Bodyweight exercises are a fantastic way to build grip strength since they’re easy to incorporate, require no equipment, and can be performed almost anywhere. Plus, these exercises engage your stabilizing muscles and train your grip endurance in ways traditional weights might not. They’re also adaptable—whether you’re a beginner or advanced, there’s always room for progression. Let’s see what is our top choice for bodyweight forearm exercises.
1. Dead hang
How to do it: Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and let your body hang freely, arms fully extended.
Muscles worked: Forearms, hands, shoulders.
Why it works: The dead hang places your grip under constant tension, making it an excellent exercise for grip endurance. It also stretches your shoulders, helping with mobility.
Progression: Start with 20-30 seconds and gradually increase the hang time. For a tougher challenge, try alternating hands or progress to one-arm hangs to build unilateral grip strength. This exercise also prepares your hands for more advanced moves like pull-ups.
2. Towel hang
How to do it: Wrap two towels over a pull-up bar and grip the loose ends tightly. Hang from the towels, keeping your body stable.
Muscles worked: Fingers, forearms, wrists.
Why it works: Towel hangs are more challenging than regular hangs because they force you to grip unstable material, engaging smaller muscles in your hands and fingers. This improves overall grip strength and endurance.
Progression: Start with two hands on the towels and hang as long as you can. As you improve, progress to single-arm towel hangs or attempt to climb the towels to work both grip and coordination simultaneously.
3. Fingertip push-ups
How to do it: Perform a standard push-up, but support your body on your fingertips rather than your palms.
Muscles worked: Forearms, fingers, chest, core.
Why it works: Fingertip push-ups build both finger strength and forearm endurance by forcing you to stabilize your entire body weight on a smaller surface area. It’s an excellent way to develop grip power while also engaging your chest and core.
Progression: If it’s too difficult at first, try it on your knees or do fingertip planks. Once you get stronger, progress to doing the push-ups on uneven surfaces like yoga blocks or elevate your feet to increase resistance.
4. Wall handstands (or handstand holds)
How to do it: Kick your legs up into a handstand with your feet resting against a wall for balance. Hold this position, keeping your body tight.
Muscles worked: Forearms, shoulders, core.
Why it works: Holding a handstand puts intense pressure on your wrists, forcing the forearms to stabilize your body weight. This improves wrist mobility and strengthens the forearms through static holds.
Progression: Start with short holds against the wall (10-20 seconds) and gradually increase your time. Once comfortable, try freestanding handstands to challenge your grip and balance further. You can also incorporate handstand push-ups to take it up a notch.
5. Crab walk
How to do it: Sit on the ground with your hands and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips and start walking backwards or sideways in a crab-like motion.
Muscles worked: Wrists, forearms, shoulders, core.
Why it works: The crab walk forces your forearms and wrists to stabilize your body in an unusual position, improving endurance and mobility in the process. It’s a great movement for warming up your forearms or incorporating into a bodyweight circuit.
Progression: Increase the distance or speed of your walk to make it harder. You can also add obstacles or uneven surfaces to boost the challenge and engage more muscles.
6. Wrist curls on the ground
How to do it: Sit comfortably on the floor with your arms extended in front of you, palms facing up. Slowly curl your wrists up and down, controlling the movement throughout.
Muscles worked: Forearms, wrists.
Why it works: Wrist curls target the forearms directly, building endurance and improving wrist strength. This isolated movement ensures the smaller muscles get the attention they need.
Progression: Once the basic curl becomes easy, add resistance using a resistance band or place a light object in your hands. For additional intensity, perform wrist curls with your palms facing downward to target different muscle fibers.
7. Reverse plank hold
How to do it: Sit with your legs extended in front of you and your palms planted behind you, fingers facing forward. Lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from shoulders to heels.
Muscles worked: Forearms, wrists, shoulders, core.
Why it works: This isometric exercise challenges your forearms to stabilize your body weight, enhancing endurance. It also opens up the wrists and strengthens your shoulders.
Progression: Once comfortable with the hold, add leg lifts or perform dynamic hip dips to engage more muscle groups. You can also increase hold time to build even greater endurance.
8. Door frame hangs
How to do it: Find a sturdy door frame and grip the edges with your fingers. Hang for as long as possible, keeping your body still.
Muscles worked: Fingers, forearms.
Why it works: Door frame hangs isolate the fingers and build grip strength by forcing them to work independently. This translates to improved performance in tasks requiring finger dexterity.
Progression: Start with both hands and gradually build hang time. When you’re ready for a greater challenge, shift to one-handed hangs or alternate hands mid-hang to develop unilateral grip strength.
9. Gorilla walks
How to do it: Walk on all fours, using your hands and feet to move forward. Keep your knees slightly bent and mimic the movement of a gorilla.
Muscles worked: Forearms, wrists, core.
Why it works: Gorilla walks train grip endurance by keeping your hands and wrists in an active position throughout the movement. They also improve coordination and wrist mobility.
Progression: To increase the difficulty, perform the walks on uneven surfaces or ramps. You can also add weight in the form of a weighted vest to make it more demanding.
10. Finger extensions (Isometric hold)
How to do it: Press your fingertips against each other, creating tension, and hold the position for as long as you can.
Muscles worked: Fingers, forearms.
Why it works: Finger extensions balance out the muscles in your forearms by working the extensors, which are often neglected. This helps prevent overuse injuries and improves hand stability.
Progression: Use a rubber band around your fingers for extra resistance, or perform holds against a wall for more challenge. Over time, increasing resistance will enhance strength and endurance.
Final thoughts
Bodyweight exercises are a highly effective way to build forearm and grip strength. They challenge your muscles in unique ways, requiring stabilization, endurance, and coordination. Because these exercises don’t require equipment, they can be done anywhere, making them a convenient option for everyone from beginners to advanced athletes.
Incorporating a few of these exercises into your weekly routine will lead to noticeable improvements over time. You’ll find your grip strength enhancing other areas of fitness, such as pull-ups, deadlifts, or even everyday tasks like carrying groceries.
For a challenge, select 3-5 exercises from this list and create a weekly plan focused on grip endurance and forearm development. Aim to progress gradually by increasing reps, duration, or difficulty.
