Every exercise program should contain some element of grip training. With a few simple exercises and 5 minutes of your total workout time, you could strengthen your hands exponentially. You can be far stronger than you probably think is possible in such a short amount of time. Motor learning, neural processes and muscle recruitment play a much larger role in hand strength than training time, muscle size, age or gender. I will discuss those things in a future article. The most compelling argument there is to train your grip is the simple fact that your life could depend on it.
In the countless ways there are for people to check out, I can think of at least a few that could be prevented with stronger hands.
Being attacked by another human being. This is actually why I started exercising in the first place. My dad is a martial artist and holds advanced degree blackbelts in several disciplines. You can bet I was taught how to fight and defend myself. As long as I can remember we’ve had free weights, punching bags and grippers laying around the house. Hitting back was encouraged, as was protecting your little brother and your lunch money.
The unfortunate reality is that there are people out there that may try to harm you and/or your loved ones. Having strong hands will help you to protect yourself, your belongings and those around you.
Think of the role of the hands in self defensive situation. Someone grabs you, tries to steal your purse, jack your car, threatens your child, attacks your friend, whatever; your reaction will probably involve a hand-to-attacker maneuver hopefully thwarting any negative outcome to you and yours. There has been at least two occasions in my adult life where by simply squeezing someones neck I defused an attack (there are also other places that are vulnerable to squeezing, however specifics escape me at the moment). Once was when my soon-to-be wife’s jealous ex-boyfriend charged me, and another was when a drunk started a fight with my friend outside of a pizza shop. On both accounts, I was forced to react to a situation that I did nothing to provoke and in no way could have prevented. I am proud that I “won the fight” but sorry that the situation occurred in the first place. It’s not likely that either encounter was a life or death situation, but you never know. The point is, it was the strength of my hand that stopped the attack.
Being attacked by an animal. Long gone are the days we had to wrestle saber tooth tigers, but everyone knows someone that was bitten by a dog. Strong hands are of little match for a set of sharp teeth, but you could wield a bigger weapon with a pair of mightier mitts. The difference between shaking a stick and swinging a bat could be the difference between life or limb against a rabid dog off his leash.
Natural disaster. Tsunami in Indonesia, hurricane in New Orleans, earthquake in Haiti, flooding in Nashville; did anyone who survived do so simply by “hanging on”? Probably. I don’t know of any specific stories but I know better climbing, holding, digging or swimming could only be a good thing in such a situation. My thoughts and prayers go out to those families who lost loved ones in those tragic events.
Military/Police/Fire/Rescue. You know what your job entails better than I do. No need to say any more.
In my opinion, there really is no other better reason to be strong than someones life may depend on it, which is why this article is first in this series. In the few minutes it takes to squeeze a gripper and do a set or two of wrist curls, it’s in your best interest to train your grip.
In the next article, How Stronger Hands Means a Stronger Body.
Showing posts with label grip training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grip training. Show all posts
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Friday, June 5, 2009
Grade 8
I just bent five Grade 8 bolts. I've bent two in the past (on the same day but spaced out about an hour apart) and that was the last time I've even attempted such a tough bend. I've been working on my technique and I think I finally found my groove! My last bending video awarded me some great pointers from many of my steel bending brethren on the net. Thanks to guys on the Gripboard.com and everybody who posted comments on my blog! Special thanks to Dennis Rogers, Chris Rider and Aaron McKenzie for working with me and for the encouragement.
Anyway, here's a video of the fifth destroyed bolt. They got easier with each successive bend. The first bend actually dropped me to my knees, I almost passed out. I almost quit. I almost didn't hit a HUGE personal record!
Anyway, here's a video of the fifth destroyed bolt. They got easier with each successive bend. The first bend actually dropped me to my knees, I almost passed out. I almost quit. I almost didn't hit a HUGE personal record!
Friday, April 3, 2009
New Phonebook Feats
Here are some tearing PR's...
This next one took place under less-than-desirable conditions. That is, after 6 hours worth of grip training & feats, and just a few minutes after eating chili...
This next one took place under less-than-desirable conditions. That is, after 6 hours worth of grip training & feats, and just a few minutes after eating chili...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Training Session
This past weekend I hosted a training session for some good friends and for some of the strongest men alive. Besides Luke and I, everybody was from out of state - Pennsylvania, New York and even one guy from North Carolina. Sometimes you have to go far and wide to find people who share unique and similar interests as you and grip training is no different. There's probably plenty of people around who squeeze grippers and do wrist curls but when your desire for stronger hands takes you to steel bending, card and phonebook tearing, suddenly that circle of friends becomes much smaller.
There's far too much to recount as to what went on this weekend. In addition to the 7 in attendance, there was also 200+ phonebooks, 100's of bits of steel, at least 50 decks of cards, dozens of horseshoes, a bucket full of license plates and more custom made equipment than most of your largest commercial gyms. We bent, tore and otherwise destroyed stuff for nearly 8 hours strait! I have some video and I will be posting random clips over the next week or so.
The cool thing about get togethers like this is the camraderie. The learning and sharing of techniques between experts and people at the top of their game makes a training session like this worth a road trip. I was lucky enough not to have to drive anywhere for this one but I've taken 8 and 16hr round trips just to be a part of special gatherings like the one we had this weekend.
I'd like to thank everyone for coming. Jedd, glad you were finally able to make it down to my place. John E., it was nice meeting you and great to have you. Johnny Steel, always good to see you and the wife. Luke, glad you could make it. Chris, thanks for coming and thanks for the phonebooks. I can't think of a better excuse for you guys being late. (Like I said, if you ever get the chance to bring a guest to the Dungeon, I'll drive :) Mac, thank you again for all the steel. And that horseshoe you bent for me is sick! Really glad you made the trip up from NC.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Homunculus
This is why you should train your grip...
Read more about the homunculi here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Sensory_and_motor_homunculi
I've been telling people for years that stronger hands will make for a stronger body but I think these guys serve as a great visual aid. I'd like to get one of these to display in my gym as a constant reminder of the importance of grip training.
Read more about the homunculi here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Sensory_and_motor_homunculi
I've been telling people for years that stronger hands will make for a stronger body but I think these guys serve as a great visual aid. I'd like to get one of these to display in my gym as a constant reminder of the importance of grip training.
Under the weather
I got a flu shot last week and I've been feeling sick ever since. Staying out late doing the Halloween party thing didn't help either. If I didn't have any clients, a to-do list as long as my arm, a daughter and a life, I would have stayed in bed all weekend.
On a brighter note, I did manage to put in a few good workouts just before my immune system was compromised. Early last week I ran a mile in 7:45, which broke a long standing PR of 7:52. I feel like I could get it down to under 7 minutes with a little bit of specific training.
My bodyweight has been pretty consistent at about 223-225, although loafing around all weekend eating large quantities off chicken noodle soup will have probably bumped me up when I weigh in tomorrow.
I also started deadlifting again after a few weeks off and although I'm not at peak numbers, progress is coming along nicely. I've changed my technique drastically and am now pulling with a narrow stance and arched back, very different from what I am used to. The goal here is to ingrain the new style and build on the motor pattern, I think this may be a more efficient pulling technique that will eventually lead to me lifting more weight.
The other thing that has been on my mind again lately is grip training. I don't believe I mentioned this before but I strained my left wrist a few months back bending nails at a hotel bar with a few RKC's at the CK-FMS certification in St. Paul. Nothing serious, but enough to make me stop training grip for a few weeks. Anyway, the wrist is fine now and regular grip training has commenced once again.
On a brighter note, I did manage to put in a few good workouts just before my immune system was compromised. Early last week I ran a mile in 7:45, which broke a long standing PR of 7:52. I feel like I could get it down to under 7 minutes with a little bit of specific training.
My bodyweight has been pretty consistent at about 223-225, although loafing around all weekend eating large quantities off chicken noodle soup will have probably bumped me up when I weigh in tomorrow.
I also started deadlifting again after a few weeks off and although I'm not at peak numbers, progress is coming along nicely. I've changed my technique drastically and am now pulling with a narrow stance and arched back, very different from what I am used to. The goal here is to ingrain the new style and build on the motor pattern, I think this may be a more efficient pulling technique that will eventually lead to me lifting more weight.
The other thing that has been on my mind again lately is grip training. I don't believe I mentioned this before but I strained my left wrist a few months back bending nails at a hotel bar with a few RKC's at the CK-FMS certification in St. Paul. Nothing serious, but enough to make me stop training grip for a few weeks. Anyway, the wrist is fine now and regular grip training has commenced once again.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Finger Extension
I've been tinkering with ways to train finger extension for about 8 years now. I've come up with several methods and even a few product ideas that I thought showed some potential.
Pictured to the right is a design I came up with in 2001. It's an idea I had in an effort to try to train finger extension. Try to look at the concept instead of my artistic capabilities. :)
Finger extension is all but forgotten about when it comes to training the hands. Think about everything we do in daily life that involves gripping, squeezing, holding, carrying, etc. - all finger flexion movements. Never do we have to open our hand against resistance.
Muscular balance is important in all parts of the body and the hands are no different. Finger extension is often the missing link even in serious grip training. Your grip can only be so strong if your extension is weak. Opposing muscle groups are often the limiting factor in any lift. Few people realize this or take it seriously.
There is the old method of opening and closing your hand inside a bucket of sand, or opening your hand on the inside of a jar. Company's like Iron Mind have developed products like the Outer Loops™ and Expand-Your-Hand Bands™ to assist in your finger extension efforts. Then of course, there is good old manual resistance - finger tip to finger tip.
I just recently learned of this device (or "grip toy" as I call them) where you can train finger extension and finger flexion with the same piece of equipment without any kind of adjustment whatsoever. It's called the Handmaster Plus™
This is a great invention! I thought that this was the best thing since sliced bread and hand grippers. I thought so highly of this product that it basically put my idea of producing something similar out of my head. Somebody had thought of a better design and put it on the market already!
But let me back up and say that I haven't actually used this product yet. I've been meaning to order one but I just haven't gotten around to it. The funny thing is, I probably won't now that I've stumbled onto something better.
Like almost everything else in the fitness industry, there is usually a very simple exercise that beats out all of the gimmicks and fancy equipment. There is usually one basic exercise, performed with one basic piece of equipment, that will develop a muscle or a movement better than anything else. I found that exercise and that piece of equipment...Thera-Band® Exercise Bands
Like I said - simple equipment for a basic exercise. You can get a piece of Thera-Band from any physical therapist's office. All you need is about 24". Just wrap it around your fist and extend your fingers against it. For more resistance, pull the band tighter. You can also change the angle in which you hold the band to focus on a specific position of the hand/fingers. Use it for wrist extension (an equally important and perhaps just as neglected movement of the lower arm), dynamic thumb exercises and even finger abduction (spreading of the fingers). The possibilities are as vast as your imagination!
I like to train these movements with the Thera-Band with high reps - 20 or more. That's entirely personal perference though. You can pull the band so tight that you can barely eek out a 1RM if you want. Though I have found that the hands respond better to high repetitions. Call it targeting the slow twitch fibers, muscle pump or whatever you like, it just seems you get a better workout.
I'm not staking claim to be the first one who ever thought of using a Thera-Band to do these exercises, it just kinda dawned on me one day and I figured I would write about it. If you know of any other unique exercises performed with a Thera-Band, please post them up. I'd also be interested in hearing how you train finger extension and other rare hand/finger movements.
Pictured to the right is a design I came up with in 2001. It's an idea I had in an effort to try to train finger extension. Try to look at the concept instead of my artistic capabilities. :)
Finger extension is all but forgotten about when it comes to training the hands. Think about everything we do in daily life that involves gripping, squeezing, holding, carrying, etc. - all finger flexion movements. Never do we have to open our hand against resistance.
Muscular balance is important in all parts of the body and the hands are no different. Finger extension is often the missing link even in serious grip training. Your grip can only be so strong if your extension is weak. Opposing muscle groups are often the limiting factor in any lift. Few people realize this or take it seriously.
There is the old method of opening and closing your hand inside a bucket of sand, or opening your hand on the inside of a jar. Company's like Iron Mind have developed products like the Outer Loops™ and Expand-Your-Hand Bands™ to assist in your finger extension efforts. Then of course, there is good old manual resistance - finger tip to finger tip.
I just recently learned of this device (or "grip toy" as I call them) where you can train finger extension and finger flexion with the same piece of equipment without any kind of adjustment whatsoever. It's called the Handmaster Plus™
This is a great invention! I thought that this was the best thing since sliced bread and hand grippers. I thought so highly of this product that it basically put my idea of producing something similar out of my head. Somebody had thought of a better design and put it on the market already!
But let me back up and say that I haven't actually used this product yet. I've been meaning to order one but I just haven't gotten around to it. The funny thing is, I probably won't now that I've stumbled onto something better.
Like almost everything else in the fitness industry, there is usually a very simple exercise that beats out all of the gimmicks and fancy equipment. There is usually one basic exercise, performed with one basic piece of equipment, that will develop a muscle or a movement better than anything else. I found that exercise and that piece of equipment...Thera-Band® Exercise Bands
Like I said - simple equipment for a basic exercise. You can get a piece of Thera-Band from any physical therapist's office. All you need is about 24". Just wrap it around your fist and extend your fingers against it. For more resistance, pull the band tighter. You can also change the angle in which you hold the band to focus on a specific position of the hand/fingers. Use it for wrist extension (an equally important and perhaps just as neglected movement of the lower arm), dynamic thumb exercises and even finger abduction (spreading of the fingers). The possibilities are as vast as your imagination!
I like to train these movements with the Thera-Band with high reps - 20 or more. That's entirely personal perference though. You can pull the band so tight that you can barely eek out a 1RM if you want. Though I have found that the hands respond better to high repetitions. Call it targeting the slow twitch fibers, muscle pump or whatever you like, it just seems you get a better workout.
I'm not staking claim to be the first one who ever thought of using a Thera-Band to do these exercises, it just kinda dawned on me one day and I figured I would write about it. If you know of any other unique exercises performed with a Thera-Band, please post them up. I'd also be interested in hearing how you train finger extension and other rare hand/finger movements.
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