Arm Wrestling | Friends | WorkOnFitness

Quick Intro

Arm wrestling is a strength contest for two. The partners clasp hands across a table with their elbows planted, and each tries to press the other’s hand down to the surface. A clean pin wins the round, and best of three wins the match. It can be done seated at a table, which is the place to start, or standing at a hip-height table, which is how competitions are set up.

No single gym exercise teaches arm wrestling, so this guide covers the whole technique for both partners. The closest exercise is the Wrist Curl, which trains the same forearm muscles that curl the wrist in and hold the grip.

What You’ll Need

A sturdy table that will not slide or tip. A kitchen or dining table works for the seated version.
Two chairs for the seated version, or a table at roughly hip height for the standing version.
A folded towel under each elbow, if the table is hard.
A third person to start the round and judge the pin is useful but not needed.

What It Works

Arm wrestling is a test of grip, wrist and arm strength held against a moving force, with the chest and shoulder helping to drive the arm across.

Forearm flexors, including the flexor carpi radialis on the thumb side of the forearm. These close the grip and curl the wrist in, and they are usually what decides a match between two people of similar arm strength.
Biceps (biceps brachii) and brachialis, which bend the elbow and keep the arm tucked in close.
Chest (pectoralis major) and front of the shoulder (anterior deltoid), which drive the hand across toward the pin.
The large back muscle (latissimus dorsi), which helps pull the arm down and in.
The rotator cuff, the small muscles that hold the shoulder joint steady, working hard throughout to stop the upper arm from twisting.

The Technique

The seated setup

Sit square to the table, facing your partner, with your feet flat on the floor.
Plant your elbow on the table directly in front of your shoulder. Both elbows should be on the table, roughly in line with each other.
Clasp right hand with right hand, or left with left. The palms meet, the thumbs wrap around each other’s hand and the grip sits deep, with the base of the thumbs touching.
Grip the table edge with your free hand. This braces the body and is part of the setup in every round.
Keep your wrist straight and your forearm upright at the start, with the clasped hands centred between you.

The standing setup

The standing version uses the same grip and the same elbow position at a table about hip height. Stand with your feet staggered, the foot on the side of your wrestling arm forward, knees slightly bent. Your free hand grips the table edge. Standing lets the legs and body weight add to the drive, which makes it harder to control, so move to it only once both of you know the seated version well.

Winning position

Keep the shoulder behind the hand. Your shoulder, upper arm and hand should stay in one line, with your chest turned toward your arm. Pull your hand slightly toward you as you press it across.
Curl the wrist in. A wrist bent inward toward you is a strong position. A wrist bent back is weak and easy to pin.
Keep the arm close. The nearer your hand stays to your own body, the more of your strength goes into the press.
Look at your hand. Your eyes keep your chest and shoulder facing the arm, which protects the shoulder as well as helping you win.

The position to avoid

The position most linked to injury in arm wrestling is the losing arm twisting outward behind the body: the hand drifts past the shoulder, the upper arm rotates and the person turns their head and chest away from it. In that position the twisting force goes into the bone of the upper arm and the shoulder, and that is where fractures and shoulder injuries happen.

If you are being pinned, let the arm go down with your hand, shoulder and chest still in line. Do not turn away from the arm to fight on, and do not twist the body to save the round. A lost round is better than a broken arm.

How to Play

Set up in the grip, both elbows planted, free hands on the table edge.
One person, or a third person, checks the grip is centred and says “ready”, then “go”.
On “go”, build up to full effort over about a second. Do not jerk to maximum force on the count. A sudden explosive start is a common cause of arm-wrestling injuries.
Each tries to press the other’s hand down to the table.
The round ends with a clean pin. Swap hands if you like, rest and play the next round. Best of three wins the match.

What Counts

A pin is the back of the opponent’s hand or wrist touching the table on your side.

Fouls that lose the round, or restart it if both agree:

the elbow lifting off the table;
leaning body weight over the table or onto the arm;
standing up from a seated start;
starting before “go”.

If the grip slips apart during a round, stop and restart from the set position. A third person makes all of this easier to judge, since both wrestlers are watching their own hands.

Making It Fair

Arm wrestling rewards forearm strength, arm length and body weight, and a large gap in any of these is hard to make up. Two options help a little:

Alternate hands. Play rounds with the dominant hand and with the other hand. Many people are much more even with their weaker hand.
Take away the stronger partner’s leg brace. In the seated version, the stronger partner keeps both feet flat on the floor, without hooking them round the table leg or pushing against it, so they cannot drive from the legs. The free hand still grips the table edge as normal, since that grip is part of a safe setup.

Neither will close a large size or strength gap. If one partner wins every round easily even with both options, arm wrestling is the wrong contest for this pair. A balance game such as Balance Standoff, a reaction game or a game scored against each person’s own results gives both people a real chance. Training With a Friend covers fair contests in more detail.

Staying Safe

Warm up the wrists and shoulders first. A few minutes of wrist circles, light grip work and arm swings before the first round.
Build into the start. Full effort over about a second from “go”, never a jerk.
Stop at once on any shoulder, elbow or wrist pain, whoever is winning.
Lose in line. Let the arm go down with the shoulder behind the hand when you are losing.
Skip it after an injury. Anyone with a past wrist or elbow injury should not arm wrestle without clearance from a doctor or physiotherapist.
Not for young children. Arm wrestling is a strength contest for adults and older teens.

Fitting It Into a Session

Arm wrestling is short and intense but does not tire the whole body, so it fits after a warm-up and before heavy pulling or grip work. Played after a hard grip session, such as heavy carries or hanging, it is more likely to strain a tired forearm. Three to five rounds per hand is plenty, with a minute or two of rest between rounds.

Seated and standing are the two versions of the same contest. Start seated.
Sicilian Leg Wrestling is the same idea with the legs, lying on the floor with the legs hooked.
Standing Hand Push War and Towel Tug-of-War are other body-against-body contests, where stance and steady force decide the round.
Wrist Curl and its harder step, the Wrist Curl — Barbell with Finger Roll, train the forearm muscles that arm wrestling relies on.

FAQ

Is it better to arm wrestle seated or standing?

Start seated. The table brace makes it more stable, and you cannot lean body weight into the push. Standing is the competition setup and adds the legs and body weight, so it suits people who already know the grip and the winning position.

Why do people break their arm arm wrestling?

Most serious injuries happen when the losing arm twists outward behind the body while the person turns away from it, or when someone jerks to full force on the start. Keeping the shoulder behind the hand, looking at your hand and building into the start over a second guard against both.

Do I need strong biceps to win?

The biceps help, but the forearms and the wrist position usually decide a match. A wrist curled in and a hand kept close to the body beat raw arm size more often than people expect.

Can we play left-handed?

Yes, and it often makes a more even contest, since most people’s weaker hand is closer to their partner’s.