M2M Day 289: Forearms like Popeye
This post is part of Month to Master, a 12-month accelerated learning project. For August, my goal is to complete one continuous set of 40 pull-ups.
In the past two weeks, I’ve dramatically changed my diet and ramped up my weight training to full capacity. As a result, I’m starting to notice some pretty interesting changes to my body: My back is significantly broader, I can see my abs for the first time in my life, and my shoulders/arms are much more defined.
But, perhaps the most striking change is to my forearms.
I’ve always had fairly skinny forearms and calves (i.e. the “tinier” muscles), and while my calves have remained fairly thin, my forearms have rapidly grown: The ratio of my forearm to wrist looks like it’s nearly 3-to-1 now…
Additionally, although I wasn’t able to capture it in the photo, the vascularity in my biceps and forearms has dramatically increased: Previously, I couldn’t see any of the veins in my arms, and now, especially while I’m working out, my “superficial veins” are highly prominent.
I’m not sure I like this look — it’s a bit scary-looking — but it is what it is.
While my forearms are clearly getting stronger, they are still the limiting factor of my pull-ups, and are the muscles that fail first.
So, I’m continuing to intensely train my forearms, mostly through 1. Weighted hangs on the pull-up bar, 2. Extended holds of 80lb dumbbells, 3. and this grip trainer that I keep in my backpack:
As a long as I keep training my forearms in this way, and keep drinking my spinach-green smoothies, I should have forearms like Popeye in no time.
Read the next post. Read the previous post.