Grip Strength

[WhoDunIt]

Any tips for improving grip strength? Mine's pretty decent now but more would be better.

[nj.]

Although I've never used them, I don't recommend straps, because that won't contribute to your hands' actual strength, although it'll take some stress off them. And as a lot of the hands' strength comes from the forearm, you'll have to start focussing more on them individually.

The way I grab weights is pretty funny; in many exercises I hold the full weight on the middle segment of my fingers, arching my fingers into a semi-circle around the bar. Because I've been doing this since I began training, my fingers are now really strong, because they're used to holding a lot of weight. I had to re-learn playing guitar, cos I press the strings much too hard now!

Over the past half year, though, I've been trying to grab bars more properly (cos it does get really heavy on your fingers at a certain point.

My only problem now is sweaty palms... I guess only talcum powder would help for that, but only my previous gym (dominated by power lifters, but now bankrupt) would allow that. But they allowed everything (also forgetting to pay), so there's a reason they're no longer around.


Anyway, to get to your question more specifically, I bet there are some hand strength exercises out there that you could do.

[Spooky]

Nj., try athletic chalk, it's pretty common with weight lifters, although some gyms don't allow it.

Don't use talcum powder, because it actually decreases friction, making things fall out of your hands easier. That's why parents put it on baby's butts when they have a rash.

Or gloves. I need to go buy me some, I get hella painful calluses from doing dead lifts.

[digger]

Google Captains of Crush.

[nj.]

Originally Posted by Spooky

Don't use talcum powder, because it actually decreases friction, making things fall out of your hands easier. That's why parents put it on baby's butts when they have a rash.

Wait, that's the biggest non sequitur I've seen in a while. You want babies to slip out of your hands when they have a rash on their bum? Haha.

Anyway, I always thought the stuff sports people used was talcum powder. So there are two different things then?

[Spooky]

Yeah, absolutely, because the way Talc, the mineral, cleaves is that it breaks off into this nice little tiny microscopic sheets that allow things to slide easier. They don't use Talc anymore, though, because I believe it's carcinogenic if inhaled. Not sure... but anyway, the replacement they use now-a-day has the same properties.

When you see a gymnast or a lifter using white powdery stuff, it's this kind of styrofoamy feeling block of chalk which absorbs and increases grip, but still provides some sort of barrier to chaffing by allowing skin to move over surfaces without getting caught.
Just not to the extent that talcum powder does.

[WhoDunIt]

Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate all of it! I'll look into that stuff when back from the road trip I'm on.

[WhoDunIt]

Originally Posted by digger

Google Captains of Crush.

Ok I'm impressed! Are those online only or can they be bought via brick and mortar or mail order?

[digger]

I've never seen them in brick and mortar stores, but you can get them on Amazon. Not much risk there, right?

Originally Posted by WhoDunIt

Ok I'm impressed! Are those online only or can they be bought via brick and mortar or mail order?

[digger]

Also, there is a short but decent book about how to train with them. I know that sounds stupid, but the book makes the case that you don't want to sit there squeezing these for rep after rep. Rather, think of it like any other resistance training. Use a few different resistances: lower resistance for warmup sets and something you can close for only 5-to-8 reps for the work sets. (Think powerlifting, as that's the crowd that uses these the most I think.) As your strength increases you can buy more difficult ones. DO NOT buy anything above a 1 until you try it. Before 1 come G, S, and T in that order.

Originally Posted by digger

I've never seen them in brick and mortar stores, but you can get them on Amazon. Not much risk there, right?

[WhoDunIt]

Looks like if I go through with it, I'll go for the trainers just to be on the safe side and maybe get the #1 at the same time. Right now my forearms measure left 15.25" and right 14.75" (I'm an about 75% ambidextrous lefty ) but I work them on a regular basis with free weights at the gym as well. These seem like they'd be an excellent addition to what I'm already doing.

[inflated]

I use a device called the forearm blaster--its basically a two in thick tube with a cord attached that you hang weights from and roll up the cord on the tube--it works forearms and grip very well----

[WhoDunIt]

Loks like I won't be buying much of anything this month, cash is running a little short

[howardbeatman]

Grip strength is one of those things (like whether your biceps can peak) which has a large genetic component. You may find that there is a real limit on your grip strength and that nothing you do can overcome that limit. If so, do not let it discourage you.

[manlion]

Just my experience, I've gotten my grip strength up from using those tension-coil hand-squeezers (dunno what they're really called, those V-shaped hand-springs with a few loops at the top.) Just make sure you get the ones with a decent tension, I've had a few down the years, and the best ones I've seen were just metal rod with a foam grip.

Eventually I got too strong for the basic action to be any challenge, but I kept up a while for endurance, and then figured out I could work sections of the grip by switching the direction I held it, or leaving off some fingers, or gripping further from the palm.

I have this regular thing at family gatherings, my uncle is a carpenter, and he used to do heavy-grip handshakes until you gave up. I started doing the hand-grip exercises in my teens, and quickly overtook him. (Helps that I've got big, beefy hands.) My cousin, his son, tries to do the same thing, but he's a runner, and doesn't have the forearm strength and handspan to get the drop on me.

[inflated]

Deadlifts-- a great exercise will increase overall body strength and they require goo grip strength. Start light and eventually you will be scaring yourself with how much you can lift.

[WhoDunIt]

That's why I was asking about grip strength, I wanted to try and increase mine so make deadlifts easier!

[Ragetiger]

There is something you can do but it means to do a little more running around. I've been using thick bars, mainly cause you can't get your hand around them, it makes you use the grip strength so you don't loos them. Trying to rememeber the name of that hexagon bar some some use for a farmers carry exercise. It's simular to a dead lift except you are suing short choppy steps to move the wegith a distance.

[FuzzyKB]

Originally Posted by WhoDunIt

Any tips for improving grip strength? Mine's pretty decent now but more would be better.

You are probably going to think of this as being absolutely absurd, but it guarantee you it will work. For years I earned my living in the music field more specifically as a concert level pianist. Because I started quite young at this by the time I was in HS I could easily "peg" the grip strength tester used in checking for grip strength for stroke patients. (My stepfather was an MD and I still have that thing around somewhere) I have had several associates in the music business in the same field who could very easily crush full soup cans to the point they would burst and one was unfortunate to nearly end his career when he was handed a pickle jar at a Thanksgiving dinner to try and open a stuck lid. The jar shattered driving the glass shards into his hands, and twenty some operations and eleven years later he could begin to play again.

I do not understand why you don't see arm development, but finger and grip development will definitely come from piano. Go take some piano lessons and find yourself a relic off of craigslist. It will take you a couple of years but you can develop incredible finger grip strength from this.

For an older fart my grip strength is still extremely high and I have not been on a concert stage for quite a few years.

There are some squeeze type devices for this purpose, but the use of those devices without dexterity can really screw with other things long term. Piano maintains the dexterity while over time increasing the strength a great deal.

Good Luck

[built4superspd]

try fairly heavy deadlifts (what you can do for only 3-5 reps) with a "snatch" grip (ie, DONT have have one hand overhand and the other underhand.) as you resist the natural rotation of the bar your grip will be pushed to the limit.
repeat as needed for maximum effect!

[BrawnyJock]

Take a 18" length of 2" diameter PVC.
Drill hole though both side near the middle.
Thread rope through the hole and tie off one end.
Attach weight(s) to other end.

Exercise -
Grip the PVC pipe in both hands, palms facing down..
Use alternating wrist movement to wind the rope around the pipe, as it raises the weight.
Once at top, unwind to lower it slowly back to floor.
Repeat for 3 sets..

Then.. perform same procedure with palms facing up on grip.
Again 3 sets.

[BigAndyJ]

Hang from a bar for as long as you can. x 3

[paarke]

Originally Posted by FuzzyKB

You are probably going to think of this as being absolutely absurd, but it guarantee you it will work. For years I earned my living in the music field more specifically as a concert level pianist. Because I started quite young at this by the time I was in HS I could easily "peg" the grip strength tester used in checking for grip strength for stroke patients. (My stepfather was an MD and I still have that thing around somewhere) I have had several associates in the music business in the same field who could very easily crush full soup cans to the point they would burst and one was unfortunate to nearly end his career when he was handed a pickle jar at a Thanksgiving dinner to try and open a stuck lid. The jar shattered driving the glass shards into his hands, and twenty some operations and eleven years later he could begin to play again.

I do not understand why you don't see arm development, but finger and grip development will definitely come from piano. Go take some piano lessons and find yourself a relic off of craigslist. It will take you a couple of years but you can develop incredible finger grip strength from this.

For an older fart my grip strength is still extremely high and I have not been on a concert stage for quite a few years.

There are some squeeze type devices for this purpose, but the use of those devices without dexterity can really screw with other things long term. Piano maintains the dexterity while over time increasing the strength a great deal.

Good Luck

Interesting! I'm a dance accompanist so I'm playing the piano all day. This is slightly off topic, but I do want to train more seriously but I've always been a bit concerned that it would affect my ability to play, and therefore my job. I take it you've never had any problems?