Slimming and toning are the main effects sought by women who perform forearm exercises. Men generally want bigger forearms and greater grip strength. Athletes, whether men or women, seek better sports performance through functional strength and injury prevention. Many older men or women use forearm exercises to improve functional strength for daily activities or to rehabilitate after injury. These different goals require different approaches to forearm exercise. A lean and toned forearm is obtained with an exercise routine other than routine to produce a large and muscular or functionally strong forearm.
For most women, replacing a flabby forearm with a lean, toned forearm is the goal of forearm exercise. They don’t want muscular forearms or thick wrists. They have little concern for building forearm strength. The main exceptions are the female athlete and the woman who has lost adequate strength to perform day-to-day tasks. They will have the same goals as their male counterparts, but they may not want as much strength or size.
The brachioradialis is the main muscle that contributes to the appearance of a large forearm. Women who do not want a large, muscular forearm should avoid exercising this muscle unless the forearm remains flaccid on the upper outer part where the brachioradialis is located. This is easy to do while still exercising the other forearm muscles to give a toned appearance and avoid a large, muscular forearm.
The hammer curl is the main exercise that develops the brachioradialis, so most women should avoid this exercise. If there is still some flab in the upper forearm on the outside of the elbow (where the brachioradialis is) after doing the other forearm exercises for a while, the hammer curl can be done to help tone that area. Light weights and very high reps are best. They should not cause excessive muscle fatigue. High reps, light weight, and light fatigue are generally the goals of any exercise where tone is the goal rather than size and strength.
Exercises that work the fleshy part on the front of the forearm should also be minimized. These muscles are most exercised with thick bar exercises and heavy clamps. Using grip rings, lighter clamps, and dumbbells is fine, because you can use higher reps without undue strain on your muscles.
The best exercises to tone the forearm without excessive size are radial deviations, ulnar deviations, pronations, and supinations. Videos of a woman doing these exercises with a rubber mallet are on the blog mentioned below. For the athlete or anyone trying to increase forearm strength or size, these exercises are helpful, but performed differently than someone looking to improve tone.
To tone your muscles, the number of repetitions should be high and the amount of weight low. A good way to start is to use a broomstick or barbell without plates. Doing them until you feel slightly tired after 100 or more repetitions, and being constant, will achieve a toning effect. If you feel tired before 100 repetitions, a lighter weight should be used. This can be done by using a shorter broomstick. If there is no fatigue with 100 reps, increase reps instead of weight. If doing 300 reps, increase the weight by using a longer broomstick or attaching a light weight to the end of the broomstick. For more information see http://www.forearm-exercises.org/forearm-exercises/forearm-exercises-to-slim-and-tone-womens-forearms