wrist straps...

[needsize]

Gladiola, I bet if you had of started training forarms when you started training the rest of you, then there wouldn't likely be a disparity between your grip strength and your other muscle groups. But if you don't care about forarm size and strength, then using wraps wouldn't be a big deal. But I think most guys should worry about it as a lot of guys have small forarms compared to their upper arms, and that sort of lack of symmetry really looks bad.

 

[Gladiola]

Gladiola, I bet if you had of started training forarms when you started training the rest of you, then there wouldn't likely be a disparity between your grip strength and your other muscle groups.

I agree! Grrrr.... I didn't know enough back then to know that that was bad advice!

lack of symmetry really looks bad.

I agree lack of symmetry looks bad... but so far I think my balance from a visual standpoint is fine.

I do especially like beefy forearms on a man though Thanks for the input!

 

[needsize]

No problem, I and i agree, while a man looks terrible with small forarms, large ones aren't really necessary on a woman.

 

[big4life]

I use them for very heavy bb shrugs. My grip has sucked every since I had carpel tunnel surgery on both wrists. I tried not using them for a long time, but my grip kept giving out.

 

[bignate73]

functional strength (funk'shun'uhl strength) n. - shit you can use.

ditch the straps or youll look like a sissy later when you have to use them to hang on to dbells for curls. hehe.

in reality, if you start out without straps, your strength will increase proportionally with your other muscle groups. its humbling when you know you can row a bunch of weight but are determined to ditch your straps cause your forearms suck and you have to drop down. (trust me i know) after a while though, your forearms catch up and you dont give it a second thought.

"if you cant hang on to it, or unrack it, you dont belong lifting it." -nate (heheh)

as for the female that mentioned that her forearms would blow up, come on now. what good is strength in one muscle if your extremities cant hold the weight? in the quest for shape, here or there, we deprive ourselves of our bodies ability to adapt to weaknesses.

ah hell, i guess im more of a functional advocate than most. bodybuilding is about cosmetics but the training should still be functional. what good is it to look powerful but in reality arent?

 

[Thaibox]

All you need is a bit of chalk.

thank you

 

[Gladiola]

as for the female that mentioned that her forearms would blow up, come on now.

I'm the only female on this thread (well, only one labeled as such) & I never said any such thing.

My problem is that I have been lifting for years - but only recently started training forearms independently from other muscles. I was told [by my BB brother-in-law] not to bother with training forearms because they get worked in other movements.

In reality he's right because they are worked ISOMETRICALLY in most movements, but he's wrong b/c they're *only* worked isometrically!

That's kinda like saying "don't bother to work your abs b/c they work isometrically (to stabilize your body & hold you up) all the time."
Isotonic contractions against resistance are what will get us stronger. Hence the strength imbalance I mentioned (that's almost putting a halt to any gains in my back).

I am not afraid of my forearms getting bigger, but it's not my priority. My lats matter more to me now & I'm simply not willing to let the gains in my back be stalled while I wait for my forearms to catch up.

I'm with ya on functional strength.... Having a bod that is aesthetically appealing is nice, but having a bod that can DO a lot of things is wonderful! That's part of the reason I pay attention to my flexibility too.

 

[Gladiola]

p.s. I think chalk might not be allowed at my gym - I've never seen anyone using it. Is that common?

 

[Thaibox]

p.s. I think chalk might not be allowed at my gym - I've never seen anyone using it. Is that common?

Very common. I'm the only one at my gym that uses it. They keep my gym spotless until I show up

 

[Gladiola]

Very common. I'm the only one at my gym that uses it. They keep my gym spotless until I show up

Yeah, that was my impression. My gym is quite spotless too... I can picture their faces now if I were to leave trails of white dust all over the black rubber floor...