Paul Walther's Armwrestling Workout

I like the exercise which incorporates the use of the deltoid but
completely disagee with the myth of short movements with weights.
If using weights at all it's better to do full range movements to stimulate
muscle growth.
All of the short range exercises that strengthen you in the arm wrestling
position should be done on an arm wrestling table were you'll see the results.

I kind of agree and disagree Mark, if you are looking to gain size and step up a weight class then full range with the appropriate reps is essential, however, if like me you don't want to increase mass but get as strong as possible at the size you are, then heavy partials, negatives and statics are essential with varying rep ranges and sets. I do most of my partials with my body shaped like i'm at the table and when i do get my table to the gym, i'll incorperate that into my training as well.

It's true m8 that full range movements stimulate muscle growth however
they do not necessarily cause an individual to increase a great deal of
mass, as has been the case with myself.
My arms got an inch bigger while at the same time i went from 92kg
to 82kg and gained a lot more power.

my opinion is no matter how much u try and mimic armwrestling with weights it just aint close to being the same ,armwrestling is bout armwrestling with other people and having fun,and hitting all the different teckniques and angles ,i couldnt think of anything more pointless or boring than trying to mimic it with a cable or half dumbell stuff

My point exactly, weights are good for increasing power but the table
is key to applying it.

paul mortimer wrote:

my opinion is no matter how much u try and mimic armwrestling with weights it just aint close to being the same ,armwrestling is bout armwrestling with other people and having fun,and hitting all the different teckniques and angles ,i couldnt think of anything more pointless or boring than trying to mimic it with a cable or half dumbell stuff

I appreciate your point and probably shared by the vast majority. However, a lot depends on your training partners (if you can get them) and how willing they are to allow you to pull in your comfort zone whilst slowly taking you to areas where work is needed. I always found it difficult to get into my favoured position - hook. This was due to a weak hand, so I was always getting slammed by the top rollers. I often walked away from the training sessions with injuries due to this.

Weight training has played a big part in developing my hand strength because I have been able to develop it at my own pace without injuries. From this, I do have a lot more control on the table.

A fair point m8 but if you have training partners then they should work
with you in those positions, if not then they're not good training partners.
If your still struggling to get a decent amount of table time m8,
you have to make a point of getting to 1 of the clubs more often.

It's very difficult to actually put in all the areas needed to develop a complete hand on the table. When my hand was under exteme pressure that was not developing it but injuring it. My arm to hand strength was completely out of balance, which meant I often induced the injuries myself.

Training with weights and pulleys meant I could develop all areas (wrist curling, pronation, supination, back pressure etc.) to my max. It progressed me far quicker than pulling in silly position because my hand couldn't handle it.

As a result I could bring a lot more to the table and get my arm working.

What can I say, it works for me....

Fair enough pal, although i appreciate all the advice i've also been
given, i too have a few methods that some would think go against the grain.
If you find yourself reaching a plateau however, the table is were you'll
feel the benefits.
Good luck m8.

hey james ye i no what ur saying, good table time is a problem for alot of guys week in week out,it is one of the frustrating things about the sport,sometimes u have to make do with who u hav or what u have to train wif,and again everyone has different ideas of training on the table,but the guys ur training wif should be letting u inside to work ur hook and they should also be putting pressure on ur fingers etc to work ur wrists n fingers so u can eventually get in,not flopping ur wrists back everytime u grip up,any time ur near london cum round for big hook session

I concur.
Any time your near Glasgow pal let me know.
You can stay over if it helps.

paul mortimer wrote:

hey james ye i no what ur saying, good table time is a problem for alot of guys week in week out,it is one of the frustrating things about the sport,sometimes u have to make do with who u hav or what u have to train wif,and again everyone has different ideas of training on the table,but the guys ur training wif should be letting u inside to work ur hook and they should also be putting pressure on ur fingers etc to work ur wrists n fingers so u can eventually get in,not flopping ur wrists back everytime u grip up,any time ur near london cum round for big hook session

Hmm, sounds like someone i used to train with, caused me no end of problems, as was witnessed by my performance at arm wars against Rimmer, as soon as i changed and stopped training with this particular person my wrist got mega strong, as seen at the British. Sometimes changing your training partners can do the world of good, even if you just get some fella from the gym to hold you in position with 2 hands.

dan wrote:

paul mortimer wrote:

hey james ye i no what ur saying, good table time is a problem for alot of guys week in week out,it is one of the frustrating things about the sport,sometimes u have to make do with who u hav or what u have to train wif,and again everyone has different ideas of training on the table,but the guys ur training wif should be letting u inside to work ur hook and they should also be putting pressure on ur fingers etc to work ur wrists n fingers so u can eventually get in,not flopping ur wrists back everytime u grip up,any time ur near london cum round for big hook session

Hmm, sounds like someone i used to train with, caused me no end of problems, as was witnessed by my performance at arm wars against Rimmer, as soon as i changed and stopped training with this particular person my wrist got mega strong, as seen at the British. Sometimes changing your training partners can do the world of good, even if you just get some fella from the gym to hold you in position with 2 hands.

Now now Dan, you can't blame me for your injuries!

On a serious note, I was suffering at the British from some problems caused by exactly the same situation as Dan's and couldn't toproll or let any real pressure go into my fingers due to the injuries and shooting pains up the forearms. I've also made a switch around training wise and feel much better now.

Like people have said, you have to make the best of what training facilities you have available, weights, multiple sparring partners, cables, whatever. If you're getting a measured strength increase from using some equipment then it can't be a bad thing.