New and looking for some advice.

[Vaporduff]

Hi there I'm very new to gripping and anything to do with getting stronger. I just got a gym membership and I'm starting a weightlifting routine Monday and at the end of my 3 sessions a week I'll be doing some gripping and pinching, I will add in other things down the track when I'm no longer a beginner. Ok so I have coc sport,trainer and no 1. I'm a small guy small hands and the sport was a struggle at first especially my weaker left hand, read something and trained for a week straight with the sport on both hands and had 3 days full rest as my hands, wrists and forearms were quite sore. Today I went to the gym to get use to the surroundings and did some gripping. My strength went up quite a bit from my hands getting use to the grippers. I was able to do 3x5 on my right hand with the trainer and I could close the first 2 reps on my left on 3 sets and done negatives on the remaining 3 reps on those 3 sets as my hand wasn't strong enough. 

Is that the right way to approach it? If I can't close on my weaker hand do negatives to achieve the reps I'm looking for? My plan is Monday and Wednesday 5x5 on both hands and do negatives if I can't close then on Friday get my number 1 and attempt negatives as the next 2 days will be rest. Is this the wrong way to do it? I have no experience at all so I'm coming here for advice. What I want initially is some good crushing strength while making my fingers and thumbs stronger to go with my beginner weightlifting program. 

I'm finishing with plate pinches 3 sets to failure on both hands. Today I did 3 sets on my right hand with 2 5kg plates, I know not much but for me got my forearms burning. The left hand was not very good as I broke my left thumb as a kid and the tip of my thumb would come off quite quickly so should I stick with the same weight with my left or drop it a bit until my thumb can stick better?

im really sorry for the lack of sense and paragraphs I've brought but I'm new and really want to know the right way to go about this to get the most out of it. 

Thanks in advance Brad. 

[Sam Radford]

Hey Brad, here is my advice ...

1. I'd stick on the same gripper until you can close that sucker atleast 10-15 times in a row, if it means using the sport then so be it. You need to build up the hand strength and adapt the skin to take the knurling. Chalk helps massively too.
2. How are you setting the gripper? Check out this how to video to help if you haven't already
3. Being a newbie to grippers is fun but also taxing on the hands and forearms so take it steady. When I first started out I carried them everywhere with me and would do reps throughout the day but when I started using harder grippers the days off really helped the recovery.

With regards to negatives, I have hardly done them so can't give you help on this I'm afraid.

Hope some of this helped! 

[Alawadhi]

Height, weight, hand size (from wrist to middle finger tip), how old are you? What's your best lifts in the gym usually? 

Better to know these first

[Vaporduff]

1 hour ago, Sam Radford said:

Hey Brad, here is my advice ...

1. I'd stick on the same gripper until you can close that sucker atleast 10-15 times in a row, if it means using the sport then so be it. You need to build up the hand strength and adapt the skin to take the knurling. Chalk helps massively too.
2. How are you setting the gripper? Check out this how to video to help if you haven't already
3. Being a newbie to grippers is fun but also taxing on the hands and forearms so take it steady. When I first started out I carried them everywhere with me and would do reps throughout the day but when I started using harder grippers the days off really helped the recovery.

With regards to negatives, I have hardly done them so can't give you help on this I'm afraid.

Hope some of this helped! 

Hi thanks for the reply. 

I can close the sport 33 times on my right and 26 on my left when I'm warmed up. That's why I've progressed to the trainer and use the sport as a warmup. 

I'll check that video out but I have watched a few about setting it and how they say the end of the bottom in the groove near the pinky, I try that but it slides down a bit and ends up down more than where it sits for them, I think that is to do with my hands. 

Also it is harder in my left hand can't really get a strong set with it compared to the right which when set Does not move. 

I did 1 week straight with the sport and I feel that really got my hands a bit tougher and use to it. 

[Vaporduff]

22 minutes ago, Alawadhi said:

Height, weight, hand size (from wrist to middle finger tip), how old are you? What's your best lifts in the gym usually? 

Better to know these first

Hi thanks for the reply. 

175cm, 67kg (147lbs). 8 1/4 inches , 28 years old and never trained weights before so pretty much unknown but I would say from warming up practice with just 20kg barbell I could probably push out a couple reps on bench at 40kg. Thanks hope that helps and what I'm planning to do as a routine is it any good? 

Thanks. 

[Sam Radford]

5 minutes ago, Vaporduff said:

I'll check that video out but I have watched a few about setting it and how they say the end of the bottom in the groove near the pinky, I try that but it slides down a bit and ends up down more than where it sits for them, I think that is to do with my hands. 

Could be down to the 'thumb pad' size as this holds the gripper in place until the finger connect with the handle. Use a pony clamp to help build this up. I also take your right handed as most people often have a stronger hand?

You could also try 'choking' a gripper using a hose clamp on the (T) to help the closing if your set on the LH is not as good?

[Vaporduff]

30 minutes ago, Sam Radford said:

Could be down to the 'thumb pad' size as this holds the gripper in place until the finger connect with the handle. Use a pony clamp to help build this up. I also take your right handed as most people often have a stronger hand?

You could also try 'choking' a gripper using a hose clamp on the (T) to help the closing if your set on the LH is not as good?

I'm not sure what a pony clamp is or what it does. 

Yer my right hand is my strong hand. 

Sorry i don't know what the hose clamp thing is or how it works. Sorry if I could understand I would get anything that helps. Thanks. 

[KapMan]

32 minutes ago, Vaporduff said:

I'm not sure what a pony clamp is or what it does. 

Yer my right hand is my strong hand. 

Sorry i don't know what the hose clamp thing is or how it works. Sorry if I could understand I would get anything that helps. Thanks. 

He's referring to these things

Pony Clamp: http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-2-in-Spring-Clamp-80002/100027346

Hose Clamp:http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-2-1-1-4-in-Hose-Repair-Clamp-6712595/202309385

With the pony clamp you drill a small hole in the handles and then screw in a piece of of wood on each handle. Check out this tidbit from @Jedd Johnson

https://www.dieselcrew.com/articles-pdf/Iwantapony.pdf

Here's a post that talks about gripper choking

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?/topic/39544-what-do-you-use-to-choke-your-grippers/

Word of caution though, with the hose clamp it moves up or down and could pinch some skin or come off. Never had the skin get caught but I think someone on here had it happen to them. So be careful. an alternative is to send your gripper to someone like @acorn or @Squeezus  and have them drill the handles and add eye screws to the bottom, safer to choke and makes adjusting so much easier. Below in the picture is a version I recently acquired. This one is a modified captains of crush. Aaron hooked @Jared Goguen up with a version that uses a Silvis adjustable gripper which is even better as you can obviously set your own weight and increment your training alot better, with mmine it's just a #3 so I can't adjust it at all as far as handle height like a Silvis I now have it chokered to CCS(Credit Card Set) You could also do timed holds with a gripper 1-2 levels below your goal gripper if you dont have a huge collection. Before i got the two grippers below I was sitting at a #2.5 at 127 pounds rated then a #3 144 pounds rated and holds really bridged the gap I need to atleast MMS(mash monster set/ 20mm block set) my 144. It the same concept as the Ironmind bullet hold but you use strap and a 2.5 pound weight.

Here is our very own @Juha Harju Smashing a bullet hold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdBzvCxKk7E

 

Hope this helps!

 

Edited May 27, 2016 by KapMan

[Alawadhi]

3 hours ago, Vaporduff said:

Hi thanks for the reply. 

175cm, 67kg (147lbs). 8 1/4 inches , 28 years old and never trained weights before so pretty much unknown but I would say from warming up practice with just 20kg barbell I could probably push out a couple reps on bench at 40kg. Thanks hope that helps and what I'm planning to do as a routine is it any good? 

Thanks. 

Welcome

Ok first of all you don't have small hands if you are measuring it the right way. Your hands much bigger than mine. So don't worry on the small hands issue.

Second I recommend to train your whole body generally. Leave grippers for now. Train with thick bar, pinch and barbell finger curls as grip training. Again, general body training too. You'll ckose the 1 in no time.

[Fist of Fury]

Skip the negatives and other isometrics. You don't need to do that as beginner. Don't try to overdo it and use advanced methods when you're a beginner. Just pump out reps with a working gripper for a month or two first. When you stagnate, you can start doing more advanced stuff.

Doing more advanced stuff as a beginner will only increase the risk of injuries.

Edited May 27, 2016 by Fist of Fury

[wobbler]

Don't do anything crazy, but in addition to normal reps, coin holds are good and will help build strength without aggravating your knuckles as much.

Get a penny, put it between the handles, hold until it drops out, then try to close the gripper all the way once, slowly release.

[Vaporduff]

Thanks for all the replies guys. So I will look into the pony clamp and choke thing. 

So with what I'm seeing do you all recommend that if I'm going to use the grippers there's only 1 smart way atm and that's still volume on an easy gripper for a month or 2 instead of a set rep range on a harder one? I just thought 1 week of getting my hands use to it would work but good thing I joined here. 

I might end my workout like I was planning to with some volume on the easier gripper and when I'm not progressing start the more advanced stuff. Will I still gain some more strength doing it this way? 

Thanks for the help really appreciate it. 

[Fist of Fury]

You can of course change it up but don't try to test your strength too often. Once a month is enough, to see how you have progressed. If you do attempts on heavy grippers too often you will not gain anything from it, that is my experience with grippers and I know that many other have the same experience. It's best to build a solid base first.

A good working gripper is a gripper you can do 10 solid reps with. If you have a slightly harder gripper that you can do five reps with that is also good. I'd say, don't use a heavier gripper than a 5-rep gripper to start with, because your hands are not used to this type of training.

And since you're a beginner to training in general you should definitely work other aspects of your grip. Keep it simple in the beginning, you don't need to specialize on anything yet, you will have a lot of newbie gains in the beginning. 

 

[Justin Matney]

If you're totally new to strength training in general, I wouldn't touch anything specifically grip related for at least a year. No grippers, no pinching, no thick bar, and definitely no bending. 

Of course this will vary a bit depending on genetics, work history, etc. 

Focus on building overall strength with the power lifts. After half a year or so, start holding the last rep of your last deadlift set for 10+ seconds. Do relatively heavy barbell and dumbbell rows. 

This is just what I'd do if I had it to do over. I'm by no means an expert. 

Edited May 27, 2016 by Justin Matney

[Vaporduff]

Thanks guys. So what would be an acceptable routine for me then? 5 sets of 10-20 with an easy gripper 3 days a week for a month and then look at going to a harder one from there? Just have no idea with sets and reps for the easy gripper as I planned the 5x5 with the hard one. 

To the last poster my work is very hands on and it would be very beneficial to me the quicker my hands strengthen up. 

[Fist of Fury]

I would use a gripper that I could only close for 10 solid reps, give or take a few reps. Then do three sets to failure, with around three minutes of rest between sets. You will progress fast, being able to do more reps. It's very simple and it will be easy for you to track your progress without testing on hard grippers. Two or three times a week is enough.

If you're able to do five sets of 10-20 reps I think you should move up to a harder gripper, I'd say if you can do three sets of 12-15 reps then you should use a slightly harder one. Once you hit a plateau then you can change it up. Maybe go down to two days a week and do one day with a lighter gripper and one day with a harder, not doing reps to failure, but doing fewer reps and more sets.

Another important thing if you want to be consistent is to use a setting block for each rep you do. Just take any object with the right dimensions and slide it between the handles for each rep, that way it will be easier to track your progress because closing a gripper from 40 mm is way harder than closing it from 25 mm. So if you use a block then you know you're doing the same thing every workout. You don't need to use the whole ROM, I think 30-40 mm is a good distance to train with as a beginner.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Fist of Fury

[Vaporduff]

58 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said:

I would use a gripper that I could only close for 10 solid reps, give or take a few reps. Then do three sets to failure, with around three minutes of rest between sets. You will progress fast, being able to do more reps. It's very simple and it will be easy for you to track your progress without testing on hard grippers. Two or three times a week is enough.

If you're able to do five sets of 10-20 reps I think you should move up to a harder gripper, I'd say if you can do three sets of 12-15 reps then you should use a slightly harder one. Once you hit a plateau then you can change it up. Maybe go down to two days a week and do one day with a lighter gripper and one day with a harder, not doing reps to failure, but doing fewer reps and more sets.

Another important thing if you want to be consistent is to use a setting block for each rep you do. Just take any object with the right dimensions and slide it between the handles for each rep, that way it will be easier to track your progress because closing a gripper from 40 mm is way harder than closing it from 25 mm. So if you use a block then you know you're doing the same thing every workout. You don't need to use the whole ROM, I think 30-40 mm is a good distance to train with as a beginner.

Hi thanks for replying, been hanging out for a response to some sort of routine so thanks. 

The thing is I can do 25-35 with my right and around 25 with my left on the sport but with the trainer I can do 5-7 with the trainer with my right and only a couple with my left so I'm caught in between a gripper I can do easy and a hard one. Is that my setting maybe being out? I'm thinking I'll use the sport a bit more until I can do 10 reps with the trainer? Or do you have a better idea? 

With the setting block what should I use and do I put it inside the handles with the other hand when gripping? Sorry just didn't understand it 100%.

i will be using chalk in every workout too got some today. Thanks for your help. 

[Vaporduff]

I think I know what you mean find something to put inbetween and work to that and I should be able to do more reps with it because I'm not going to a full close?  Thanks. 

[Fist of Fury]

No I didn't mean it like that. You should never (IMO) do partial closes because then your brain will learn that and that would be very bad. If you can do 5-7 reps with the Trainer then that is a good working gripper for you, so use that for your working sets and use the Sport as a warmup gripper.

Always do solid reps, with that I mean, that the handles should always touch on every rep, the better your closes are the more effective your training is going to be.

What I meant with the block was the starting position. When you compete and certify with grippers you will use a certain width to start from. You set the gripper to a predetermined width with both hands then swipe the block or a credit card in some cases then close it with one hand from there. If you're doing reps you open it up and swipe the block again etc, so you will always start from the same position on all reps you're doing.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Fist of Fury

[terminal]

Brad,

 

Here is a video with block set closing to help clear things up:

Al

[Fist of Fury]

52 minutes ago, terminal said:

Brad,

 

Here is a video with block set closing to help clear things up:

Al

To be fair this is not a good video of demonstrating block set closes because most of those swipes are not visable. You can tell that the gripper opens but you can not tell exactly how much because the camera angle is not good, the hand is blocking the view on most of the reps.

[terminal]

@Fist of Fury Fair point.

[wobbler]

Agreed its not a good tutorial on how to get a video of block set reps, but it shows pretty clearly how to perform them. Just watched the first few.

[Jose Cabrera]

I agree that you should focus on lifting and getting stronger in general before heavy grip training. Do most of your pulls double overhand, without gloves or a hook grip. This will build your hands pretty good. Also consider David Horne's beginner grip workout after some time. Its a really good foundation builder. If you do decide to get started training grip specifically, i would recommend giving some time to reading the Grip-Well and the Profiles in the faq section. The knowledge in there is extremely valuable.