Ok every time I ride after about 20 minutes of hard riding my hands get cramped up and my fore arms are pumped like I have been lifting weights.
I usually take a break for about 30 minutes and then I am fine the rest of the day. I have heard this called arm pump and some people say you should lift some weights before you ride to get this out of the way. Is this true? Any suggestions on what to do?  

Do forarm curls 3 times a week. Low waight high reps.
NOT before you ride. But warm up Really well before taking off. Will make a world of difference.  

Good call Woods, I was just going to say that.  It doesn't hurt to have a solid upper body either, any extra work-out stuff with your upper body should be of a benefit.  

thanks woods. I will try out your suggestions.

thanks again!  

At a local track once I saw a guy who had a weight on a string about 4 feet long and it was wrapped around a 1 inch dia. dowel. He would wind the string up with his arms extended outward until the weight reached the dowel and then he would slowly lower it to the ground. He said it was a great exercise to reduce arm pump.  

masterlink:
At a local track once I saw a guy who had a weight on a string about 4 feet long and it was wrapped around a 1 inch dia. dowel. He would wind the string up with his arms extended outward until the weight reached the dowel and then he would slowly lower it to the ground. He said it was a great exercise to reduce arm pump.

I do that!

To be honest, no workout can really cure arm pump, the one and only cure that is proven is alot of ride time! I do it and don't really get arm pump anymore.  

Arm pump is happening mostly beacuse you a white knuckling you bars.  Like Pin says ride more.  You get more comforitable with the bike and you will ride more relaxed and not grip the bars so hard.  Being in good shape will make you more tolerant bt wont get rid of it.  One last thing you can do is a good stretching program before riding.  This will do wonders for many of the aches and pains of riding.  

Do what i said,And you will be fine.  

I always get it the first time out no matter what I do.  

I don't just get arm pump but i also get a tingling feeling in both hands. Sometimes it gets so bad that I can't tell how hard (or if at all   )  I'm holding on. I heard that there is a surgery to help open up the tissue around your fore-arm. I think it allows more room for all that blood that rushes in so quickly.  

Streatch your hands and fingers. That will help that.  

That sugery is pretty extreme.  I think I would rather not go under the knife unless it was absolutely necessary.  

pojp58:
Streatch your hands and fingers. That will help that.

Yeah, stretching them backwards toward my wrist seems to be the only thing that slows it up. I'm going to try Woods's curl idea. I just got some weights to curl.... A case of the 12oz kind. lol      

That will relax you for sure.  

relax more when your riding...again overall body condition is a huge part...I workout three to four times a week and do cardio aswell but what I found to be the only thing to get rid of the arm pump is to use "grippers" you know the hand held squeeze things I found out a couple of years ago that they seem to work the best and you can do it anywhere I have one in the truck one in the van and one at work...trust me they will do the trick....and ride,ride,ride.