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I've always been a BIG fan of Grip Strength and the countless benefits that come with bone crushing hand strength and jacked up forearms.
My Saying Has Always Been This:
Weak Hands = A Weak Man
Here's my advice on how you can start transforming your skinny forearms and weak hands into bone crushing vise grips.
See the videos below and then take action.
NOTHING happens until you put in the sweat equity.....
Your goal, after watching these videos, is to finish 3 training sessions a week with grip specific work and make sure you ditch your training gloves and straps.
Make your hands do their OWN work without assistance from gloves or weightlifting straps.
After 2 months, grip strength can be 2 x week.
Video 1: Top 4 Grip Strength Exercises
Grip Exercise # 1: Rolling Thunder (Grip & Forearm Strength)
Grip Exercise # 2: Hex Dumbbell Holds (Finger Strength)
Grip Exercise # 3: Hex Hold Curls (Finger, Biceps & Forearm Strength)
Grip Exercise # 4: Wrist Roller (Forearm Endurance & Forearm Muscle Building)
And, below that video is a throwback, Episode 71 from The Underground Strength Show.
Final Video - Grip Strength has evolved through the years and decades.
I like to make sure my grip strength is implemented into my workout by using thick bars on the regular. I also keep Captains of Crush Grippers on my office desk. I sneak in some crushing grip work at home on the regular.
Drop a comment below with your favorite grip exercises or grip workout.
By the time we have a good 40 or 50 comments you will have a BOAT load of grip strength, hand strength and forearm exercises / workouts for you to add to your grip strength training arsenal.
Don't forget to pick up your copy of Grip Experts - the compilation of information inside of this manual is BadAss. Lots of old school strength info, workouts that build powerful grips as well as training your entire body for functional strength. This book and hundreds more are inside The Underground Strength Academy HERE.
Until the next time.
Live The Code.
--Z--
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32 Responses
At this point in time I would have to say anything with Grapple Grips. If you haven’t had a chance to use them yet, you are missing out. Check them out at http://www.grapplegrips.com/.
Actually that website is http://www.grapplegrip.com/
Im going to go with Plate Pinch Gripping, you grab however many 5 lb or 45 lb or whatever with your just your entire hand and you dead lift it up. Real simple and real basic…but effective.
Holding the end of a hex dumbbell
Multiple weight plate pinches
Tug of war
scaling walls
I hope to some day get a rolling thunder handle for grip workouts
definitely using thick ropes, one’s i can’t wrap my hand around and doing some sled drags and rows with them. i also cock my forearms when i do it so they’re always firing.
i like taking 4, 5 pound plates and stacking them next to each other and then holding them for time.
FARMERS WALK!!! light and heavy are pimpin the grip and forearm developement
Here’s one I guarantee no one will mention and it is called the javorek complex while there are many forms of the javorek here’s two rule about it:
Once you pick up the bar YOU CAN NOT LET IT GO period.
Secondly the bar can not and I REPEAT CAN NOT TOUCH THE GROUND.
Here’s what you do (or what I’ve done)
6 Hang snatch
6 squat to press
6 up right rows
6 RDL
6 Bent over rows
6 Hang snatch
The hang snatch is done with a close grip like shown on the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFqeRnmD7hY
Just two words: Campus Board
Z….
bad news… i just recovered from a viral fever last week to get it again 2 days later… i’m seriously down.. n’ the doc says no physical strain…. even walking gets me outta breath… damn the fever!!!! its like saying to a top sprinter that he has to learn to walk again… n’ unfortunately the soccer tryouts are tomorrow… it was what i was training for… but i’m not losing heart. there is always next time… even if no one else supports me i know that the underground’s always there…. as a brief aside underground training has got a few of my frnds interested…(i’m 14)… In India… the undegrounds creating ripples everywhere!!!!!!
anyway… asides from the above comment… lets get to the question… my favourite exercise for grip is the fingertip divebomber pushup, the farmer walks and pinch gripping…
KB swings with an oven glove on. Pavel recommendation and it hurts.
number 1: rope climbing – it hits the hands seriously!
number 2: farmers walks for long distances
number 3: thick bar work of all kinds
number 4: good ol’ wrist roller
Sid! WOW bro, I am psyched to hear that you are so young, only 14, and following the Blog and training along w/your friends getting involved….
Thanks Bruddah, I started at age 13, I remember it like yesterday!
Keep kickin ass and keep us posted on your progress, you’ll be back to health in no time!
–z–
Here are some martial art goodies i know.
1. Wrap a red brick in duck tape and play catch with it, the trick being only to catch it with the fingertips instead of the whole hand.
2. similar to #1, get a cinderblock and drop it and catch it, when confident, add a flip. Be sure to wrap in tape first or you will lose some skin.
3. Small 1 foot by 1 foot canvas bags filled with lead shot. Play catch. I think they can be bought online.
4. Crush a tennis ball, field hockey, lacrosse ball, whatever, with the fingertips instead of the whole hand. Really dig them in.
5. The work of Dr. Yang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZhS4WWlFc&feature=related
lots of ideas there, some i use- some i dont but the partner drills 3/4 through the vid have potential for group training.
Great videos on grip strength, Zach!
I like hanging from overhead bars at my local gym, and seeing how long I can last. I pretend I’m hanging above a pool of sharks, to boost my adrenaline, and add some drama to the challenge. The sharks always get me in the end.
Yo Zach! How’s it goin bro! Things have really picked up for me out in Cali w/ur help! Lately, I’ve been loading up the trap bar and farmers walking with it, forearms were sore for days!! Also, towel pull ups, towel dumbbell curls, kroc rows………keep kicking ass!!!
Kroc rows, towel/rope pull-ups, heavy double overhand deadlift for multiple reps
Zach-I love the vids of you busting ass! Keep it up!! I have lots of Grip Training videos at my site to share with your readers at http://www.varietytrainer.com just go into the grip training section and enjoy! One of my favorite grip training exercise is doing any exercise but use a towel to grip it with. There are many variations to use a towel.
Carry things with only a set number of fingers.
I carry a backpack at school (college) and will often times carry it with my ring and pinky finger then switch off on my trip home.
Since no one else has mentioned them BLOCK WEIGHTS. Just pinching them is fun but especially tossing them from hand to hand.
And then bending all kind of steel. Nails, horseshoes and spikes. Its all good.
finger tip pullups. i used to hang of a wall surrounding the gym parking lot and pulled my body up the wall hanging on with my fingers.
jack lalane pushups (finger tips and superman finger tips)
cutting metal roofing with tin snips
and to hit the forearms bill pearl wrist curls.
thats a heavy set of 30 with the bar resting on the palms followed by a lighter set of 20 where the bar rolls down to the finger tips.
that will set you on fire.
Z… i’m getting better by the minute…. doc says that at this rate i will be almost back to normal in a week…. can’t w8 to train again!!!!!
Wrapping towels around everything to make the grip wider.
FatGripz Kroc Rows with Heavy Dumb Bell
Battling Ropes 50 foot 2″ rope
Seated hand over hand Rope Pulls with weighted Prowler Sled using 50 foot 2″ rope
great stuff just in time for fargo! thanks z!!
I stopped wasting time with grip specific exercises, if I want to work the grip more I just slap on those fat gripz thingies on whatever, farmers walks, any pulling movement and so on + I also do nunchak swinging for upper body cardio and active recovery so when you’re good at it it also hits the forearms hard, specially the 8 figures. Also like to grab a lighter KB and twist it outside and inside so that the belly raises to horizontal, fat ropes and so on…oh yeah boxing bag clean hugs and carries too – where you don’t grab your hands and lock them but just hug the bag with your palms open.
I like to use sandbags, mixed grip pull-ups and 5 gallon bucket walks with 2″ handles.
Blaine
I am 14 years old.
I like to mess around on a thin rope. The rope is so thin that you must work harder to grip it. You will also get kickass callouses!
Bar hangs. Hang from that sucker for as long as you can! Try hanging from one arm, or to work the thumbs really hard, do it from a towel.
Finger-tip push-ups. They work the part of the hand that opens the fingers.
Farmers walk! No matter how many times I do it–my forearms and hands always get hammered. But the results are fantastic. Heavy walks and long walks for distance.
Ivanko Super Gripper. No, not reps. Something I call MaxHolds. Set it up a level, cheat close it–hold it closed for a full minute. After that–move up another level.
Pinch gripping for sure! Use your imagination, it wi all come in handy. I might note that I had some of my strongest hands and forearms ever when I was regularly bending steel and nails.
I like putting a 2″ bar on top of the power rack for pull ups and hangs
All the flexion exercises are great. But don’t neglect the extensors or you may develop wrist and elbow pain due to imbalances. Try the handXBand.com gimmick, it’s the best hand expansion tool I’ve used.
I like to to fingertip pushups because they keep the hanging grip, and crushing grip well-balanced because fingertip pushups work the flexors really well.