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Strong-Armin’ the Competition: Reverse Wrist Curls on a Bench |
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Written by Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM
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Monday, 23 April 2007 |
It's easy to rationalize the forearms away, because just about every exercise that causes you to grip a bar requires activation of the forearm muscles. Furthermore, unless you have an electric shaver, your hand coordination could verge on suicidal if you attempt to shave with a razor after a hard forearm workout. So, if forearm training is barely necessary, and can potentially make your face look like something at a sushi bar, why even bother? One problem is that many bodybuilders believe that because the forearm muscles usually get some indirect work from other upper body exercises there's no need for any direct work. However, even the strongest bodybuilders who hoist the heaviest weight may not be activating their forearm muscles as much as they think.
For example, wrist straps are often used to prevent a loaded bar from slipping out of a bodybuilder's hands during heavy rowing deadlifts or shrugs. This a valid because the hand grip strength is usually the weakest link preventing him from using heavier weights in many back exercises. The downside is that the wrist straps rob the forearm of strength and size that would otherwise be captured without wrist straps. The best compromise is to utilize wrist straps sparingly and only during your heavy sets- and never for warm-up sets. However, since the forearm muscles grow quite slowly, it's also necessary to invest in some direct training of your forearm muscles so your upper and lower arms are maximized.
Is there a real benefit to investing additional precious time and effort in direct forearm training? Yes, with the outcome of improving not only your muscle mass, but your wrist and grip strength, as well. Even when forearms are cloaked by a heavy sweatshirt, a handshake powered by thick forearms can be readily detected because only great forearms can launch a crushing grip. Furthermore, only the bodybuilder illiterate will refuse to admire a thick sinewy forearm that's dripping with vascularity and extending through a shirtsleeve. Of course, it makes sense that a forearm resembling a huge ham is the natural extension of a massive and peaked upper arm.
Structure and Function
The forearm, has an anterior (flexor) compartment and a posterior (extensor) compartment. Although the anterior muscles are responsible for most of the gripping strength per se, in this article, we'll focus on the muscles in the posterior aspect of the forearm. This is because if the posterior forearm muscles are weak, your grip strength will be weak, even if you possess superb anterior forearm muscles. This is because the wrist extensor muscles fix the wrist so it doesn't move (or moves very little) when you grip a bar to lift it. In fact, your grip strength will diminish to almost nothing, if you maximally flex the wrist joint. Therefore, to maximize your grip, you must have strong wrist and finger extensors.
The brachioradialis muscle doesn't control wrist function, but it is located on the posterior forearm. It begins over the lateral aspect of the humerus bone on the lateral epicondyle (the 'bump' you can palpate on the lateral end of your humerus bone just above and lateral to your elbow). It attaches to the radius bone of the forearm near the thumb side of the wrist. It does not cross the wrist, so it only has a function at the elbow.
The extensor carpi radialis longus muscle is covered in part by the brachioradialis. In some people, it's difficult to distinguish between the heads of the brachioradialis and the extensor carpi radialis longus. In others, these muscle bellies are separated and this provides a clear delineation ("genetics"). This wrist extensor muscle begins above the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, but below the brachioradialis. It attaches into the back of the second metacarpal bone, one of five bones making up the palm of the hand. The metacarpal bones connect to a phalange or finger bones. The extensor carpi radialis longus extends the hand at the wrist joint.
The extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle is shorter than the extensor carpi radialis longus, which covers it. The brevis arises from the common extensor tendon at the elbow and it inserts on the third metacarpal bone of the hand. This muscle crosses the posterior side of the wrist joint, and therefore extends the wrist joint. It functions with the extensor carpi radialis longus to steady the wrist during flexion of the fingers (i.e., they lock your wrist when you grip a bar).
The extensor carpi ulnaris is a long, thin muscle that begins at the common extensor tendon and attaches to the fifth metacarpal bone of the hand (on the little finger side). It crosses the wrist joint on the posterior side, so when it shortens (i.e., contracts) it extends the hand. It also tends to adduct the hand at the wrist joint when it contracts. The adduction function of the hand is demonstrated with the palms facing forward; the hand is moved medially (but wrist is held straight), so the little finger moves toward the shoulder.
The extensor digitorum muscle is the most important extensors of the fingers. This muscle arises from the common extensor tendon at the elbow. The extensor digitorum divides into four tendons proximal (toward the elbow) to the wrist. They look like four individual ropes, or like small snakes paralleling down the posterior side of the forearm in a bodybuilder with low body fat. These extensor muscles attach to the back of the four fingers (phalanges). The extensor digitorum extends the hand at the wrist joint and all the joints of the fingers.
Reverse Wrist Curls
It's important to achieve a full range of motion on each repetition.
1. Select a barbell or dumbbell and a flat bench. You can kneel down on the floor with the anterior side of your forearm lying across, and resting on, a flat bench. Alternatively, you can sit on the edge of a bench and place the anterior side of your forearms on the bench between your spread thighs. With either position, only your the hands should be hanging over the edge of the bench. Dumbbells are harder to control than a straight bar or E-Z curl bar, but they provide more Freedom and less restriction during each repetition.
2. Grip the bar with your hands pronated (palms facing the floor). If your thumbs are on top of the bar rather than wrapped around the bar, this will provide more direct stress to the extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis extensor carpi ulnairis muscles. However, if you begin to fatigue, you can position your thumb under the bar.
3. Firmly grip the bar and lower the bar by flexing your wrist. Your forearms (elbow to wrist) should remain in contact with the bench at all times.
4. Extend your hands at the wrist joint by bringing the knuckles of your hands toward the back of your forearm. This results in lifting the bar upward, and this should be completed in about two seconds. Do not "jam" your wrist upward, but firmly bring the back of your hands upward as far as possible. Hold the highest position for three seconds.
5. While maintaining the forearms on the bench, lower the bar toward the floor over a very slow count of four. The long muscle bellies of the posterior forearm muscles should heave and slither like a sack full of snakes writhing with each contraction. Try to exaggerate the depth to which you lower the bar by flexing your wrist; this will increase the stretch that occurs across the muscles of the posterior forearm. Stretch against tension is an excellent stimulus for muscle growth.
6. Finally, begin the lift upward again and repeat the sequence until the set is complete. As you fatigue through your sets, you'll have the tendency to reduce the range of motion in each set or lift your forearms from the bench, but make every effort to avoid these errors. Rather than stopping prematurely, continue your final two sets with forced repetitions.
You should not do more than two sets of forced repetitions until you have a few weeks of reverse wrist curl work under your weightlifting belt. Lower the weight about twice as slow as usual after each forced repetition. Alternatively, you can work up to five to 10 partial repetitions on the final two sets of each workout. Either approach will instill a burn so deep that you will gladly welcome the blood back to your hands and forearms between sets. The pain will be well worth the sacrifice and the relief from the pain will be paradise incarnate, because you'll be well on your way to building forearm muscle mass and grip strength. These muscle bellies will begin to thicken and strengthen as the muscles adapt to each workout. In addition to the newly acquired forearm thickness, your grip strength will become like a vice each time you grasp a bar for heavy rows and lat pulldowns. The reimbursement for your effort will be in climbing to the first place podium because you have out-armed your competition from shoulder to fingertips. Reverse wrist curls are a good place to start this version of the arms race.
References
1. Alomari MA, Welsch MA, Prisby RD, Lee CM and Wood RH. Modification of forearm vascular function following short-term handgrip exercise training. Int J Sports Med 22: 361-365, 2001.
2. MacIntyre NJ, Bhandari M, Blimkie CJ, Adachi JD and Webber CE. Effect of altered physical loading on bone and muscle in the forearm. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 79: 1015-1022, 2001.
3. Oksa J, Ducharme MB and Rintamaki H. Combined effect of repetitive work and cold on muscle function and fatigue. J Appl Physiol 92: 354-361, 2002.
4. Segal RL, Catlin PA, Krauss EW, Merick KA and Robilotto JB. Anatomical partitioning of three human forearm muscles. Cells Tissues Organs 170: 183-197, 2002.
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