The Dominican Dominator catapulted to prominence in 2000 when he followed up his overall victory at the Jr. USA with one at the Nationals, thus turning pro on his first attempt. Since his 2003 victory at the Night of Champions, Martinez has resided near the top of the pro rankings, highlighted by his 2007 Arnold Classic win and subsequent runnerup finish (when many thought he should’ve won) at that year’s Olympia. The New Yorker’s strength has always been his proportionate thickness, and that includes an area many bodybuilders neglect: forearms. Martinez talks with us about the importance of working this area and shares a favorite forearm routine.
MARTINEZ ON FOREARM TRAINING
“Forearms were the first thing I ever worked out. I used my Joe Weider dumbbells. I did wrist curls, reverse curls and hammers, and then a kid noticed my arms and said, ‘You look like Popeye. You better start training biceps.’ Eventually when I learned about bodybuilding, I learned that it was more than just a favorite bodypart deal; it was an overall deal. Today, I train forearms about once every two weeks, after either biceps or back.”
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS | |
| Wrist curls | 4 | 15-20 | |
| Reverse wrist curls | 4 | 15-20 | |
| Hammer curls | 3 | 10-12 | |
| One-arm cable wrist curls* | 2 | 12-15 | |
* These are done with a low cable while holding his forearm vertical and his upper arm parallel to the floor.
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