Grip Strength

[Timothy Aiken]

I am doing the F and H series, but would like to work specifically on grip and forearm strength to help with climbing and handstand work (although I know handstands will help that more than anything). Also, I just want a strong grip because it's cool and an area of fitness I know little about. 

 

How should I go about working on my grip strength? I want to pick up an ironmind gripper, but I'm hesitant due to fear of injuries. What about frequency and sets/reps/holdtimes for things like towel hangs, wrist rollers, false grip hangs (I need work in that position), etc. And lastly, I would assume I do it after my normal F and H workouts? 

 

Any more information or possibly a link to a good book would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Gori]

I would recommend you check the Gripboard forum, it has lots of good info. There is a sticky there with a beginners routine from David Horne (UK arm wrestler and one of the strongest grip in the world) that will set a good foundation so you can move to more specific exercises injury-free.

John Brookfield's books are also a good read ("Mastery of hand strength" and "The Grip Master's Manual"), lots of info on different exercises and disciplines (nail bending, card tearing, grippers, etc etc).

I do not personally recommend grippers to a beginner, as they are extremely specific. What I mean is, since CoC grippers and the like are Torsion Spring Grippers (TSG), they get harder where the handles touch, so you are basically strengthening that very specific area which has little use in everyday life. However, after setting a solid foundation they are great fun (and obsessive!).

I went straight into grippers and had pain in my wrists because my crushing strength improved too quickly. 

Best thing you can do is to check David Horne's beginner routine and do it. Sets & reps are detailed if I remember well. If not, start with light loads and higher reps, and eventually move on to max effort 1-3 reps if you want super strong hands.

 

[Tyler Gibson]

In the grip sport world, grip strength is generally divided into three categories: support, crush, and pinch. Support would be holding a heavy weight in your hand, or hanging one handed from a bar. Crush would be closing a gripper, and pinch is any motion where you pinch something between your thumb and fingers, without bending any fingers. 

 

Personally I am a fan of towel hangs and towel pull ups, farmer walks, Kroc rows (look them up!), and of course rope climbs. I don't really include any crushing or pinch gripping, but you can target those with closing grippers and doing plate pinches. A note on Ironmind or other heavy grippers: I like them best as a way to test your grip strength, not build it. Maybe I just don't know how to properly program gripper work, but whenever I use the COC grippers on a regular basis, it puts a lot of stress on my hands and wrists without doing much for my strength.

 

Good resources to check out:

1. Check out John Brookfield's books Mastery of Hand Strength and Grip Master's Manual. They cover everything from closing grippers to bending nails. 

2. If you want examples of some different grip sport events and implements, check out Jedd Johnson's youtube channel.

3. thegripboard.com is a forum with tons of great information about all things grip related.