- Reverse curls are a basic forearm exercise that you can do with dumbbells or a barbell. The good thing about being able to use free weights is that you can easily monitor your progress as you lift heavier weights. You can also easily adjust the weight until you find the correct weight to fatigue your forearms. Stand up straight and hold a dumbbell in each hand or a barbell with your palms down. Hang your arms down in front of your body. Bend your elbows and curl the weights up toward your shoulders. This move is similar to a bicep or hammer curl. The difference is that your palms are turned down, which places the emphasis on the forearm muscles.
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The forearms are also responsible for rotating the wrist and elbow. You can use dumbbells to build strength in this part of your wrists. Simply hold your arms straight in front of you with a dumbbell in each hand and twist your palms up and down. Use light dumbbells at first.
Another way you can strengthen your forearms with rotation is add a twist to bicep curls. You can do this by allowing your arms to hang at your sides while holding a dumbbell in each hand. You can sit or stand. Your palms will be facing inwards toward your body. Curl your right arm up toward your shoulder and rotate your palm up as you lift. Lower your arm and rotate it back so that your right palm is facing your right hip. Do the same with the left arm. - Another way to build forearm strength is by doing an isometric squeeze with an object like a stress ball or a grip tool. You can buy hand or forearm grip exercise equipment online, but a tennis ball works well, too. Simply hold the ball in your hand and squeeze as hard as you can for five seconds. Relax and then squeeze again. Start with 10 reps and increase as your forearm gets stronger. Do as many reps as it takes for your hand and forearm to get tired.
