thumbless grip

beingisbeing

New Member
This is the first of a few threads about technique, so please bear with me guys.

A buddy of mine with huge forearms, who used to have no forearms whatsoever, swears that the trick to forearm growth is:

1) Reverse barbell curls, with shoulders all the way back. (Almost like dragging the weight up).
2) Wrist curls
3) Using a thumbless grip for all bicep/tricep exercises when possible (skull crushers, close grip bench, curls, preachers, etc watev).


Pros and cons? Thumbless def feels like it burns the forearm more, to me at least...
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Pros and cons? Thumbless def feels like it burns the forearm more, to me at least</div>
and the forehead if you drop the weight on it
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Then you get a de facto skull crusher.  
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I don't think it is worth the risk doing thumbless skull crushers/triceps extensions and bench press. You can try the curls since they are safe and see if it helps you.
For the forearm you have the brachioradialis that you can train with reverse curls or hammer curls and the wrist flexors and extensors which you can train with wrist curls and reverse wrist curls.
I've had a good result in the forearms just doing the regular compounds with different grips and DB biceps curls rotating the DB (ie DB start neutral and I rotate them to supinated while curling).
 
Double overhand deadlifts (NO STRAPS) and weighted pullups with static holds at the bottom at the end of the set (NO STRAPS). Also dedicated grip work could help (i.e. plate pinches, Captains of Crush grippers).

Thumbless grip removes the thumb to put more strain on the fingers. Its safer to do specific grip exercises with enough resistance to strain the thumb and fingers.
 
bgates: would that static hold be at full extension? Or arms still slightly flexed?

yeah guys, I def don't like/never did thumbless bench.

But for whatever reason I never worried too much about thumbless close grip bench/reverse bench and skull crushers.

thank you for all the input! you guys kick ***. i swear by this forum these days!

I'll stick with the thumbless barbell curls for the rest of this cycle and see what happens.
 
I would just stay at full extension. If the static holds get too long you can add weight or go to one hand holds.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">static holds at the bottom at the end of the set </div> I disagree with this due to fatigue. Do them separately and you'll hold a lot longer, giving you more TUT.

As for skulls, I've seen people do them to the nose (nosebreakers), the forehead and just over the head, which I use since I'm always over 100lbs with poor gripping ability. Since it's over the head, using a cambered bar, I see no reason to have to use thumbs. Oh, and I mean over the head from beginning to end. That keeps the load on the triceps throughout the ROM. If you look straight up you shouldn't be looking at the bar, but just beneath it's starting point. You may have to drop off 5 or 10 lbs to do them this way at first and still hit the rep count.
Skullz Rok!
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