forearm

[incognito]

Uh, random question for the med students. I'm in undergrad anatomy right now and I was memorizing arm muscle tissues and I was looking at my own arm just to imagine where each muscle would be.

 

I realized my forearm is much less bulkier than my arm (or upper arm). I understand the forearm should be less bulkier, but not by so much.

 

Would it be safe to work-out my forearm and wrist, BUT not my upper arm at all?

 

I was thinking it might cause strain when I extend my forearm and an originating muscle from my forearm might pull too hard on the connecting muscle somewhere?

 

I don't know, but would it be safe to just work out the forearm without becoming prone to injury or other side effects?

 

p.s. I searched how to get bigger wrists and this is near impossible because there isn't significant muscle around it, so I guess my question has to pertain only to forearm muscles.

[thebouque]

Yes there are exercises specific for the forearm. Look up in any weight training manual but the exercises usually involve wrist flexion (since forearms muscles are for wrist flexion, wrist extension, pronation and supination).

 

I was thinking it might cause strain when I extend my forearm and an originating muscle from my forearm might pull too hard on the connecting muscle somewhere?

 

I don't understand this sentence. First of all when you're talking about forearm extension, are you talking about extension at the wrist joint or at the elbow joint? Extension of the elbow joint is mediated by arms muscles (triceps). Also, you're saying ''an originating muscle from my forearm might pull on the connecting muscle''. This doesn't mean anything. Just keep in mind that with EVERY weight training exercise, injuries can be involved. That's why you need to master the technique and you need good warm up and stretching exercises.

 

Peace

[Spleen Spirit]

I think the OP is worried about is a situation where the strength difference between agonist/antagonist muscle groups is so one-sided that it (through over training one or the other) leads to injury.

 

One of the things to keep in mind is the in working out your upper arm biceps/triceps/shoulders you'll work your forearm through recruitment. I highly doubt you'd be able to injure yourself if you focused on your forearm and exercised properly. Make sure you do exercises properly and give an appropriate amount of time for recovery and you should be fine. /non-expert opinion

[incognito]

I don't understand this sentence. First of all when you're talking about forearm extension, are you talking about extension at the wrist joint or at the elbow joint? Extension of the elbow joint is mediated by arms muscles (triceps). Also, you're saying ''an originating muscle from my forearm might pull on the connecting muscle''. This doesn't mean anything. Just keep in mind that with EVERY weight training exercise, injuries can be involved. That's why you need to master the technique and you need good warm up and stretching exercises.

 

Peace

 

hey, yeah, sorry boque, my sentence was horribly worded. I was speaking about the origin of A muscle pulling too hard on it's insertion. As in, I bulk up my forearm too much, and then the bicep origin around the scapula pulls very hard at the insertion (radial tuberosity which is on the forearm). But the forearm is very bulky now and so the bicep is too weak to pull it at the speed i want it to. So basically, the bicep might strain itself trying to pull on the heavier forearm now? Or at least the speed at which I can flex at the elbow will become slower.

That was convolutedly worded, but see if you get what i mean.

 

 

I think the OP is worried about is a situation where the strength difference between agonist/antagonist muscle groups is so one-sided that it (through over training one or the other) leads to injury.

 

One of the things to keep in mind is the in working out your upper arm biceps/triceps/shoulders you'll work your forearm through recruitment. I highly doubt you'd be able to injure yourself if you focused on your forearm and exercised properly. Make sure you do exercises properly and give an appropriate amount of time for recovery and you should be fine. /non-expert opinion

 

Read my response to boque. But you bring up a good point about agonist/antagonist. If I don't work them equally in my forearm, I can strain the wrist somehow I'm guessing.

 

Also, I understand working out biceps would usually be a compound exercise. But I'd still end up making my bicep bigger than forearms. Although now I wonder, is there any use to bigger forearms? I mean, when do we use maximal wrist strength? Badminton maybe.

 

P.S. I've never worked out even one day in my life. All I've ever done is run and jumprope a little bit. I'm a guy.

[leap87]

Although now I wonder, is there any use to bigger forearms? I mean, when do we use maximal wrist strength? Badminton maybe.

 

P.S. I've never worked out even one day in my life. All I've ever done is run and jumprope a little bit. I'm a guy.

 

I think your last sentence is worrisome. You should work out - period. It builds up strength in your muscle. You don't have to exercise to bulk your muscle (bulking it doesn't mean more strength) but do exercises which will tone your muscle and increase the strength of it. Once you hit like high 20s, your muscle strength decreases. This causes a lot of different problems later on in life.

 

So I would advise instead of concentrating on "bulking" your forearm and upper extremity in general, tone it down and increase the strength of the muscle. And of course, it would be better to exercise the whole extremity than just a segment of it. Combine your running with a daily work out routine of all of the muscles in your body.

 

Wrist strength ------> impacts ------> grip strength.

[WaveSense]

hey, yeah, sorry boque, my sentence was horribly worded. I was speaking about the origin of A muscle pulling too hard on it's insertion. As in, I bulk up my forearm too much, and then the bicep origin around the scapula pulls very hard at the insertion (radial tuberosity which is on the forearm). But the forearm is very bulky now and so the bicep is too weak to pull it at the speed i want it to. So basically, the bicep might strain itself trying to pull on the heavier forearm now? Or at least the speed at which I can flex at the elbow will become slower.

That was convolutedly worded, but see if you get what i mean.

 

lol....... we don't grow like popeye

[incognito]

I think your last sentence is worrisome. You should work out - period. It builds up strength in your muscle. You don't have to exercise to bulk your muscle (bulking it doesn't mean more strength) but do exercises which will tone your muscle and increase the strength of it. Once you hit like high 20s, your muscle strength decreases. This causes a lot of different problems later on in life.

 

So I would advise instead of concentrating on "bulking" your forearm and upper extremity in general, tone it down and increase the strength of the muscle. And of course, it would be better to exercise the whole extremity than just a segment of it. Combine your running with a daily work out routine of all of the muscles in your body.

 

Wrist strength ------> impacts ------> grip strength.

 

It seems that the slimmer people during their 20's are healthier when they get older. And most of the bigger people have more health problems.

bigger = more muscular in this case, not fatter

fatter people = most problems.

Notorious BIG = even more problems

 

lol....... we don't grow like popeye

 

i'm not even gonna let the forearm grow bigger than the bicep, hahah, popeye is not in question. i'll eat a lot of spinach though.

[leap87]

It seems that the slimmer people during their 20's are healthier when they get older. And most of the bigger people have more health problems.

bigger = more muscular in this case, not fatter

fatter people = most problems.

Notorious BIG = even more problems

 

Wait a second.... Are you trying to say that just because you're bigger, you are more muscular, which means you have more strength? Since you haven't worked out your upper body, I'm betting (and I haven't seen your arms, done biopsy or w.e.) that it's not really all muscle mass. Your goal should be to increase your muscle strength, not get bulkier.

 

First off, there is nothing wrong with being big, as long as you exercise. I've met some people who were big, but healthier than some slimmer people. It all comes down to exercise and nutrition. You are what you eat. Some people are big because they're genetically predisposed to gaining a lot of weight. Others just eat junk and sit on a couch all day long.

 

It's all about continuing to exercise: cardio + workout: muscle strength + eat well. Just because you were slimmer when you were 20 doesn't mean you're healthier when you're 50. Someone can be slim and not exercise a day in their life and eat only junk food - it doesn't make them healthier in comparison to the bigger individual, who exercises every day and has a healthier diet.

[trymeover]

interesting, i don't work out much either.

[incognito]

Wait a second.... Are you trying to say that just because you're bigger, you are more muscular, which means you have more strength? Since you haven't worked out your upper body, I'm betting (and I haven't seen your arms, done biopsy or w.e.) that it's not really all muscle mass. Your goal should be to increase your muscle strength, not get bulkier.

 

First off, there is nothing wrong with being big, as long as you exercise. I've met some people who were big, but healthier than some slimmer people. It all comes down to exercise and nutrition. You are what you eat. Some people are big because they're genetically predisposed to gaining a lot of weight. Others just eat junk and sit on a couch all day long.

 

It's all about continuing to exercise: cardio + workout: muscle strength + eat well. Just because you were slimmer when you were 20 doesn't mean you're healthier when you're 50. Someone can be slim and not exercise a day in their life and eat only junk food - it doesn't make them healthier in comparison to the bigger individual, who exercises every day and has a healthier diet.

 

Ah, when I said 'slimmer', I meant people who didn't work-out with just natural bodies and good diets. I forgot that there are a few individuals are are naturally big in size even if they have the same diet as the 'natural slim' people that I mentioned.

 

So basically, what I meant was, it seems that many people who didn't work out before their 20's are healthier than folk who did and continue it. And most of those people tended to be 'slim' as most people aren't naturally 'big'.

 

You're right in saying that a big person who eats well is healthier than a slim person who eats junk. But I meant to say that people who haven't worked out tend to be just as healthy if not more healthier than people who have worked out.

[thebouque]

 

So basically, what I meant was, it seems that many people who didn't work out before their 20's are healthier than folk who did and continue it. And most of those people tended to be 'slim' as most people aren't naturally 'big'.

 

 

What's your source for this statement? Do you have anything to back it up or is it mere observation?

 

Peace

[leap87]

But I meant to say that people who haven't worked out tend to be just as healthy if not more healthier than people who have worked out.

 

I tend to disagree with this. When you exercise, your body goes through changes and even though sometimes you can't see those changes, they're VERY beneficial.

 

Cardio Benefits (not all listed)

Maximal cardiac output - Increased

Peripheral oxygen extraction - Increased

Myocardial oxygen demands - Decreased

Fibrinolysis - Increased

Blood coaguability - Decreased

Endothelial function - Increased

Myocardial blood flow - Increased

Sympathetic hyperactivity - Decreased

Resting blood pressure - Decreased

High density lipoprotein cholesterol - Increased

Triglycerides - Decreased

Body weight control - Increased

Insulin resistance - Decreased

Fitness/strength - Increased

Plus not to mention the decrease in anxiety and depression and an overall better quality of life.

 

In terms of Strength (not all of them listed):

Bone mineral density - Increased

Percent body fat - Decreased

Lean body mass - Increased

Muscle strength - Increased

Insulin response to glucose challenge - Decreased

Basal insulin levels - Decreased

Insulin sensitivity - Increased

HDL cholesterol - Increased

LDL cholesterol - Decreased

Triglycerides - Decreased

 

My point is basically this: if you don't exercise, or get your 30 - 50 minutes of exercise on a daily basis, all of the above will be flipped in a negative direction. As you age, there is a reduction in muscular strength and power caused by loss of skeletal muscle mass (also known as sarcopenia). Muscle content also changes. Thus, the force-velocity relationship of human muscles also changes as you age. This will cause you for example to walk more slowly when you're older. There are plenty of journal articles on this if you type into pubmed "force velocity relationship in muscle AND aging".

 

So, someone who never exercised is NOT healthier than someone who did. I have no idea if you've ever heard of biological age versus chronological age, but basically, to sum it up, you might be 20 years old but your body age might be 40 years old; while you might be 50 years old but your body age is 20 years old. This is very evident in the general population. There are people who have exercised all of their lives who are now 80 years old and continue to exercise - even run marathons! Those that were couch potatoes all of their life, at 80 years old, their body just fails.

 

Your goal, as a young individual, should be to increase your muscle strength, bone density and cardio. Because once you start getting older (usually once you hit 30-35 this starts happening), all of the muscle strength, bone density and cardio will start to decrease due to physiological changes our body goes through - there is no way to reverse this because it biologically happens BUT you can reduce the "slope" at which these changes are occurring (or in lay people's terms, reduce the amount at which this decrease is occurring).

 

Edit: I forgot to mention the effects of strength in muscle and balance. The reason why people lose balance and break their hips so early is because of low muscle strength and brittle bones (aside from losing sensory receptors in their feet so they don't really know where they're putting more pressure - but we have specifically made shoes for this nowadays with thinner, vibrating soles).

[leap87]

interesting, i don't work out much either.

 

You should start then. It's never too late to start and make the necessary changes. While you might not have any health problems now, when you're older, it will all catch up and the last thing you want is becoming physically dependent when you're 50.

[Tango Charlie]

Working out as an amateur and only targeting a small group of muscles leads to imbalances in development and can predispose you to injury.

 

Furthermore, gaining any appreciable amount of mass is a mix of heavy lifting and heavy eating. You will not get much additional muscle mass by simply lifting and not eating like a lifter.

 

But I think the real question here is why you'd be concerned about your appearance and decide to work out just your forearms. If you're going to start lifting any weight at all, why not just go the entire way and actually take up weight lifting as a hobby? You'll look better overall, be healthier, and avoid the risks of muscle imbalance by just working out one part of your body.

 

This applies to lads and ladies, by the way. There isn't a woman alive who wouldn't look better with some muscle definition. And the idea that if you lift weights you'll look like those monstrosities on TV is a complete myth by the way. Women don't get to looking like that without taking growth hormones/steroids/etc.

[leap87]

Working out as an amateur and only targeting a small group of muscles leads to imbalances in development and can predispose you to injury.

 

Furthermore, gaining any appreciable amount of mass is a mix of heavy lifting and heavy eating. You will not get much additional muscle mass by simply lifting and not eating like a lifter.

 

But I think the real question here is why you'd be concerned about your appearance and decide to work out just your forearms. If you're going to start lifting any weight at all, why not just go the entire way and actually take up weight lifting as a hobby? You'll look better overall, be healthier, and avoid the risks of muscle imbalance by just working out one part of your body.

 

This applies to lads and ladies, by the way. There isn't a woman alive who wouldn't look better with some muscle definition. And the idea that if you lift weights you'll look like those monstrosities on TV is a complete myth by the way. Women don't get to looking like that without taking growth hormones/steroids/etc.

 

100% agreed!