Grip & Forearm Training

[gareththomasnz]

You know your hands are the key to strength training.

With a weak grip you are at a permanent disadvantage that straps and spotters cant really make up for.

From developing the hands and forearms you can move along the chain to upper arms, shoulders & neck, back, chest, mid section, thighs, calves.

So I got some heavy grips hand grippers about 3 weeks back - could squeeze 200 lbs for sets & reps straight away.

Now I'm getting close to closing 250 lbs.

In a couple of days I will get an iron woody vice gripper 2

This thing is modeled off the ivanko super gripper but has thicker cast handles.

Theres a whole world of grip & forearms training and there must be about 30 different pieces of equipment.

The best thing is gains come very fast and a doubling of strength in a few months is normal if you stick to the training.

[Grover]

just make sure you use both hands alternately and plenty of lubricant

[cantygirl]

Hi gareththomasnz, yes i agree on the grip issue. I started doing barbell deadlifts in the early days with straps on but now i have weaned myself off them and my grip has improved so much that im stronger with dumbell chest press. Its similar to the belts that are worn for squats, its just as important to strengthen up lower back etc so other training gets stronger too.

[gareththomasnz]

Grover couldn't resist aye - actually what you need is talc not lube

serious

Heres the contraption I'm buying made of cast aluminium & pretty large - gunna get six springs which I'll never be able to pull but it decreases the increments.

Weighted pullups without straps are great for grip too.

[nate225]

Sounds like you are focusing on one aspect of grip training - crushing strength? Other aspects exist - check out the grip board forum or more locally the Aussie Strength forum, which has a grip training section.

Grip is a strange beast, Big Sam can do 95kg on the Rolling Thunder (a rotating 50+mm handle), which is about 10kg more than anyone else I've heard of in NZL. I only managed about 70-75kg! But then I beat him and others to set the NZL record on the Hercules Hold (117kg per side with small diameter handles). And I couldn't close the Captains of Crush no 2 grippers if I tried! Go figure :?

Nate

[gareththomasnz]

Yeah its bad for your elbows to just do one kind - I am doing KTA which is just crushing in one position

But I am chucking in a forearm day or two per week at the gym to keep it even.

[gareththomasnz]

I just got my Iron Woody Super Gripper in the mail today. It does not come with any information on the grip poundages of the spring positions but there is a free program online with this information.

There are applications for IVANKO, Iron Woody & Hammar sports :

http://www.angelfire.com/ar/mathgod/sg/ ... ipper.html

I have four extra springs & have no idea how much force is the maximum but the software will chart it up to over 400 lbs with 3 springs. Even just two springs can achieve 250 lbs.

Heres a pic of me & my new super grippers…

I also got a set of five heavy grips about a month back & can nearly mash 250 lbs. But that last 7 mm seems to be the problem – the super gripper can be used to do partial reps on that final squeeze and I suspect the final squeeze of a wrist curl works the same muscles & tendons.

Finally I went to the hardware store and bought some thumb clamps to work my thumbs and fingers.

My goal is to close 400 lbs and I am doing additional forearm training such as hammer curls, reverse curls, block lifts, pinches and weighted pull ups in addition to my regular training program.

[IronHyde]

Rock climbing! When i was rock climbing i could do pull ups on finger tips on door frames. Also use to be able to Dyno about a meter off a door frame. Basically you are hanging from a door frame and in one dynamic move you lunge up and reach with one hand to a specific point.

But seriously, rock climbing would give you incredible grip strength. There are also things called campus boards that rock climbers use to increase there forearm and finger strength:

http://images.google.co.nz/images?q=cam ... =en&tab=wi

[gareththomasnz]

When I was at school we had a similar thing but it had holes in it and you would climb it with two rods inserting then into the holes as you went.

Anyway I aint taking up rock climbing to get a better grip - should be the other way around.

I am doing a program called KTA - its really very good.

Grip training is like a cult.

[gareththomasnz]

Damn I bought this thing called a gripstik http://www.gripstik.com

looked like a good choice for a wrist roller without the weight.

What a piece of crap - pathetic resistance and as soon as you wind it close to increase tension it locks up & becomes unusable.

So I had 5 minutes use of this useless junk. Now I dunno what to do with it.

Poorly designed garbage. :evil:

[tinytraps]

I closed a number 2 COC for a few reps on my right and once on my left( got a wrist flexor injury that sorta f^s shit up) and I believe officially closing a number 3 COC is within my grasps this year. why? cause its cool nnothing else.

[startinfromscratch]

ive found unilateral fap training to be beneficial to grip. just remember not to do high intensity fapping too often, it might burn you out.