Petar Krancil has been training hard since a torn bicep tendon ended his Olympic dreams in 2022, most recently competing at HYROX in addition to training his promising bodybuilder clients. The hulking Croatian certainly has a lot to offer when it comes to answering some of the toughest questions about muscle building. While beginners have been asking how to get six-pack abs over the summer holidays, some advanced gym-goers have been asking for more obscure information, like how to make their forearms fuller. Thankfully, Krancil has come up with some great answers.
Why are forearm muscles so hard to grow?
Are you frustrated that you just can’t seem to build up your forearm muscles? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The original size of your forearm muscles is determined by genetics. Have you ever noticed how some people tear their watch straps without even training? There’s another obstacle: building your forearms with resistance training is difficult because the muscles in your hands and upper arms try to reduce the load. Yet, as Petar Klančir demonstrates in this precious Instagram post, it really is possible to target these elusive muscles.
Growing Giant Forearms: Two tricks from Petar Krancil
In the attached video, Petar Krancil demonstrates two movements. In the first movement, he kneels in front of a bench and places the barbell on the bench. Next, the bodybuilder grabs the barbell and hangs his hands downwards over the bench. He then rolls the barbell over his palms, moving it downwards towards the floor. This movement continues until he feels a “good stretch” in the brachioradialis muscle on the inside of his forearm. He then contracts his forearm flexors to lift his wrists towards himself and maintains that contraction for a moment.
In the second movement, Crunchyll targets the extensor muscles that make up the main part of the outer forearm. Kneel with an overhand grip, hold the barbell firmly, and move your wrists up and down without moving your arms, allowing the muscles to be recruited without any distraction.
Forearm training frequency
“The forearms are a very small muscle group to begin with, so they recover quickly,” Petar Krancil explains. “This type of isolation exercise, as shown in the video, can be done 2-3 times per week if you feel like your forearms are lagging behind a bit. Just keep the hypertrophy repetitions between 6-15 and you’ll be fine.” The IFBB pro also added a bonus tip for his followers: “If you want to accelerate your forearm growth even more, stop using lifting straps for a while (while lifting normally).”
For more grip advice from Petar Klančir, follow him on Instagram.
