Get a Grip! How and Why to Improve Your Grip Strength

WHY SHOULD I TRAIN MY GRIP STRENGTH?

Grip strength is often overlooked, thus undertrained. There is a tremendous amount of upside when it comes to improving grip strength. Our bodies are designed to hang, hold, and move stuff around. Your grip is usually the first thing that gives out due to fatigue. You are literally as strong as your grip.

Improved grip strength will without a doubt help you in athletic endeavors as well. Grip training strengthens your hands which make is possible to hold onto heavier weights and swing things harder without losing your grip. Improved dexterity is also a nice benefit from grip training. Musicians would certainly benefit from better dexterity. 

For those of you who like the visual benefits of grip training, it really does develop the forearms nicely. The muscles in your forearms control your fingers; due to this the forearms play a vital role in grip training. There is no better way to make your forearms pop than good ole fashioned grip training. 

HOW DO I TRAIN MY GRIP STRENGTH?

There are a few different ways you can focus on improving your grips. I recommend cycling through various grip exercises so you can maximize your grip potential. You also may want to focus on any areas of weakness in your grip strength profile. Talk to your trainer and see what they recommend for protocol.

The first way to improve grip strength is to hold weight statically. You can do this with a variety of weights and using different types of equipment. A simple way to do a static hold is to hold a barbell with your desired weight for a time period. You can also do a body weight static hold by holding yourself up on the pull up bar. 

The next way to improve your grip strength is to use hand grippers. These spring-loaded grippers are designed to target your hand and forearms specifically. Look around online and read some reviews, as there are many different styles and resistance pressure with this particular piece of equipment.

The last way we are going to discuss improving your strength is by manual resistance. Filling a bucket with sand or uncooked rice is the first step. Next, put your hand in the bucket and work on making a fist and moving your fingers around in all different directions. Work through all the different ranges of motion in the bucket with your hand. This will set your forearms and hands on fire, but in a good way!

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