Leaning Wrist Curls - A Forearm BLAST
By Nick Nilsson

Looking to increase forearm size and/or strength? Standard Wrist Curls are a good exercise. Find out how a simple change in body position will make them MUCH more effective.

The wrist curl is a very effective forearm exercise - it's a classic for very good reason...it works! But if there's one thing I've discovered in my years of training, there is ALWAYS a better way to do even the most common and effective exercises. The Wrist Curl is no exception.

To do this unique variation of the wrist curl, you're going to need two dumbells, a flat bench and another raised surface (it can be another bench, a chair, a machine or even the rails of a power rack - it should be the same height or a little higher than the bench you're using). I will use a chair as the example for this exercise.

Use a weight you could do about 12 to 15 reps with on regular dumbell wrist curls. Place the bench about 3 feet in front of the chair - when you see how the exercise is done, you'll be able to adjust how far apart you place the bench and chair. The bench should be perpendicular to the chair as you'll be doing the wrist curl exercise with your forearms across the WIDTH of the bench.

Stand between the bench and the chair - you should be facing the bench. Pick up your two dumbells. Rest your forearms on the bench with your palms facing up, and kneel down in front of the bench, just as though you were about to do a wrist curl. I prefer to set the forearms on the bench just far enough apart so that the dumbell ends are pressed together during the exercise. I find this helps increase the force you're able to generate during the exercise.

So now you're kneeling in front of the bench, your wrists are extended down and you're about to do a wrist curl. STOP! Here's the trick. You're going to set your feet up on that chair behind you!

When your feet are up on the chair, keep your body completely tight and straight. Let your bodyweight lean forward and down onto your forearms. Bend your elbows so that they are as bent as they can be and your entire bodyweight is leaning forward and supported on your forearms.

NOW start doing wrist curls. You'll find, with your forearms not only performing the wrist curl movement but also supporting your bodyweight AND with the elbows in the completely flexed position, your forearms will get a MUCH harder workout than with just plain wrist curls alone.

I recommend that you do this exercise with dumbells rather than a barbell simply because dumbells allow your wrists and forearms greater freedom of movement to not only find their best path for the exercise but also to increase the stabilizing requirement as you're leaning down onto your forearms. Barbells just lock you into the movement too much.

Use this exercise at the end of your workouts - don't do it first or your forearms will be exhausted and you won't be able to grip as well during your workout. It's a killer forearm exercises that takes full advantage of your biomechanics and anatomy to place greater tension on the forearm muscles..

Word of advice, don't try and do anything that requires any degree of fine motor control in your hands for at least a few minutes after you're done (like writing in a training log). Your forearms will be trashed and your handwriting will end up looking like mine on a good day!

To see pictures and a video of this exercise in action, Click-Here!

Turbulence Training Q’n’A

Q: How much weight should I use for each exercise?

Answer: This is one of my most popular reader mail questions. Unfortunately, I can't give everyone a precise answer because it depends on so many factors.

But for absolute beginners, here's what you need to do...and it's very simple.

Start with the lowest amount of weight possible. If you are doing dumbbell rows, start with the 5 lbs dumbbell. Use perfect form. If you can do all of the repetitions without any struggle, then increase the weight on the next set.

By simply using trial and error, you'll find the correct weight quite quickly.

Start conservative, and don't rush.

Q: I am progressing very well with Turbulence Training. I am getting stronger, leaner and fitter and the fat is continuing to melt away. My question is - should I change workouts even though I still cannot do some exercises properly, e.g. kneel push-ups, after 4 weeks or should I keep doing the workout until it becomes easier for me to do the exercises and then move on. As a woman, I sometimes feel that I will never be able to a push up properly...!

Answer:
In some cases I might let someone stay on certain exercises a little longer than 4 weeks, but many of the other variables in your program could change.

Don't forget, you also have a variety of push-up progressions that you can make...in this order, starting at the absolute beginner level:

a) Wall pushup
b) Incline pushup on high bar position in smith machine or squat rack
c) Kneeling pushup
d) incline pushup on low bar position in smith or squat rack
e) incline pushup on aerobics step
f) Try for full pushups!

You can also use a variety of set and rep schemes, as well as lifting tempos (including eccentric/lowering only reps) to increase the intensity of the exercise.

Q: I can't do any chin-ups. What exercise should I use to replace the chins in the workout?

Answer:
Here is a great exercise you can do if you train in a gym or have access to a low chin-up bar.

You'll need a smith machine or chin-up bar set at about 5-feet high (or anything you can do a chin-up from that still allows you to touch your feet to the ground at the top of the movement.

Start in a crouched position with your arms fully extended. You'll be on the balls of your feet. Pull yourself up using as little help from your lower body as possible.

That's just one exercise that can be used to help increase chin-up strength. You can also use kneeling underhand grip pulldowns, eccentric chinups, and the assisted chin up machines available in most gyms.

Again, you can use a variety of lifting tempos to increase the intensity of the exercise.

Q: I love the bodyweight circuits, but can I use light dumbbells for the exercises to increase the intensity?

Answer:
Of course. So in exercises like lunges, 1-leg Deadlifts, split squats, split squats with your front foot elevated, and 1-Leg RDL's, feel free to use dumbbells. But you should not experience a lot of soreness the next day from your bodyweight circuits if they are being used in place of interval training.

Q: When reading the Turbulence Training workouts I notice that the beginning exercises lower reps are used and they increase as the workouts continue. What is the thinking here for ranges?

Answer:
When designing programs, we should always do strength and power early in the session when we are 'fresh'.

So if you do jump training or Olympic Lifting, that would go first, then heavy strength exercises, and finally moving to higher volume supersets as the workout goes on.

Q: Will I always have to do intense workouts, even when I have achieved my body goals?

Answer:
Pretty much, yep!

But this goes even more so for your health. If you stop working out, your health can take a turn for the worse pretty quickly. Just look at any former athlete that stops training and keeps eating.

So yes, the TT Lifestyle is a Lifestyle for Life.

Always focus on the positives of proper nutrition and hard exercise:

a) Increased energy
b) Increased productivity
c) Better health
d) A better looking body.

Stay strong!

Q: I train at home and don't have a treadmill or bike. And I can't go outside to do intervals. Do you have any bodyweight options?

Answer:
Yes, you can use all sorts of exercise methods in place of traditional intervals.

You can do bodyweight circuits for interval training - so you don't need any fancy machines.

For bodyweight circuits: In general, just alternate lower and upper body bodyweight exercises for a total of 4 exercises in a circuit. That should be a good starting point for your "bodyweight interval circuit conditioning cardio", or whatever we want to call it.

For example:

a) Prisoner or Y-Squat (always work the upper back when you do bodyweight squats)
b) An easy pushup (see list above for options)
c) A single-leg exercise such as a Split Squat
d) A total body ab exercise such as a Mountain Climber

Do 3 circuits and about 12 reps per exercise. Rest 30 seconds after each circuit.

========================= Turbulence Training Quick Tip =========================
To get more results in less time, increase the intensity of your workout. If you currently are lifting weights for 10, 12, or more repetitions per set, use this rule of thumb to increase the weight and decrease the reps. Your muscles and metabolism will immediately benefit from the change so that you’ll sculpt your body with less work.

Increase the weight used by 5%, and decrease the number of reps per set by two.

So if you are rowing 100 pounds for 12 reps, increase the weight to 105 pounds, and decrease the number of reps per set to 10.
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AtoZfitness newsletter Introduction

Leaning Wrist Curls - A Forearm BLAST
By Nick Nilsson

Fed Up With Diet Books That Just Collect Dust, This 42-Year-Old Fat Loss Pro Writes A Diet And Fitness Industry Shocker That Reveals The 5 Things You Must Do If You Want Lose Fat And Keep It Off!!

“This 5-Step Results-Driven System Makes All Diets Up To 5 Times More Effective!”

AtoZfitness newsletter Introduction

Leaning Wrist Curls - A Forearm BLAST By Nick Nilsson

Fed Up With Diet Books That Just Collect Dust, This 42-Year-Old Fat Loss Pro Writes A Diet And Fitness Industry Shocker That Reveals The 5 Things You Must Do If You Want Lose Fat And Keep It Off!!

“This 5-Step Results-Driven System Makes All Diets Up To 5 Times More Effective!”

Leaning Wrist Curls - A Forearm BLAST
By Nick Nilsson