How to Build Big Forearms at Home

Have you ever heard of forearm levering? This is a common exercise used by arm wrestlers and grip enthusiasts, where one grabs onto the edge of a given object and levers it by controlling the wrist. What’s interesting about levering is that you don’t need a lot of weight to make the exercise feel heavy.

As a matter of fact, this exercise is typically performed with sledge hammers which only weigh about 10-20lbs. Although 10-20lbs does not seem like a lot of weight, there is a high chance that if you never did levering before, you won’t even be able to budge a sledge hammer for even an inch.

That’s because you have SERIOUS moment arms that are working against you. You see, gravity operates in a straight line. Anything that deviates away from this line will cause you to experience shittier leverages. This is why deadlifting with the bar 6 inches in front of you is much harder than if it were on your shins. That’s what a moment arm is, horizontal distance from the main line of force that causes you to work harder than normal.

And this is why forearm levering is so effective! Through using basic items like a sledgehammer, we can make it feel astronomically harder just by intentionally setting up moment arms.

Now I am very aware that if you don’t work in construction or do manual labor that you most likely don’t have access to a sledgehammer. I get that.

That’s why I want to show you an alternative exercise that will yield similar benefits. And the best part…it can be done at home by ANY of you.

It doesn’t matter how strong you are, this exercise is fully accommodated for all strength levels. Let me show you what to do.

The Plan

In order to perform levering at home, you will only require a basic kitchen pot that has handles. I’m assuming that all of you have one, as this is what most people use to boil water and ultimately cook their food.

Now depending how strong you are, the pot size will vary. If you have never trained forearms directly or done wrist work, use the smallest pot available. If you have some experience and are decently strong, consider a medium-size pot. And if you’re an advanced lifter who is very familiar with forearm training, use a large pot.

Next step, you will need to choose where you are going to grip the handles of the pot. Remember, the further you grab the handle, the harder the exercise will be from a leverage standpoint. If you want this exercise to very difficult, grab the edge, and if you want to make it easier, grab it as close as possible.

Once you have your grip width established, it’s time to add some resistance. In this case, we will use water. While holding the handle and your elbow being secured on the sink’s platform, turn on the faucet and start filling up that pot with water.

You will find that the more water fills up the pot, the heavier the exercise becomes. This is exactly what you want.

Eventually, the pot will feel EXTREMELY heavy and you will need to turn off the faucet fast. At this point, I want you to isometrically hold that position for 20-30 seconds. This will be an extreme challenge for most of you. Once done, switch hands and do the same thing for that side. Keep alternating back and forth for a total of 3-5 revolutions. After that, you’re pretty much done! Your forearms should be throbbing, and the pump should be unreal. It should feel exactly as if you came out of the gym.

And that’s how you build big forearms at home! Using basic levering principles through using a pot of water.

In terms of progressive overload, it’s super easy. Simply monitor how much water is in the pot, and try to increase the amount every time you do this exercise. Eventually, the water shall reach the top of the pot and you’ll be able to switch to a larger size.

Another method, as described earlier, is to make leverages harder on yourself. The further you grab the handle, the more difficult the exercise becomes. That’s another way of tracking progress, because if you get stronger in the harder position it means your forearms are growing.

That’s really all there is to it folks. When you’re done this exercise, feel free to boil some water and make yourself a nice meal.

You earned it.

-Alex

PS: If you want some more special exercises, check out Naturally Enhanced. There’s over 200 unique movements that will build your strength in several different ways.