What Makes For Masculine Forearms?

[TheBeard]

I am trying to find the secret behind masculine-looking forearms.

To get a grasp of what I mean, check Mel Gibson in Google Image and take a look at his forearms,.

To get a grasp of what a "non-masculine" looking forearm looks like, google David Beckham (ignore the tatooes)

Masculine forearms are thick, veiny, hairy, and terminated by thick hands that look like they've been farming all their life.
The owner of such arms usually has very thining hair, thick and defined neck, and an obvious upbeat behavior.

I want to know what in their life has given them those arms: work? Hormones? (which ones, is it high DHT? high cortisol?), Just genetic? (I hope not).

My father has them and I don't (did he do something different than I did, or did I just inherit from my mother's side?)

All help in this quest is highly welcomed!

 

[x-ray peat]

just wear an Oxford shirt with a partially rolled up sleeve. and then get to the gym

 

[Westside PUFAs]

Just genetic?

Yep. Just like calves.

 

[Peater]

Someone get Popeye on the line. He'll know.

 

[Peater]

Or, less facetiously - arm wrestling!

Real life Popeye Jeff Dabe has 49cm forearms aims for Armwrestling championship | Daily Mail Online

 

[Waynish]

It really isn't difficult. If you know how to workout and build muscle in general, then any particular muscle won't be such a mystery. I would use the strongman routines if I were you.

 

[sladerunner69]

I have the most masculine forearms in the known universe now that my dad has passed. They are foundationally genetic, and further developed using your hands for various manly activities. Things like car and house repairs, electrical, sports, carrying heavy stuff.

 

[pimpnamedraypeat]

HGH.

 

[benaoao]

Genetics for the wristbone, then heavy high rep deadlift and all variations

 

[Pointless]

Spinach. Next thread.

 

[Luckytype]

Garbage forearm genetics crew checking in.

Great strength has always been there, thank goodness(farm raised, no wraps at the gym).
The only thing that grew my actual forearm size was cable reverse curls with exaggerated wrist flexion through the eccentric phase with a stretch under tension at the bottom and exaggerated wrist extension at the top of the concentric phase. Another exercise mod I had to figure out for myself @sladerunner69

 

[Dobbler]

Muscle and strenght. Tattoos and clothes dont matter jack ***t. Genetics you cant change so dont waste your time thinking about them. If you cant get to gym then lift anything heavy or chop wood maybe.

 

[Hans]

In my opinion, just lifting weights and being lean won't cut it for vascularity, but will definitely help and is the best foundation to build on.
It's strange though how some people are very vascular but don't lift weights, such as histadelics, some lean alcoholics and some drug abusers.
Nitric oxide does contribute but it's only temporary. My guess is that it has to do with less a1-adrenergic activation, which causes vasoconstriction, whereas more a2-adrenergic and beta-adrenergic agonism cause vasodilation. Histamine also contributes significantly, so taking L-histidine would help with vascularity, but then again it's also just temporary.
Even naturally elevated androgens will only help mildly with testosterone being most important for vascularity.
Getting rid of water retention/estrogen and irritating foods can also help.

But for mascularity, building up the forearm muscles with weights are crucial. Heavy deadlift/rows/BB wrist curls for the wrist flexors, and reverse curls/hammer curls/wrist extensions/zottman curls for the extensor muscles of the forearm. But everyone responds differently to different exercises, so you can try a few and find out which ones work best for you, and then tweak it further to suit you perfectly. If it's not working, train them more frequently. Don't be afraid to train them everyday for a while, high reps/low reps, short rest/longer rest. Play with it till you find what works.

 

[Luckytype]

A huge component regardless of environmental expression is what is written for you genetically. With this, there are people who by chance will be able to express some of the dormant genes for impressive traits. Past that, bearing in mind its ultimately a survival adaptation to local metabolic and physical tension stressors, most people have what they have.

I was working with athletes about 8-10 years ago in athletic setting. These guys were 18, freshmen in college. Through high school they had casually lifted for whatever their programs dictated at the time but for the most part generally just play their sport and did their skill workouts.

Three of these particular guys from this single year alone went on after graduating to become some of the most young successful defensive players in the NFL. First round picks. Now, I am not exaggerating when I say that these guys at age 18 had some of the most impressive physiques I have ever seen in my entire life and despite not lifting had proportions and development that rival what most guys think of as "ideal quote and likely train their whole lives to achieve, many of which would probably do a common steroid cycle for a few years if it meant they could have something like this.

Another part of this is my vascularity for example has been pretty consistent since I was a teenager. As I developed into a young adult and ultimately adult it did get a little bit better but then again I was getting rid of "baby fat". A common question I am typically asked in the gym and in other settings is how do I get vascularity or how do I develop something like that. When I am in the gym my common answer usually is "if you think my vascularity is impressive you should see my mom "

Point is vascularity can obviously be achieved through diet IF youre genetically set up to have big ropes as veins but some people can get absolutely peeled and still show nothing.

Big time genetic foundation in play here for forearms, vascularity, calves. You can obviously change it but sometimes you need to prepare for some work.

 

[Arrade]

I'm seeing modest results with reverse and normal fore arm curls 2x times a week.
I would definitely start by adding them into a weightlifting routine.
Compound lifts don't really do much for my forearms, I've noticed I have a lazy grip and try to get away with the leas amount of grip on anything.

I think raising metabolism and gaining weight will help with slowly growing calves and forearms.
On a side note, I can do 405 calf raises for 12 reps and still have thinner calves lol.

 

[Aymen]

i don't know but i saw one or two studies saying that narrow wrists is positively correlated with high DHT ..

 

[theLaw]

@haidut

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Stramonium]

In my opinion, just lifting weights and being lean won't cut it for vascularity, but will definitely help and is the best foundation to build on.
It's strange though how some people are very vascular but don't lift weights, such as histadelics, some lean alcoholics and some drug abusers.
Nitric oxide does contribute but it's only temporary. My guess is that it has to do with less a1-adrenergic activation, which causes vasoconstriction, whereas more a2-adrenergic and beta-adrenergic agonism cause vasodilation. Histamine also contributes significantly, so taking L-histidine would help with vascularity, but then again it's also just temporary.
Even naturally elevated androgens will only help mildly with testosterone being most important for vascularity.
Getting rid of water retention/estrogen and irritating foods can also help.

But for mascularity, building up the forearm muscles with weights are crucial. Heavy deadlift/rows/BB wrist curls for the wrist flexors, and reverse curls/hammer curls/wrist extensions/zottman curls for the extensor muscles of the forearm. But everyone responds differently to different exercises, so you can try a few and find out which ones work best for you, and then tweak it further to suit you perfectly. If it's not working, train them more frequently. Don't be afraid to train them everyday for a while, high reps/low reps, short rest/longer rest. Play with it till you find what works.

Is vascularity a good thing? I remember reading on one of Peat books bulging veins isn't such a good symptom

 

[TheBeard]

I have the most masculine forearms in the known universe now that my dad has passed. They are foundationally genetic, and further developed using your hands for various manly activities. Things like car and house repairs, electrical, sports, carrying heavy stuff.

Agreed, that’s usually what the guys with Mel Gibson’s style arms have in common.

Any pics of your forearms?

 

[TheBeard]

HGH.

Where do you get that idea from?

Are you saying Mel Gibson naturally produced high growth hormone levels in his youth?
I doubt it, he’d be taller?

Are you saying taking HGH in his later years made him grow arms like that? I doubt it he already had them in Lethal Weapon in his 30s.

And lots of bodybuilders taking ungodly amounts of HGH still have sissy forearms after decades