The forearms serve a number of duties. Not only do they flex and extend the wrists, but perhaps more important, they contract statically (along with the muscles of the hands) to assist in gripping heavy objects. It’s easy to see, then, how a weak pair of forearms could be the limiting factor in possessing elite-level strength. They also round out a top-level physique. If your grip is lacking, so too will be the amount of weight you can use on deadlifts, rows, weighted pullups, and other measures of brute strength. Guess how many successful strongman competitors have a weak grip: zero.