forearms with other equipment
28 exercises for forearms you can do with other equipment.
Specialty equipment for forearm training is a category spanning raw strongman functionality to technical gymnastic movements. Atlas stones, rickshaw bars, rope climbing, and wrist rollers converge here — 28 exercises with vastly different demands on grip, wrist position, and neuromuscular coordination.
What ties them together is that none of these exercises let you fake the grip. You hold or you drop — and your body adapts fast to that kind of feedback.
This guide walks you through how to structure your training, which exercises fit where in your session, and where you should be cautious with progression.
Functional grip strength: atlas stones, rickshaw bars, and carries
Atlas stones and atlas stone trainers form the foundation of strongman-based forearm training. The asymmetrical, rounded surface demands that your fingers work actively throughout — unlike a standard barbell grip where the shape does some of the work for you. Add rickshaw carries and rickshaw deadlifts, and you have exercises that isolate grip harder than almost anything else: no technical escape, just time under tension.
Farmer's walks and thick bar carries fall into the same category — simple to learn, but underrated in how quickly they deplete the forearms. Overhead deadlifts and truck pulls are more specialized variants for those who want to push grip against maximal load. Sandbag loads and standing Olympic plate holds round out the palette with exercises that train the final stage of grip itself.
Pro tip: save carries and heavy grip work for the end of your session or in dedicated blocks — they exhaust the grip quickly and will negatively impact everything that follows if you do them early.
Explosive and athletic: rope climbing, muscle ups, and sledgehammer work
Rope climbing and muscle ups are technically demanding exercises where the forearms are a clear limiting factor — especially in longer sets or tight intervals. Kipping muscle ups and single-arm hanging chins rank among the most demanding variants and require an established baseline of grip strength; don't jump straight there.
Sledgehammer strikes and tire flips represent another type of explosive stimulus — rotational and force-absorptive movements that train the forearm muscles in a completely different way than static grip exercises. Battle rope slams are similar in character but with a shorter range of motion and higher rep pace. These exercises belong early in your session when the nervous system is fresh, or in separate conditioning blocks.
Assisted pull-ups with bands, wide-grip hanging pull-ups, and L-sits are movements where the forearms work isometrically under load — excellent complements if you want to build grip endurance without maximal loading.
Balance and wrist mobility: wrist rollers, plate pinches, and Svend presses
The wrist roller is a classic for good reason: it trains both flexion and extension in the wrist, and it's rare that both sides get equal work elsewhere in your training. Plate pinches and reverse plate curls complement with a focus on finger strength and extensor power along the back of the forearm.
Conan's wheel, the cross hold, and the hanging wheel are uncommon but effective for rotational wrist work and static arm stability. The Svend press is technically a chest exercise but with significant isometric grip activation — a solid option if you want to layer in forearm work without adding a separate block. Reverse sled drags finish the list as a full-body movement where grip is the limiting factor.
The principle for building balanced forearms: train heavy grip and carries once or twice a week, finish with wrist rollers and plate work, and alternate explosive elements like sledgehammer strikes with stabilizing work. It's the combination that builds a grip that truly holds.