Hanging Slam Ball Pull-Ups and Pulldowns for Forearms

Working with a wide open hand position is like Fat Grip training on steroids.

If you think fat bar training with hands gripping a bit thicker is good, this will be an eye-opener for you.

The wide open hand position that you get from setting your hands on TOP of a slam ball means you have to engage the forearms and fingers as hard as you can to maintain your grip.

I'm using a 45 lb slam ball from Nordic Lifting. I really like this one for this because, as you'll see in the close-up, it has "treads" on it, which gives you at least something to sort of grip onto.

This setup could still be done with a smooth ball, but the treads do help.

For setup, I've got a dip belt (from Dark Iron Fitness) clipped onto the high pulley with both ends to basically form a sling. The slam balls is soft enough that it'll sit in that cradle nicely.

Then you're going to set your hands on top of it to do the exercise.

If you're going to do pull-ups, set the weight stack as heavy as you can THEN put the ball into the dip belt sling...because you'll working with your bodyweight AND whatever the weight of the ball is. I have an extra post attachment for my weight stack, so I can add extra plates.

If you're going to do pulldowns (also shown in the video), set your working weight first, then put the ball into place.

With setting the pulldown weight, remember to account for the weight of the ball offsetting some of the weight on the stack.

Now the fun begins...

Set your hands on top of the ball, splaying your fingers out as wide as you can. Then dig them into the ball as hard as you can.

If you're strong enough, you can do this exercise as a pull-up...

And you can also do it as a pulldown.

Your forearms will be the weak link on this one...this wide open hand position with the flexed wrists is just brutal on the forearms.

I've got another forearm and grip destroyer exercise for you here...Band-Barbell Forearm Roller Chin-Up...

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