of balances the other lessening the need for straps. The other is to practice the hook grip. If you are not sure on this grip style, either google it or ask SGT Rock for some help. That man can hook grip a shit ton. I'm not saying not to use straps cuz I use em, but I am saying to limit how often you break em out and you should start to notice some huge improvements in your grip strength and forearm size.

[Razor]

This article changed my life on the forearm/strap game:
http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?section=training&ID=225

Thanks Aggs never even saw this article. Just read it twice to absorb it all. Thanks G for the great write up my man. Looks like some things need to change in my routine..

[BryanSmash!]

Thanks Aggs never even saw this article. Thanks G for the great write up my man.

x2

Also, I didn't see anyone mention thick bar movements. IMO that would solve both the forearm and grip problems. If you can't afford a thick bar, pick up some Fat Gripz from Elitefts.

[Big C]

I'm probably in the minority, but I use straps for all my workouts/exercises except on leg day....and that includes my heavy deads. Been doing it for a long time and have never had problems gettin huge. I think another big name who also does is the House. Maybe he could chime in.

[Deathride]

Big C is quite right....the House uses straps on everything including chest day....I think his reasoning is that he had wrist pain up until he started using them, then never stopped!

I personally don't use straps. Granted am nowhere near the big boys league, but if I can't hold it, I shouldn't be lifting it is my approach. The only time I might consider it is when heavy HEAVY deads become an issue and even then hopefully my years of not using straps will come to my aid with grip strength! :-D

[Hard Cell]

I'm probably in the minority, but I use straps for all my workouts/exercises except on leg day....and that includes my heavy deads. Been doing it for a long time and have never had problems gettin huge. I think another big name who also does is the House. Maybe he could chime in.

Yo, I'm using straps for all my workouts / exercise too, except on leg day & arm day.
And of course there is a purpose behind it. I do not want my grip to be sluggish during arm day.
Fine if you're using straps, but make sure you dont leave out your forearms in your workout during arms day.
It's all about the feel, i feel better performing my forearms if i'm using a strap for all other exercise, isolation i guess. but again, it depends.

[Aggression]

I sometimes use straps on barbell curls and dumbbells curls, simply because my palms sweat like a bitch. So the straps help me hang onto the bar for that last heavy set. But overall, I don't use straps at all. Deadlifts -- CHALK. For other back work, I only use them for the last set.

[Big C]

Yo, I'm using straps for all my workouts / exercise too, except on leg day & arm day.
And of course there is a purpose behind it. I do not want my grip to be sluggish during arm day.
Fine if you're using straps, but make sure you dont leave out your forearms in your workout during arms day.
It's all about the feel, i feel better performing my forearms if i'm using a strap for all other exercise, isolation i guess. but again, it depends.

Right bro.......when I hit some forearms after I do arms I ditch the straps.

[Funky]

I no longer have a sl ligament in my left wrist and I only use straps on my heavy deadlift, and my heavy shrugs. I use wrist wraps all the time except on leg day. Do not get the two confused they are very different people with wrist injury almost all use wraps. Straps are great to get that super heavy weight that your grip just can not hold for enough reps!!

[J-Dawg]

I would suggest using straps on any lift where your grip could give out before the target muscle gives out. That said, I think you should work on grip strength and ensuring that your grip is strong enough to support heavy lifting. I'm a big fan of hitting forearms once a week after arms--some reverse curls, wrist curls off a bench, behind the back wrist curls. You can also incorporate just holding heavy weights in your hands so that you get acclimated to 'em

[Hard Cell]

I would suggest using straps on any lift where your grip could give out before the target muscle gives out. That said, I think you should work on grip strength and ensuring that your grip is strong enough to support heavy lifting. I'm a big fan of hitting forearms once a week after arms--some reverse curls, wrist curls off a bench, behind the back wrist curls. You can also incorporate just holding heavy weights in your hands so that you get acclimated to 'em

bro, I found out doing a standing wrist curl with an ez bar works best, you can superset it with reverse wrist curl too. The pump is crazy

[The House]

Would eat sleep train in straps

[Hard Cell]

Would eat sleep train in straps

lol, bro, that's crazy. Funny stuff,

[Razor]

Would eat sleep train in straps

hahahaha yeah you would bro

[J-Dawg]

Would eat sleep train in straps

Haha, how can you argue with that?

[Funky]

I tried House's suggestion and wore my straps to bed I could feel much more power when flipping over the pillows stayed right with my hands LOL

[theharjmann]

I dont use straps for DLs unless im going for a huge set, like in the Cage at the Arnold i used straps, but i did 315 for 18 ..

Forearms .. I train them every single week with arms. And they have grown alot ..

I like reverse curls, PVC Pipe roll ups, DB twists .. do them as supersets.


x2

Also, I didn't see anyone mention thick bar movements. IMO that would solve both the forearm and grip problems. If you can't afford a thick bar, pick up some Fat Gripz from Elitefts.

Or use a thick PVC pipe lol

[theharjmann]

A lot of people say to ditch the straps when training back. I disagree with this. You need to put quite a bit of weight through your back to make it grow, and when I am doing something like barbell rows for instance with 3 plates per side i need to use straps otherwise i cant get enough reps out.

My priority is to get a big back before i get big forearms.

I suppose it depends on what your goals are. I wanna be on the stage...and shows are won by having big backs and big legs, not big forearms.

In saying this, I always train my forearms with biceps, but will never compromise my back training in order to get big forearms.

[swoleberry]

thanks brothers for all the help i have definitely been a sponge absorbing all this feedback since originally posting this.

[LegendKillerJosh]

I say on back day, wear straps so you can go as heavy as possible and hit your back hard. On forearms day, don't wear straps. Keep em seperate. Don't sacrificie your back workouts because your forearms give out.

[Little Z]

Would eat sleep train in straps

what do you mean you would.. you already do.. haha

[jeff00z28]

i been thinking about caving and gettin em specifically for barbell rows. Its not that i cant hold the weight, its that gripping the bar activates my forearms and then they take over so much of tho load that i get ridiculous doms in my forearms.