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Strengthening Forearms

General discussions on joining & training in the Royal Marines.
commandocrazy
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Strengthening Forearms

Post by commandocrazy »

Hi all went to my AFCO today but he said it was an Army based more than Marines but he still sat me down at gave me a book (I will go to a proper Marines based AFCO asap though).

He told me about what training I needed to be doing running, swimming, upper body and stomach etc... but when I told him I wasn't too good at push-ups or pull-ups he said to me strengthen up your forearms and it will help you out no end.

He said squeezing tennis balls would be a good way of doing this or using palm grips. Has anyone on here ever used these methods and can you tell me anymore good methods please? cheers :D

Also just another quick question should someone new to running (who's training for the Royal Marines) start running 1.5 mile or 3 miles?? And should you eat before you go out running or eat when you get back?? I wake up at 6am to do my runs.

Cheers again :D
Pendo
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Post by Pendo »

Ideally you should run for time not distance, ie. start running for 20 mins at low intensity the gradually increase to high intensity until fail which will probably take a few months, by then the pre joining running tests should be a doddle. To improve press ups and that, its best to just hit the gym, concentrating on low wieght high reps and do max push-ups and sit-ups each morning and night. Best thing to do with diet really, is just eat what you get put in front of you.
ADDiction
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Post by ADDiction »

Grippers, start with an Everlast pair.
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Post by Artist »

Pendo wrote:Ideally you should run for time not distance, ie. start running for 20 mins at low intensity the gradually increase to high intensity until fail which will probably take a few months, by then the pre joining running tests should be a doddle. To improve press ups and that, its best to just hit the gym, concentrating on low weight high reps and do max push-ups and sit-ups each morning and night. Best thing to do with diet really, is just eat what you get put in front of you.
commandocrazy

Pendo has said it all nearly. Once you are on that first step to joining the Corps of Royal Marines you will be given a Booklet outlining just what you will need to do in order to get your fitness up to PRMC standards by your RM/RN recruiter from the Careers Office.

Follow the advice in the book. Whatever you do don't try and overdo it because that is the best way of knackering yourself. Far to many bods think that a "BIT MORE EFFORT" will help, it won't. The overdoing of training for the PRMC results in quite a few bods having to visit their local Doc and sometimes having to put back their PRMC date, or worse having to say goodbye to their dreams of being Royal Marine forever.

Once you have hacked PRMC and are stood there at Commando Halt after getting off the train with this ere Green lidded, Lovat wearing Cpl/Sgt Drill Instructor who's carrying a clipboard and demanding to know who your are and why are you dressed like a sack of spuds is when you start for real Pendo.

The Corps is pretty good at getting you up to the required standard to be a Fully Trained Bootneck (Royal Marine, Band Service or Commando), they have been doing it since 1664. It worked for me and it's worked for thousands of others. Crack on and in time you will be a member of an Elite Family.

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degrees of passion
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Post by degrees of passion »

Off the top of my head,here's some ways of strengthening your forearms/grip/wrist:
-In the gym use a thick grip on the bars,for example wrap a towel around your pull up bar,tape or use a small towel around the bar bit of a dumbell or barbell.
-The farmers carry,whereby you carry a very heavy set of dumbells until you can't grip anymore.
-Hang from a bar for as long as your grip will let you.
-Wrist extensions with a barbell or dumbell,where you sit with your forearms resting on your thighs,and hold the barbell/dumbell with an underhand grip and curl it towards you,then use an overhand grip to work the other side of the forearm.
-Hammer curls are great for thickening up your forearms,and when doing alternate dumbell curls you can twist the dumbell more at the top of the rep to work the wrist.
-You can also buy grippers and a wrist extension thing which apparantly helps with tennis etc,and then there's that gyro ball thing(never used it myself),but to be perfectly honest you'll most likely get the grippers,use them for a week or two then just forget about them).
-You can also try contracting your wrists at the end of a press up,or do press ups on clenched fists instead of open palms.Hitting a heavy bag should also strengthen your wrists up.

Personally,I didn't realise my forearms were holding me back in some exercises until I joined a gym which had thicker bars on their dumbells:When doing alternate curls I found that my forearms and grip was completely exhausted before my biceps were,and consequently I couldn't reach failure on my biceps because my grip would go early on.So for me,the best thing to do is do alternate curls with thick grip dumbells,and pull ups with a thick grip.Bit of an essay but there you go im bored :D
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour'
robbiedont
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Post by robbiedont »

ADDiction wrote:Grippers, start with an Everlast pair.
Or for tight people like me...


Towel in the bath, soak it with water and wring it out - repeat


Gives an amazing grip and forearm workout!


:)
theuncharmed
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Post by theuncharmed »

Speaking from experience of martial arts.

My forearm techniques are as follows:

Clench your hands 200 times in a row, fast and make sure you open your hand all the way.

Then do 20 - 30 press-ups (slightly less than shoulder width) on the back of your hands with your fingers pointing inwards.

Then do the same thing with the fingers pointing outwards (shoulder width or more)

Finally attach a weight (I use 5 kg) using nylon cord to a barbell, giving a metre of cord between each. Then gripping either side of the barbell (use gloves!) with your arms straight out (not locked) roll the bar hoisting the weight up and down until failure.

Repeat the above circuit until you cry :wink:

Edit: Ooh and for grip, do the hand clench thing, but start with the little pinky and progress down your hand and make a tight grip in your (really squeeze your hand / forearm). Then let release the grip in the opposite direction in a controlled slow manner. Repeat the process 50 times x 4/5 sets.
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Post by E5_Man »

Towel pull ups are always fun.
Before you insult someone, first walk a mile in their shoes, that way when you insult them, you are a mile away and you have their shoes.
southernsun
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Post by southernsun »

Masturbation at least 10 times a day, and your forearms will be like Popeye. Aye! Aye! Aye!
del_boi
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Post by del_boi »

I found that to really improve on my press ups and sit ups, if you get a spare 30 seconds here or there, just drop and do 20 press ups to start with, then build yourself up.

It's usualy better if you're at home otherwise you look like a bit of a weirdo at work or in the street. Same with your sit ups, build yourself up. each week add another 5 or ten. Within no time your banging out 50 at a time.

With pull ups. buy a chin up bar from Argos for about a fiver (they don't screw in to your door frame they wind in so it dosnt ruin your door) put it in the door way of your bed room then every time you go in or come out of your room do 5 then add another 1 or 2 each week.

There you go easy :wink:
commandocrazy
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Post by commandocrazy »

Thanks everyone
Dangermouse
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Post by Dangermouse »

Get an EZ-bar and use a close grip when doing bicep curls.
ADDiction
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Post by ADDiction »

Get an EZ-bar and use a close grip when doing bicep curls.
For Forearms?!?
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AJtothemax
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Post by AJtothemax »

ADDiction wrote:
Get an EZ-bar and use a close grip when doing bicep curls.
For Forearms?!?
Change that to a tricep movement and you're in business there.
AJ

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Shaw-13-
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Post by Shaw-13- »

I use to do a lot of rock climbing which really did make your forearms strong! When I was climbing 4 times a week at an indoor bouldering wall I was able to do pull ups on finger tips and could do more than 30 pull ups.
Then I stopped climbing and starting dirt jumping resulting in broken bones and me becoming weak :(
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