Do we really NEED to do forearm work?

[Clubber Lang]

Does anyone directly work their forearms (wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, etc.) or are they uneccesary considering your forearms and wrists get plenty of work from your other lifts?

In case it matters I am training to get back into shape so I can back into amateur boxing.

 

[eat big]

it all depends, ive enver done it once in my life and my forearms are one of my better bodyparts. sometimes after heavy pulling movements, you can feel it in your forearms a lot.

 

[Aeoleon]

I love working my forearms. It is especially helpful during rockclimbing/bouldering. I use grip squeezers from king or captain crunch or some shit. I also do wrist flexor and extendor exercises.

 

[Dave949]

I agree with what eat big said. (It depends). I used to do a lot of direct forearm work during my first 5 years into lifting but my forearms are lame and did not respond well and eventually I dropped direct F-arm work. (no use on beating a dead horse). However I do get plenty of forearm work from my deads, chins, hang cleans, rows and curls and occassionally I`ll do a few sets of hammer curls.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

My forearms personally seem to get plenty of work from any kind of pulling or curling exercise so direct forearm work for me is unnecesary.

I think it just depends,

Mine get a nice pump from high rep deads, lots of back to back cleans, rows and curls.

 

[Xtream]

I do them one time a week. Holding on to the 150 lb DB's for shrugs seems to be enough

 

[bigrazor]

for me, they are important. i have seen good results in the past year or so since i started working them directly. Also, i immediately saw weight gains in my back/bicep lifts afterwards. i work them off and on now, when i have extra time after arms.

I figure, weak forearms could really hold you back on bis, back and all grip based stuff.

 

[BlondBomber]

I don't do isolation movements like wrist curls, but should do reverse BB curls or hammer curls. While both will increase your grip strength, which in turn will increast the weight you can handle in other lifts, they will also help your bench. Hammer curls are the only curls that the powerlifters I know do. So try both, 8-12 reps, and you will definately notice a difference in your grip strength, and possibly your bench #'s.

 

[JohnnyCoho]

Kinda Like Dave & Eat Big said, My forearms are large enough and get plenty of work from my Deads, Pull-up, Rows ect. As long as your not using straps your forearms should get all the grip strength and size needed from compound lifts.

 

[bigrazor]

i think of it like this:

i want my forearms to fail in order to get max gains from them,

but if they are only being worked during compound lifts like deads, rows, etc., then i dont want them to fail, b/c this means they are holding my other muscle groups back during those lifts.

so the only way to get max gains from my forearms without compromising other groups is to do them seperately.

of course all this only applies if you seek max gains in your forearms.