Arm Wrestling Strength Training: Guide & Program

The number one factor and most important thing for winning an arm wrestling match is technique, but when you meet an equally skilled opponent, strength can give you the upper hand.

In this article, I’ll discuss the strength training (muscles and movement patterns) that most benefit your arm wrestling.

You’ll also find an 8-week training program that combines general strength training with workouts focusing on arm wrestling strength (exercises that look weird to outsiders but benefit your sport-specific performance) to improve your table performance and reduce the risk of injury.

Strength Training for Arm Wrestling: Muscles, Movements, and Methods

Arm wrestling is a very specialized strength sport. In most other sports that rely on muscle strength, you can train like a bodybuilder or powerlifter in addition to practicing your sport, and you’ll get pretty far.

But not so in arm wrestling. You’ll get smoked by someone who has trained with the table in mind.

To win in arm wrestling, you need a rather unique combination of grip strength, forearm and wrist stability, elbow flexor strength, and shoulder stability.

Many general strength training exercises (like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows) do give you a good foundation of strength to build upon, but as an arm wrestler, you won’t make it to the top without weight training that targets the specific muscles, angles, and demands of the sport.

So, what are the most essential muscles, body parts, and movement patterns you should train?

Muscles and Movement Patterns for Arm Wrestling

These are the most essential muscles and their movement patterns if you want to improve your arm wrestling strength.

Forearm Flexors and Wrist Stabilizers

• Your wrist flexors help you maintain your grip and cup your wrist (that’s when you curl it inward, like when you make a strong fist to gain control over your opponent’s hand and limit their leverage) during a match.
• The wrist extensors stabilize your wrist against your opponent’s pull.
• The pronator teres and supinator muscles control your forearm rotation, and you need them to be strong enough to establish leverage.

Elbow Flexors

• Your biceps brachii and brachialis both help you pull your opponent and maintain force when your elbow is flexed. Most people would probably think that the biceps is the main elbow flexor, but it’s actually rather weak compared to the brachialis below it.

Brachioradialis

• The brachioradialis, the (potentially) meaty muscle on the top of your forearm, also flexes your elbow, especially when your palm is in a neutral or hammer grip position, and helps you maintain power in many arm-wrestling techniques like the top roll.

Shoulder and Rotator Cuff

• Without shoulder (including the deltoids, rotator cuff, and scapular stabilizers) strength and stability, you’ll be hard-pressed to apply the force you need to down your opponent’s arm or defend against theirs. These muscles also protect the shoulder joint against the massive forces they are exposed to during a match.

Upper Back and Traps

• Your back muscles, including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and rhomboids, stabilize your shoulder, generate pulling strength, and transfer force so you don’t just rely on your biceps and get crushed in 0.5 seconds.

In addition to the above obvious offenders, core strength is also essential in arm wrestling. Probably more so than you might think. It prevents your body from getting thrown off balance when your opponent applies force, transfers power from your legs and torso into your arm, helps you resist getting pulled over the table, and lets you generate rotational power to twist your opponent’s wrist into a losing position.

How Often Should an Arm Wrestler Lift Weights?

How often you should hit the weights depends on your experience level, recovery capacity, and total training volume. That being said, most arm wrestlers benefit from strength training 2–4 times per week, with the exact frequency based on how much table time (actual arm wrestling practice) you include.

• Actual arm wrestling (“table time” in arm wrestling lingo) is very specific and helps you develop technique, grip strength, and the tendon and connective tissue strength to handle the demands of the sport.
• Weight training builds the strength you need to apply maximum power in specific arm-wrestling movements and reduces the risk of getting injured from the very localized stress the sport puts on your body. You want to prioritize the muscles you use when you arm wrestle, but building a decent full-body strength base, including your lower body, is always a good idea.

Typical Weekly Training Breakdown

• Novices: 1–2 sessions of table time + 2–3 sessions of weight training.
• Intermediate to Advanced: 1–2 sessions of more intense arm-wrestling table time + 2–4 sessions of weight training, sometimes split into more specific arm-wrestling exercises and general strength workouts.

You also need to rest and recover from all your demanding training to allow your body to adapt and improve. I suggest at least 1–2 rest days (or active recovery days) per week.

I suggest you do some low-impact mobility work, stretching, or light cardio to boost blood flow and healing on your active recovery days.

I know it can be easy to press your training pedal to the metal and ignore rest days, especially if your body feels good and strong, but in the long run, making sure your recovery is on point is one of the best ways to guarantee long-term success and an injury-free body.

Below is a simplified example of a week’s training. Note the word “example”; it’s far from set in stone, and two different arm wrestlers’ training weeks could look very different. Think of it as a general guideline, and depending on your individual recovery rate, competition schedule, and personal goals, you might need to adjust the intensity or volume of workouts.

Day	Training Focus
Monday	Table Time + Forearm Work
Tuesday	Upper Body Strength
Wednesday	Rest or Active Recovery
Thursday	Arm Wrestling Specific Strength
Friday	Lower Body Strength + Conditioning
Saturday	Arm Wrestling Specific Strength
Sunday	Rest or Active Recovery

What About Regular Strength and Hypertrophy Training?

Training the way bodybuilders do to build bigger muscles can help your arm wrestling, but it doesn’t necessarily translate directly into your performance on the table.

There are both differences and similarities in muscle size and performance between arm wrestlers and other strength-trained athletes.¹ But to get good at arm wrestling, big muscles, even strong muscles, only get you so far. You need very specific grip, wrist, forearm, and upper-arm strength that you can only get by training specifically for it.

And, even more important, you need the technical prowess to back that strength up.

Knowing how to set a good grip, use your body weight, apply side pressure, keep your wrist locked, or roll your opponent’s wrist will overcome pure muscle size (and strength) in most cases.

Joints and Tendons

In addition, arm wrestling puts a ton of stress on your tendons and ligaments, especially in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints. You want to make these structures strong enough to handle frequent high-intensity arm wrestling training and matches.

There was a time we thought that tendons, cartilage, and other structures were set for life and only degraded with time. However, we now know that they adapt to stress, just like your muscles, by growing stronger and harder to break.

To do so, specific loading protocols, with heavier, lower-rep, isometric, or partial-range work that differs from your standard hypertrophy-style training, can be very useful.

That being said, training for muscle growth can help to a degree with arm-wrestling performance. A larger muscle has more potential for strength. A bigger muscle is almost always a stronger muscle, and arm wrestling is absolutely strength-intensive.

If you take two guys with equal technical knowledge, equal tendon integrity, and equal skill, the one who has superior body composition, a 500 lb deadlift, and a back like a barn door is likely going to ragdoll the one who only does band work in his basement.

However, purely chasing size is far less valuable than sport-specific training to develop maximal strength in very specific arm-wrestling movements and angles.

Should You Train Legs as an Arm Wrestler?

Yes, there are definite benefits to training your legs for arm wrestling. While arm wrestling is obviously upper-body dominant, a lower body to match gives you better stability, balance, body control, and even total force output.

Your body is a connected chain. Strong legs = stronger core = better force transfer to your upper body. You don’t need 26-inch quads, but a powerful lower body helps you anchor or drive from the ground up, ultimately generating and stabilizing force in your pulling arm.

A weak lower body can compromise your ability to maintain posture and balance when a match drags on or when it involves significant side pressure. The kind of lower-body power you can only get from heavy leg training allows you to resist getting dragged across the table like a ragdoll.

Many arm wrestling techniques, like the top roll or hook, rely on not just upper body strength but also shifts in weight from the legs and torso. Can you be a good arm wrestler without a powerful lower body? Sure. But when you face an equally skilled arm wrestler who is as strong as you in the upper body and who hasn’t skipped leg day, the advantage is in their corner.

So, do include leg training (like in the Arm Wrestling Strength program below); just remember to adjust your volume and intensity based on your schedule. Try to place your heavy leg workouts so that they don’t interfere with your upper-body recovery or table practice.

Arm Wrestling Strength Training Program

This is an 8-week strength-training program designed for arm wrestlers who already have a base of strength training and familiarity with arm-wrestling techniques.

You don’t need to be a super-experienced lifter, but it will definitely work better if you know how to perform basic lifts like the deadlift and squat with good form.

The program uses a 4-day split each week (plus optional table time), with gradually increasing intensity and volume, and combines general strength lifts with arm-wrestling-specific drills (pronation, supination, grip work, and isometric holds).

Over the first four weeks, you build a volume base with moderate loads while working on your form. Over the next four weeks, you increase the intensity and challenge yourself with heavier weights and more intense arm-wrestling drills.

Some of the lifts in the program are based on your one-repetition maximum (1RM). That’s the heaviest weight you can currently lift a single time. If you don’t know your 1RM, you can use our calculator:

The calculator is also handily available in the StrengthLog app.

Program Overview

Arm Wrestling Strength is eight weeks long and split into two 4-week phases:

• Phase 1 (Weeks 1–4): You build a foundation of strength and muscle with moderate loads and reps, and include a number of arm-wrestling-specific exercises.
• Phase 2 (Weeks 5–8): Here’s where you increase intensity (weight on the bar), slightly reduce total volume, and intensify arm-wrestling-specific drills.

You lift four days per week. You can add optional table time for specific arm-wrestling practice once per week (preferably on a day separate from heavy pulling or pressing).

Main Goals

• Increase forearm, grip, wrist strength (pronation, supination, and wrist flexion/extension).
• Build biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis strength (elbow flexors).
• Improve rotator cuff, shoulder, and upper back stability (stability, force, positioning).
• Build full-body strength for stability and power transfer.

Progression

• Phase 1 (Weeks 1–4): Use moderate weight, aiming for RPE 7–8 (about 2–3 reps in reserve). RPE is a scale from 1 to 10 that helps you gauge how hard you’re working, with 1 being “on the couch” and 10 being “I might actually die.”
• Phase 2 (Weeks 5–8): Increase loading; aim for RPE 8–9 (1–2 reps in reserve). Reduce total sets to manage fatigue but lift heavier.

Rest 1–3 minutes between sets. You can rest longer if you want to, but get at least a minute. I suggest you take a good, long rest between heavy sets of compound lifts, like squats and deadlifts, and then you can rest a shorter time between sets for smaller muscles.

Get at least 48 hours of rest before another high-intensity training session for the same muscle groups.

Optional Table Time

I leave the table time to your discretion, but if possible, practice with a partner at the table, focusing on different techniques: top roll, hook, posting, etc., 20–30 minutes total (avoid going to absolute failure on every pull).

Try to schedule table time on days without heavy pulling or on specialization days to avoid excessive elbow/wrist stress.

Follow This Training Program in StrengthLog

This program and many more are in the StrengthLog workout tracker app. The app is free to use, forever, with no ads, and a great way to track your training progress. This program, however, is a premium program (it offers built-in progression and advanced periodization), which means it requires a premium subscription.

We offer all new users a free 14-day premium trial. You can activate it in the app without any strings attached.

The exact set and rep details (the tables below are snapshots of a single week) along with the planned intensity and volume progression route, are available in your StrengthLog app.

Workout 1: General Strength (Upper Body Push + Core)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	4	3–6
Dumbbell Row	4	8–10
Bar Dip or Landmine Press	3	8–10
Reverse Barbell Curl	4	8–10
Face Pull	3	12–15
Ab Wheel Rollout	3	Max reps

Note: Alternate between dips and landmine presses from workout to workout.

Workout 2: Arm Wrestling–Specific

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Wrist Curl	4	10–15
Barbell Wrist Extension	4	10–15
Forearm Pronation	3	8–12
Forearm Supination	3	8–12
Plate Pinch	3	10–20 seconds

Note: Arm-wrestling specific days can be taxing on your elbows, wrists, and connective tissues. The training volume is moderate so you can focus on quality and progressive overload over time.

Workout 3: General Strength (Lower Body + Pull Emphasis)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	3–6
Deadlift or Romanian Deadlift	3	3–6 or 5–8
Towel Pull-Up	3	8–10
Lat Pulldown	3	6–8
Hammer Curl	3	6–8
Side Plank	3	45 seconds

Note: Alternate between deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts from workout to workout.

Workout 4: Arm Wrestling–Specific (Varied Angle Work)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Band or Cable Hook Drills	3	8–12
Riser Curl	3	10–12
Farmer’s Walk	3	20–30 meters
Ulnar Deviation	2	10–12
Radial Deviation	2	10–12

Progression Tip: Gradually increase resistance or volume. If your joints are sore, scale back and focus on technique or add more rest.

Progression to Phase 2 (Weeks 5–8)

• General Guidelines:
  • Increase weights by ~5–10% on major lifts if you’ve hit all reps in Phase 1.
  • Reduce total set counts on big lifts by one but at heavier loads. You can see the complete training plan in StrengthLog.
  • Maintain or slightly increase set counts on the arm-wrestling-specific exercises (wrist, pronation/supination) to continue building your specialized strength.
  • Keep an eye on your elbow and wrist health. If you experience pain, adjust the volume or lighten the load. Some discomfort is acceptable and even expected when adapting to a high-intensity arm wrestling routine, but sharp, shooting pain is not.

General Tips & Recovery

• Warm up before you lift! Especially the shoulders, elbows, wrists. Use dynamic movements, band traction, and light rotations.

• Keep an eye on your joint health. Arm wrestling puts a lot of stress on your shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Don’t chase overload at the expense of joint pain; add in extra rest days as needed.
• Get enough quality sleep. Try to get 7–9 hours per night to optimize recovery.
• Adjust your exercise selection if you need to. If any particular exercise causes real discomfort, modify the range of motion, reduce the load, or consider alternative movements. Trying to work through nagging pain that increases over time can lead to chronic issues.
• Nutrition:
  • Eat enough protein (~1 g per pound of body weight or 2.2 g/kg) and go for caloric balance or a slight surplus (unless you are a heavier person).
  • There is also decent evidence that taking 15 g of gelatin/collagen with vitamin C about 30–60 minutes before training can help tendon synthesis.²
    

Arm Strength Training Exercises

Here are the exercises in the Arm Strength Training program in the order they appear.

Bench Press

The bench press is the number one exercise for building pushing strength and athletic capacity in the upper body. It primarily develops your pecs, and while arm wrestling is more about pulling and rotational strength than pushing, a strong chest stabilizes your upper body during a match and pulls your arm inward by providing horizontal adduction and shoulder stabilization for control and leverage against your opponent.

In addition, bench presses build your front delts (for better control and resistance when your opponent fights back) and your triceps (which stabilize and extend your arm when you’re pressing down to finish a pin).

In other words, bench presses are not just for bodybuilders, powerlifters, and strength athletes who do a lot of pushing. They help your arm wrestling game, too.

How to Bench Press

1. Lie on the bench, pull your shoulder blades together and down, and slightly arch your back.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Inhale, hold your breath, and unrack the bar.
4. Lower the bar with control, until it touches your chest somewhere close to your sternum.
5. Push the bar up to the starting position while exhaling.
6. Take another breath while in the top position, and repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row is a classic exercise for your upper back muscles (lats, traps, and rhomboids) that also hits your biceps and rear delts, plus your core for stabilization.

Rows give you a strong back for the pulling power to control and dominate your opponent, and dumbbell rows are perfect for hitting the stabilizing muscles in your shoulder at the same time, making your arm stronger and more resilient in awkward wrestling angles.

Add this little twist to your dumbbell rows for additional arm wrestling benefit: as you pull the dumbbell towards you, curl your wrist slightly using your forearm flexors. This addition strengthens your ability to top roll an opponent.

How to Do Dumbbell Rows

1. Start by placing a dumbbell on the floor beside a bench or chair. Stand facing the bench or chair and place your left hand and left knee on top of it.
2. Keep your back flat and parallel to the ground, with a slight bend in the standing leg. Grip the dumbbell with your right hand.
3. Inhale and pull the dumbbell by driving the elbow toward the ceiling.
4. With control, lower the dumbbell back to the starting position while exhaling.
5. Complete the desired number of reps on one side, then switch to the opposite arm and leg.

Bar Dip

The bar dip is a classic bodyweight exercise, sometimes called the “squat for the upper body” because it hits several major muscle groups, chest, shoulders, and triceps, while building strength and stability in the upper body. Much like how squats work the lower body.

Your triceps help you maintain control and apply pressure during a match and give you the strength to lock in your position and power through your opponent’s resistance, while your chest and shoulders work as stabilizers and force multipliers.

Once regular dips are easy, add a weight belt or hold a dumbbell between your legs.

How to Do Bar Dips

1. Grip a dip station about shoulder-width apart, and climb or jump to get into the starting position.
2. Lower yourself with control until your shoulder is below your elbow, or as deep as you comfortably can.
3. Reverse the motion and return to the starting position.
4. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Landmine Press

The landmine press involves using a barbell anchored at one end (usually with a landmine attachment or just jammed into a corner). You grab the free end of the barbell and press it forward or upward, depending on your position.

Landmine presses train the front deltoids, upper chest, and triceps, and unlike most other shoulder exercises, they do so unilaterally (one side at a time) and at an angle, much like the leverage you need to apply force across a table, which is great for stabilization and control during a match.

How to Do Landmine Presses

1. Stand with your core activated and your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Place the barbell in one hand, and rest it on your shoulder. 
3. Press to lockout by extending the elbow and flexing the shoulder.
4. Slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position on your shoulder.
5. Repeat for reps.

Reverse Barbell Curl

The reverse barbell curl is similar to standard biceps curls but with a pronated (palms-down) grip on the barbell. You still train your biceps but depend more on forearm strength, which makes it an excellent exercise for arm wrestling.

You already know how forearm-heavy arm wrestling is, and reverse curls hit the brachioradialis, a muscle you want maximally developed to perform your best. It flexes the forearm at the elbow and is involved in both pronation and supination. A stronger brachioradialis means 1) you can generate more power when resisting or pulling, 2) you train the grip tension you need during a match, and 3) you improve control and stability in your elbow and wrist. All three things are essential for positioning and leverage in a match.

How to Do Reverse Barbell Curls

1. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp a barbell with an overhand grip (palms facing down), hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Keeping your upper arms stationary, curl the barbell up towards your shoulders by flexing your elbows.
3. Slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
4. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Face Pull

The face pull is an upper-body pulling exercise for the rear deltoids (back of the shoulders), traps (upper back), and rotator cuff muscles (the stabilizers of your shoulder joint).

Face pulls are a go-to exercise for improving posture and avoiding shoulder injuries. Arm wrestling is notorious for causing shoulder, elbow, and wrist injuries, and face pulls build up the small, stabilizing muscles that protect the shoulder joint. That’s a boon when you place a lot of strain on your internal rotators, counterbalancing that pulling motion.

Note that this is not an exercise for chasing PRs. Too much weight leads to using momentum rather than hitting the muscles you want to hit.

How to Do Face Pulls

1. Fasten a rope handle in a high position on a cable pulley. Grip the ropes with an overhand grip, and take a step or two back. Your arms should be almost straight with only a slight bend.
2. Pull the rope towards you by letting your upper arms move straight out towards your sides at shoulder height while simultaneously rotating your forearms up. Your elbows should be high and wide, like you’re showing off your impressive wingspan.
3. Don’t neglect scapular retraction. Your shoulder blades should move during the exercise. Think of them pinching together at the peak of the movement.
4. Return with control to the starting position by letting your arms move forward again.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Ab Wheel Rollout

The ab wheel rollout uses a small wheel with handles to train your core. While rollouts won’t directly improve your arm-wrestling strength and technique, they develop the core stability and muscle endurance to back up your arm power.

With a strong core, you can transfer more power from your legs and torso to your arm and stabilize your spine during explosive movements, like when you pull your opponent’s arm down. And having a strong core also very likely lowers the risk of injuries to your back and shoulders during high-torque movements. Of which there are plenty in an arm wrestling match.

How to Do Ab Wheel Rollouts

1. Start by kneeling on the floor with your hands on the ab wheel, placed directly in front of your knees.
2. Engage your core and slowly roll the wheel forward until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your head.
3. Be sure to keep your back straight and your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
4. Reverse the movement, roll the ab wheel back towards your knees, and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Barbell Wrist Curl

The barbell wrist curl is one of the best exercises for building forearms like Popeye, specifically the forearm flexors, the muscles that bend your wrist downward and are super important for arm wrestling prowess.

To down your opponent, you need wrist strength, muscle endurance, and stability under pressure to control your opponent’s hand, maintain leverage, and make it harder for them to overpower or slip from your grip. If your wrist gets bent back, you lose leverage and likely the match. Fortunately, this little exercise improves all of the above.

How to Do Barbell Wrist Curls

1. Grab a barbell with an underhand grip and rest your forearms against your thighs, or alternatively against a bench.
2. Lower your hands towards the floor, and let the barbell roll out into your fingers.
3. Reverse the motion by closing your grip and bending your wrists upwards.
4. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Note: You can also do wrist curls standing with the barbell behind your back.

Barbell Wrist Extension

The barbell wrist extension is like the wrist curl, but the opposite. Instead of a palms-up grip, you use an overhand grip (palms facing down) and rest your forearms on your thighs. That way, you train the extensors, the muscles in your forearms that lift your wrist and fingers upward.

They stabilize your wrist in the upright or slightly extended position, giving you the edge to resist your opponent’s pressure. If your wrist collapses, your power chain gets disrupted faster than you can say elbow foul.

Use a thicker-than-standard bar or fat grips to put even more load on the working muscles.

How to Do Barbell Wrist Extensions

1. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip and rest your forearms against your thighs, or alternatively against a bench.
2. Lower your hands towards the floor.
3. Reverse the motion by bending your wrists upwards.
4. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Forearm Pronation

Forearm pronations strengthen the pronator muscles of the forearm (particularly pronator teres), which are vital if you want a strong top roll. It helps you generate torque and control your opponent’s wrist by rolling their hand outward.

Start with a relatively light weight and focus on muscle control.

How to Do Forearm Pronations

1. Adjust the cable machine at about waist or chest height.
2. Sit or stand with the working side closest to the machine, so the cable pulls from the same side as the arm you are training.
3. Hold the handle in the hand you wish to train, palm facing slightly inward or toward the side of your torso (neutral to supinated position).
4. Keep your elbow bent at about 90 degrees and close to your side to isolate forearm rotation.
5. Rotate your forearm so that your palm (or the back of your hand) turns downward or outward against the resistance.
6. After a slight pause, control the movement back to the starting position (neutral or slightly supinated) while avoiding letting the cable snap your forearm back.
7. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Forearm Supination

Forearm supinations strengthen the supinator muscle of the forearm, which rotates the radius (one of the two bones in your forearm) so the palm of your hand faces upward.

This small muscle is super important in arm wrestling techniques that rely on palm-up control and leverage (like hook style and when you counter your opponent’s pronation) and builds rotational force to maintain or regain a palm-up advantage.

How to Do Forearm Supinations

1. Adjust a cable machine to about waist or chest height.
2. Stand or sit with the working side facing away from the machine, so the cable pulls across your body from the opposite side.
3. Hold the cable in the hand you want to train, with your palm facing downward or neutral (somewhere between pronated and neutral).
4. Keep your elbow bent at about 90 degrees and close to your torso to focus on forearm rotation rather than shoulder movement. Adjust the pulley so the cable aligns with your forearm.
5. Initiate the movement from your forearm and rotate so that your palm (or the front of your hand) turns upward against the resistance.
6. Pause briefly at the end position, then return under control while avoiding letting the cable snap your forearm back.
7. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.

Plate Pinch

The plate pinch involves holding one or more weight plates between your fingers and thumb, squeezing to keep them from slipping.

Plate pinches build the muscles responsible for crushing grip strength, meaning you can clamp down on your opponent’s hand like a vice and stay in control. They also train you to keep your wrist locked under tension for more grip endurance, something you’ll be grateful for when the match starts to drag on.

How to Do Plate Pinches

1. Grab a pair of weight plates in a pinching grip with your right hand.
2. Lift the weight plates off the ground.
3. Hold them for as long as you can, and then put them down in a controlled manner.
4. Repeat with your left hand.

Squat

The squat is the best exercise for building strength and athletic capacity in the lower body, and even though you’re not wrestling with your legs, it indirectly helps your arm wrestling. That’s because your legs and core are the base that gives you the stability to transfer force through your upper body and into your opponent’s arm.

Squats build the foundation: strong legs = a stronger platform for the power that wins matches. That same platform also makes sure you don’t get toppled or lose your stance from your opponent’s pressure.

How to Squat

1. Place the bar on your upper back. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
2. Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
3. Squat as deep as possible with good technique.
4. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
5. Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
6. Inhale and repeat for reps.

Deadlift

The deadlift does not have much of a direct carryover to arm wrestling, but it is unsurpassed for building a strength base during the offseason phase of your training. It is fantastic for developing a strong core and back, which are essential for posture and power transfer throughout the body during a match.

Heavy deadlifts take a lot out of you and are possibly the hardest exercise to recover from (“possibly” because studies don’t always find that difference, but ask 10 deadlifters and the majority will likely concur). They recruit your entire body, and the central nervous system fires a large number of motor units. In the Arm Wrestling Strength program, you’ll do no more than 3–4 weekly sets of deadlifts, allowing you to get the strength benefits of the exercise but without the impact on your recovery status.

I usually recommend doing deadlifts with straps to offload the hands, but for arm wrestling, I suggest you leave the straps in the gym bag for most of your sets and use a hook grip with your thumb locked under your fingers to build finger and thumb strength. Save the straps for the final top set, where you use weights close to your 1RM.

How to Deadlift

1. Step up close to the bar so that it is about over the middle of your foot.
2. Inhale, lean forward, and grip the bar.
3. Hold your breath, brace your core slightly, and lift the bar.
4. Pull the bar close to your body, with a straight back, until you are standing straight.
5. Lower the bar back to the ground with control.
6. Take another breath, and repeat for reps.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is a great exercise for the posterior chain, the muscles on the back of your body, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It might not seem like a direct arm-wrestling exercise because it isn’t. But more posterior chain power never hurts for general athletic performance and injury prevention, and those are things you want in your arm wrestling arsenal as well.

The muscles you strengthen with RDLs generate the explosive pull power you need during a match by staying grounded and using your whole body to fight gravity and your opponent. Strong hamstrings and glutes mean you can generate force from the ground up. Yes, arm wrestling is about arms, but leverage and body positioning start from your legs and hips.

How to Do Romanian Deadlifts

1. Get into the starting position by deadlifting a barbell off the floor or by unracking it from a barbell rack. Stand feet hip-width, inhale, and brace your core slightly.
2. Lean forward by hinging in your hips. Keep your knees almost completely extended.
3. Lean forward as far as possible with good form (no rounding your back). You don’t have to touch the barbell to the floor, although it is OK if you do.
4. Reverse the movement and return to the standing position. Exhale on the way up.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Note: The dumbbell Romanian deadlift is a viable alternative to the barbell variant.

Towel Pull-Up

The towel pull-up is a variation of the standard pull-up where you use two towels draped over the pull-up bar instead of gripping the bar itself, adding an extra layer of challenge by forcing your hands and fingers to grip an unstable surface (the towel).

Towel pull-ups give you grip strength and pulling power by training your fingers and forearms to handle pressure and building wrist stability. The instability of the exercise works the stabilizing muscles you need for strength at odd angles and holds, which is something you need more often than not in an arm wrestling match. In addition, it hits your lats and biceps just like the regular pull-up.

Towel pull-ups are no joke. Even if you can crank out plenty of pull-ups, you might be surprised at how much harder they get when towels get involved. So don’t be surprised if you have to use a resistance band for a helping hand to get the number of strict reps the Arm Wrestling Strength program calls for.

How to Do Towel Pull-Ups

1. Lay a pair of towels over a pull-up bar. Grab one in each hand.
2. Inhale and pull yourself up as high as you can.
3. Exhale and lower yourself with control until your arms are fully extended.
4. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown builds strength and width in your back, especially the latissimus dorsi, the wing-like muscles on your back. It’s basically the seated version of the pull-up, but with a cable machine that lets you adjust the weight to your comfort level.

When you arm wrestle, lat and upper back strength helps you pull your opponent’s arm toward you, a common tactic to gain leverage. Lat pulldowns also indirectly strengthen shoulder stabilizers that allow you to stay steady under pressure.

In the Arm Wrestling Strength program, you’re doing lat pulldowns as a back exercise, focusing as much as possible on your back pulling strength, not your forearms and grip. Therefore, feel free to use lifting straps to offload your hands and let your lats do the work.

How to Do Lat Pulldowns

1. Begin by adjusting the thigh pad to fit snugly against your thighs to prevent your body from lifting off the seat.
2. Grasp the bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Sit with your thighs under the thigh pad, keep your chest up, and look at the bar.
4. Pull the bar down towards your chest, leading with your elbows. Pull until the bar is below your chin or touches your upper chest.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement.
6. Exhale and slowly release the bar back up to the starting position.
7. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Hammer Curl

A go-to biceps builder, the hammer curl is also a classic for arm wrestling strength and for developing the brachialis muscle. This bad boy lies underneath the biceps and gives your arm a thick, meaty look. It, not the biceps, is the dominant elbow flexor and stabilizes your arm under stress.

Holding the dumbbell in a neutral (hammer-style) grip also hits your forearms, the meaty part close to the elbow, which can make a big difference when locking hands on the table.

Feel free to curl both dumbbells simultaneously, like in the video demonstration above, or alternate arms. And don’t be afraid to use controlled “cheating” to be able to use heavier weights than you can curl super strict.

How to Do Hammer Curls

1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides, holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (your palms facing each other).
2. Bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, keeping your upper arms close to your sides. Don’t swing the dumbbells up; focus on contracting your biceps to curl them up.
3. At the top of the movement, your forearms should be parallel to the ground, and your biceps should be fully contracted.
4. Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, under control.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Side Plank

The side plank is a static bodyweight exercise, particularly effective for strengthening your obliques running down the sides of your torso. But they also work your deep core muscles (the transverse abdominis), as well as your hips, shoulders, and even parts of your glutes.

As an arm wrestler, you want to develop a strong lateral chain (the muscles that stabilize and generate sideways torque) because most of the force you apply in an arm-wrestling match moves laterally across your body.

If you can hold the side plank for as long as the Arm Wrestling Strength program calls for, you can hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in your top hand and keep it overhead. Doing so has the added bonus of building shoulder stability.

How to Do the Side Plank

1. Stand on your side, leaning against one elbow.
2. Place the foot of the top leg in front of the other foot.
3. Brace your core, and try to form and hold a straight line from your head to your feet.
4. Hold the position for the chosen amount of time.

Hook Drill

The hook is when you bring the match in close, bend (or “cup”) your wrist, and pull your opponent’s hand and wrist toward you with your arm’s rotational strength.

You can practice hook drills against a resistance band or a cable pulley to simulate the pressure and angles of a real match. It is one of the most important tools in your arm wrestling exercise arsenal for improving your grip strength and getting better at wrist control in a way that directly translates to match performance.

How to Do Hook Drills

1. Set a cable pulley to chest height and attach a single-handle grip.
2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart or staggered, with soft knees.
3. Stand facing the cable with enough distance to have tension from the start.
4. Hold the handle firmly with your elbow bent about 90 degrees.
5. Start with your wrist in a neutral position.
6. As you pull against the resistance, flex your wrist inward as if closing it toward your forearm.
7. At the same time, rotate your forearm so your palm turns slightly downward or inward, mimicking a hook position.
8. Keep your elbow close to your side and avoid letting it flare out or drift backward.
9. Hold the hook position (maximal wrist flexion and forearm pronation) for 1–2 seconds.
10. Return under control to the starting position.

Riser Curl

In arm wrestling, “riser” refers to the upward pressure you apply through your hand and wrist. In a practical sense, you lift your knuckles and thumb as you grip your opponent’s hand instead of letting your wrist collapse downward.

For someone unfamiliar with arm wrestling, the “riser” might sound like a standalone exercise, but it is really a fundamental pressure or vector you add to your arm wrestling arsenal.

A simple and effective way to train your riser is with the cable or band riser curl.

How to Do Riser Curls

1. Anchor a resistance band low and secure it so it pulls downward on your hand.
2. Place the band across the back of your hand, over the knuckles and thumb, or hold it in a way that creates downward pull on the wrist.
3. Position your hand so the band tries to bend your wrist downward. Keep your knuckles and thumb up, in line with or slightly above your forearm.
4. Stand tall, facing or slightly angled to the band, and maintain tension.
5. Pull upward toward your face or chest while keeping the knuckles high and the wrist from collapsing.
6. Return slowly to the start position under control.
7. Repeat for reps, then switch hands.

Farmer’s Walk

The farmer’s walk (or farmer’s carry) involves picking up heavy weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, or specialized farmer’s handles) and walking a set distance or time. It’s simple and effective in all the right ways for arm wrestlers.

A farmer’s walk trains your ability to squeeze and hold onto something under load for an extended time, like you need to do in arm wrestling to crush your opponent’s hand and stay locked in. It builds strength in both the flexors and extensors in your forearms, giving you the power to control wrist positioning. The dynamic nature of the exercise also makes the small stabilizers in your wrist stronger, so you can resist getting rolled out by your opponent.

How to Do the Farmer’s Walk

1. Step in between two farmer’s walk cases, or similar implements.
2. Inhale, lean forward and grip the handles.
3. Hold your breath, brace your core slightly, and lift the weights.
4. Look ahead, and start moving forward in small steps. Increase the stride length as you increase the speed.
5. Try to keep your body in a straight line and not lean excessively forward as you walk.
6. When you are done, lower the implements back to the ground in a controlled manner.

Ulnar Deviation

Ulnar deviation is an exercise that strengthens your wrist; you flex it toward the ulna (the outer side of your forearm), targeting the forearm muscles most responsible for pulling the wrist toward the ulna, along with other stabilizing forearm muscles.

It builds the side-pressure strength you need in both offensive and defensive arm wrestling. You can do ulnar deviations in several ways: overhead, like in the animation above, or standing with your arm beside you and lifting the end of a dowel behind your body.

How to Do Ulnar Deviations

1. Stand upright and hold a dowel, stick, or PVC pipe at one end, with your thumb closest to the end.
2. Let the stick point behind you and keep your palm facing your body.
3. Start with the stick hanging downward toward the floor and lift the pinky side of your fist toward the ceiling by moving the wrist.
4. Pause briefly at the top, then lower back to the start.
5. Repeat for reps, then switch sides.

Radial Deviation

Radial deviation is like the ulnar deviation exercise, but for the other side: it involves bending your wrist toward the thumb side (the radius) instead of the pinky side.

It strengthens your forearm and wrist for stability and leverage by training your so-called radial deviators, the muscles that move your hand sideways toward your thumb. Like when you tilt it to quaff a potion of strength.

How to Do Radial Deviations

1. Stand upright and hold a dowel, stick, or PVC pipe near one end, with your pinky closest to the end.
2. Let the stick point downward in front of you and keep your palm facing your body.
3. Lift the thumb side of your fist toward the ceiling by moving only your wrist.
4. Pause briefly at the top, then lower back to the starting position.
5. Repeat for reps, then switch sides.

Final Rep

You have reached the end of this guide to arm wrestling strength. 💪

Thank you for reading! Whether you want to try your arm at competitive arm wrestling or just want to finally beat your loud uncle at the next family barbecue, I hope you have enjoyed it.

And hopefully learned things that take your arm wrestling to the next level.

To follow the training routine in this article, download our workout log app and start tracking your workouts today. Or go directly to the program in StrengthLog.

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Last reviewed: 2025-12-02

References

1. J Strength Cond Res. 2025 May 1;39(5):579-586. Comparative Analysis of Elbow Flexor Morphology, Physiology, and Performance Between Arm Wrestlers and Strength-Trained Athletes.
2. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Nov 16;105(1):136–143. Vitamin C–enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis.