If you think arm wrestling is only for huge, beefy, WWF-type guys, you’ve got another think coming. Not all regularly sized guys get creamed at arm wrestling matches, because the sport is as much about technique as it is about strength.
Take Arm Wrestling Champ Norm Devio, for instance. Also known as “Stormin’ Norman in the arm wrestling community, he is now 67 but is still wowing crowds with impressive showings. Belonging to the 143-154 weight class and standing at just 67 inches, Norm has a few strategies and training tips to share. His victories are only proof positive that one doesn’t have to be built like a Mr. Universe to win in this sport.
Gym Time
According to him, it’s important, of course, to build strength. He trains twice a week to maintain powerful wrists, hands, and fingers. He regularly does 7-8 exercises to keep his muscles in perfect form. Some of them are described here:
* Hammer Curl. Sit at the end of the bench with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees bent. Straighten your back and keep your shoulders back. Hold dumbbells on each hand, palms facing your body, and arms hanging down your sides. Next, starting with the arm you use for wrestling, lift your arm up, curling the weight toward your shoulder as if hammering an invisible nail on your shoulder with it. Don’t twist your wrist as you do this. Lift the other arm next and alternately raise them, starting with a few reps and gradually increasing the number of reps.
*Reverse Arm Curl. Stand straight, and with your arms straight at your sides and your palms facing backward, hold a curl bar or a medium barbell. While keeping your elbows close to your body, lift your arms upward then gradually lower them. Norm tapes the barbell handles he uses to around 3 times their normal thickness to more closely simulate the grip in arm wrestling – with the fingers unable to touch the thumb.
*Wrist Curl. From a seated position, hold a dumbbell while locking your elbow against your inner thigh. Next, bend your wrist as far up as it can go without you getting hurt, and then slowly move it back down to the starting position. Do the same thing with your other hand.
Game Time
To maximize leverage, keep your arm close to your body. Many first-time arm wrestlers make the mistake of moving their arms too far from their bodies, thinking it would create more power.
You should also keep your index finger over your own thumbnail to get the advantage on leverage. If you can raise your hand and wrist a bit, then you have improved your leverage significantly.
The elbows should be about 15 inches apart and a triangle should be formed with you and the other competitor’s hands. As the ref says “Ready…” you should already be pumping up strength, tensing your arm, wrist, and hand muscles without actually pulling your opponent’s arm. If your opponent releases power only when the ref says “Go,” then you already have a good headstart.
Some champion wrestlers know about the technique known as the ‘top roll’ in which they attempt to bend the other competitor’s hand back. To do this, you should be able to take hold of a high grip.
Lastly, remember to pull your opponent’s arm or take it sideways and try to hook it toward you rather than push the arm back at him. Pulling it or dragging it sideways will cause him to lose precious leverage as his arm opens up.
