Brachioradialis Workouts To Get Huge Forearms

Table of Contents

You want to find some brachioradialis exercises to get a vast, defined, and vascular forearm. But you have no idea where to start. You’re not alone because I used to be.

My problem was that my forearm was not strong enough for some pulling exercises. And I knew that I needed to improve my brachioradialis if I wanted to go far. I explored and experienced a lot of different activities to find what is useful.

And training forearm brought me a lot of benefits: 

  • Having better-looking arms 
  • Receiving a significant advantage in other compound exercises that I did
  • Improving my PR

It’s even more fantastic because my girlfriend said: “I always want to hold your arm when we hang out, and it makes me feel safe.”

Okay, no further ado. I’m going to share with you my ten critical forearm exercises.

It’s practical and super simple to manipulate at every gym, even home.

What Is The Secret To Hitting Brachioradialis Effectively?

The position of brachioradialis is right at the joint of the elbow. The brachioradialis lies along the thumb side of the forearm.

It has a central role which is flexing the elbow.

Source: earthslab.com

However, many different forearm muscles also join in the elbow flexion.

If you want the brachioradialis becomes the primary elbow flexor, you’ll need to perform your curling movements with your wrist in a neutral position or a facing down place.

Source: researchgate.net

So there’re two critical points to attacking the brachioradialis and getting an impressive forearm.

  1. Choose exercises that hit the flexing movement of brachioradialis at the elbow.
  2. Keep your hand in the neutral position or facing down class.

Top 10 Best Brachioradialis Exercises You Should Try

#1 Cable Hammer Curl with Rope Attachment

Cable hammer curl always is my best choice to work the brachioradialis in the beginning of my sessions.

This activity not only comprehensively supplies the two key points I mentioned above but creates a continuous tension in the brachioradialis during the process.

  1. Take a long step back and hold the rope with your neutral, shoulder-width grip.
  2. Choose a middleweight.
  3. Curl the rope upward immediately to maximize force on brachioradialis, then slowly drop it down for one rep.
  4. Keep your elbows and shoulders stable at the straight standing to maintain the activation of brachioradialis.
  5. Keep your elbows pointing to the sides without swinging.
  6. Do 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps.

#2 Dumbbell Hammer Curl

The dumbbells hammer curl brings a similar movement to the cable hammer, and it also demands you use your core more to handle the dumbbells without swinging.

Well, hammer dumbbell curls always make me look fabulous with every rep.

  1. Hold a dumbbell for each hand with a neutral grip.
  2. Tight your core and stand with your back straight. 
  3. Curl the dumbbells upwards definitively until your brachioradialis touches your bicep.
  4. Tight your bicep to drop the dumbbell down slowly.
  5. Do this movement again for 2-4 sets of 10-15 reps

#3 Reverse EZ Bar Cable Curl

One more time, the brachioradialis will handle a constant tension with the cable curl.

The EZ bar will help the wrist suffer less pressure. It also allows us to touch at another angle of the brachioradialis through the facing-down grip.

  1. Set up your feet and standing position similar to the Cable Hammer Curl.
  2. Grab the EZ-curl bar hitching to the bottom of the cable with a facing-down grip on the angled portion of the bar.
  3. Curl the bar up and down, similar to a regular bicep curl exercise.
  4. Keep your elbow and shoulder stable as you do with Cable Hammer Curl.
  5. Repeat for 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps.

#4 Reverse Grip EZ Bar Curl

This brachioradialis exercise is called the overhand curl. Your forearm and bicep will be tight very hard by it.

Your wrist will suffer smaller pressure thanks to the EZ bar, and it also allows you to feel better about the balance.

  1. Take an overhand grip on the EZ bar at shoulder width in front of your thighs. 
  2. Take a deep breath and curl the bar until your hands are at your shoulders. 
  3. Lower your biceps, then squeeze them.
  4. Perform this motion again for 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps.

#5 Close-grip Pull-up

The close-grip pull-up is a great choice to train your brachioradialis without the weight if you want a change. Beyond it also constructs your back actually in the process.

  1. Use your narrow overhand grip to hold a pull-up bar.
  2. Engage your lats by looking straight ahead.
  3. Keep your legs still, bend your arms, and squeeze your back muscles while pulling your upper chest towards the bar.
  4. Feel your arms stretch as you lower yourself back down.
  5. Perform 1-2 sets of 6-12 repetitions.

#6 Close-grip Pull-down

This exercise will provide consistent resistance and offer a great addition to your brachioradialis workout. It’s easier for beginners who are not strong enough to pull the whole body weight.

  1. Put your chest high by arching your upper back slightly on a lat pulldown station.
  2. Drive your elbows down towards the ground and grab the two sides of the d-handle attachment.
  3. Curl your lats firmly, and then allow the extension to retreat to its beginning place by stretching your lats essentially.
  4. Accomplish this motion similarly for 2-4 sets of 10-20 reps.

#7 Barbell Wrist Twist

Barbell wrist twist is an excellent exercise for the brachioradialis muscle. It not only develops the Brachioradialis muscle and coordinates the muscle groups in the forearm but also increases your grip strength. The technique of this exercise is effortless: roll the barbell.

  1. Take both hands off a straight barbell.
  2. Choose an overhand or underhand grip for gripping the bar.
  3. Activate the forearm extensors and rotate the bar backward in your hands.
  4. Keep going until you can’t continue.

#8 Dumbbell Forearm Twist

With high reps, you will not only improve your endurance, which is great for sports that require heavy arm usage, but also your strength. It generally demands that you perform the dumbbell wrist twist until you burn out your forearms.

  1. Assume a neutral hand position while holding a moderately heavy dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Maintain a still posture while rotating your wrists (first in a pronated position, then in a supinated position).
  3. Try to reach muscle failure in 20-30 reps for 1-2 sets.

#9 Bent Arm Hang

Bent Arm Hang is a static hold exercise that I super love. To keep your body at the 90-degree flexion of the elbow, you need to unite your brachioradialis with your back muscle ultimately.

  1. Grip the bar or rings with your hands shoulder-width apart (maybe you will need a bench or partner to assist you)
  2. Hold your chin above the bar as long as you can without support other than your hands. 
  3. Rest and repeat for 1-2 sets of 30-60 seconds or more.

#10 Gun Walk

The gun walk is another outlandish isometric exercise, and the weight is held at the top of the forearm the entire time you perform the set.

It maintains constant tension on the forearm. Strength and hypertrophy will increase as you spend more time under pressure.

  1. Keep your shoulders back and look straight forward as you bend the plate until your forearms are parallel to the floor and your elbows are at 90 degrees.
  2. Stride with long, intended steps while tightening your core
  3. Maintain brachioradialis muscle fibers lashed on and constantly performed by gripping the plate hard.
  4. Keep moving until you can’t and repeat for 2-3 sets.

Brachioradialis Workout Routines

Are Direct Brachioradialis Exercises Required For Everybody?

Keep in mind that whenever your curl your biceps or pull your back vertically or horizontally, mainly when your hands are pronated, you already stimulate the brachioradialis.

It is therefore not a “must” for everyone to train this muscle directly, and it depends on your personal training goals.

If you’re a newbie, don’t worry about doing the brachioradialis exercise. If you still want to train your brachioradialis without making it complicated like me, there are two choices below.

Add Brachioradialis Exercises In Your Plan As Some Last Working Sets

As I mentioned, brachioradialis participates in most pulling exercises. You’re still working on it while performing your bicep or back.

So, adding 1 or 2 brachioradialis exercises to the end of your workout will help you completely squeeze this muscle group. Using the drop-set method is effective in this situation.

For example, your last bicep exercise is a barbell curl. When you finish it, don’t take a rest and move right into the drop-set with the gun walk.

Try Your Best To Get More Final Reps In Every Pulling Exercise

I think this method is more straightforward and saves more time, although it still gives the effect of improving the brachioradialis.

On each last rep in a pull-up exercise, the fatigue of the primary muscle causes the brachioradialis to work at total capacity for trying to add more last reps.

If you feel like quitting on some final reps of the barbell bicep curl, grip the barbell harder and keep going.

Brachioradialis Exercise Tips

Now you get the technique of 10 excellent brachioradialis exercises. I used to too.

At this time, I identified that using some simple tips can bring faster results. Here’re three essential pieces of information for your brachioradialis exercise.

Use A Suicide Grip (Thumbless Grip)

This tip is essential for reverse curls but applies to the other brachioradialis exercises. Even doing pull-ups with a suicide grip will set your brachioradialis on fire.

Because your fingers cannot support the weight, one of the strongest muscles in your upper arm is your brachioradialis so you will need it.

Curl Up With Full Range

Reverse curls are often stopped at 90 degrees by far too many people. There is a problem with this. Why?

The reason is that the brachioradialis becomes most active at the top of the rep, which occurs above 90 degrees. Stopping short of your goals is robbing yourself of gains.

If you want results, you must nail the form.

Train With Slow Tempo, Moderate Weights, And High Reps

Brachioradialis and forearm are composed mainly of durable muscle fibers.

Slow training, with moderate weights and high reps, will help the movement penetrate the muscle fibers.

With this training, your forearms will become significant, defined, and vascular.

Final Thoughts

These ten breathtaking brachioradialis exercises helped me get a vast, detailed, and vascular forearm. In addition, doing these exercises with a single hand will bring more effective because you must try to maintain balance.

Related Posts
Picture of Jessica Carter
Jessica Carter
Jessica is an AFLCA certified personal trainer and holds a Masters degree in physical therapy from the University of British Columbia. She has been working in the field for 5 years and writes as a freelance about all things fitness related.