Probably going to sound funny coming from a newbie but I used to have the same forearm problem (feels like shin splints in your forearms) for a while because of curls both barbell and EZ. Try holding the weight further back in your palms, overcompensate at first if you have to to get the feel and really put it back there, it'll relieve the stress on the forearms. I found that holding the weight more in my fingers put more stress on the wrists and forearms and hurt the amount of weight i could use too...sorry so lengthy but i hope this helps man.