Study finds elite arm wrestlers have bigger forearms and greater torque

Elite arm wrestlers showed bigger forearms and higher torque than strength-trained athletes in a May 4, 2025 study that tracked elbow-flexor morphology, force output and muscle oxygenation. The comparison involved nine national- and international-level pullers, average age 30.5, body mass 89.4 kg and height 183 cm, alongside athletes with comparable strength training backgrounds.

The researchers measured dominant-arm circumference, biceps brachii muscle and tendon thickness, peak torque, rate of force development and oxygenation during maximal elbow flexion. The arm wrestlers averaged 4.8 years in the sport on top of 12.7 years of strength training, a profile that fits a table game built on repeated practice as much as gym work. They did not simply look more muscular; they produced more force in the exact positions arm wrestling rewards.

Forearm size matters because cupping and containment start there. A thicker, more developed forearm gives pullers more room to lock the hand, keep the wrist from opening and hold a lane after the hit. Higher peak torque across both testing protocols suggests the elbow flexors are not just strong in the abstract, but strong where side pressure and pronation demand it most. The higher rate of force development in the shorter test matters just as much, because many matches are decided by who can fire first and keep the opponent from settling into hand control.

The longer effort told a second part of the story: the arm wrestlers showed a greater reduction in muscle oxygenation, a sign they were working hard through heavy isometric load and tolerating the fatigue that comes with it. That points to a blend of trainable capacity and possible structural advantage. Forearm hypertrophy and explosive elbow-flexion output can be built in the gym and on the table, while tendon thickness and connective-tissue architecture may help explain why some athletes transfer force more efficiently and survive the strain of elite pulls.

The finding lands inside a sport with a formal global structure. The World Armwrestling Federation was established in 1977, says it now has members from 82 countries and staged its first World Armwrestling Championships in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, in 1979. That history sits beside a hard medical reality: a narrative review of arm-wrestling injuries found 152 patients across studies, with spiral fractures of the distal humerus common and radial nerve palsy reported in 23% of cases. A separate systematic review found many fractures were spiral, in the distal third of the humerus, and often on the dominant side.