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Benefits Of Building A Stronger Grip


ZFJango

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I started training to build grip strength just over three weeks ago, and continue to be astounded by how much my grip gains have impacted all other aspects of my workout routines. Up until 3 weeks ago, I had no idea that there were hand-grippers out there other than the too-easy junkers in the sporting goods stores. I saw a couple of YouTube videos featuring Captains of Crush grippers, and I was intrigued.

I pride myself on having a well-rounded exercise program, but, my grip sometimes could not keep up with the rigorous demands of my workouts. Now, because of a set of Heavy Grips, and some thick grips, my hands are already outlasting my other muscles.

When I first opened the package of Heavy Grips, and tried them, I was stunned that I was unable to close the 200. I slammed the 100, closed the 150 for decent reps, but couldn't click the deuce. Three weeks later, I can rep the 200, and managed to close the 250 x three times with my right, and once with my left.

The far reaching effects of my slowly improving grip have been some personal records which made me grin like I had just moved a mountain. I managed a suitcase deadlift with the 2.2" diameter thick grip on my bar with 120 pounds, and last night, I managed a personal record of 8 x 100 pound one-handed pull downs.

I am hooked on grip training. I find myself cracking out on the days where I have to let my hands recover. I look over at my Heavy Grips like a junkie looking at a bindle of boy, and think, "Just one set!" Ha! I frigging LOVE grip training!

It isn't just a stronger grip I am getting out of the deal, it is a stronger EVERYTHING. Was anyone else surprised by how much your other training improved when you first began training grip?

Edited by ZFJango
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It isn't just a stronger grip I am getting out of the deal, it is a stronger EVERYTHING. Was anyone else surprised by how much your other training improved when you first began training grip?

hey there, yes, for sure! I noticed good improvement especially with any exercise on a pullup bar and bouldering. I think it's reasonable to say that any muscle group along the kinetic chain will perform better if the grip is strong. Like you I had no idea of grip sport a few months ago and now this is my new passion.

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hey there, yes, for sure! I noticed good improvement especially with any exercise on a pullup bar and bouldering. I think it's reasonable to say that any muscle group along the kinetic chain will perform better if the grip is strong. Like you I had no idea of grip sport a few months ago and now this is my new passion.

-Hey, Evan! Yeah, you nailed it with "the kinetic chain". It is allowing me to truly exert my other muscles in a way I was not capable of before. I am just blown away! Thank you for responding. I appreciate you!

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oh, and women like a man with strong grip, that's a benefit for sure :tongue

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oh, and women like a man with strong grip, that's a benefit for sure :tongue

Heck yeah. But, one of the downsides to a better grip is a lowered tolerance for people with dish-rag handshakes!

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Get the ironmind extensor bands, you can do those every day if you want. It can be hard to leave the grippers alone, but for off days get some 2.25" ball bearings to rotate in your hands, the_ball_man on ebay had the best prices I've found. Read up around here and make it your top priority to not injure yourself.

It is fun and very useful, I've been moving furniture around lately and get some funny looks holding half a couch with one hand.

As far as hand shakes go, you just have to tense your hand a bit, try to match the other person's pressure, and hope you don't squish their hand to the point where other people in the room notice. It's a bit awkward.

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This is what I was like in the beginning, loved every minute of the training and making quick gains with the grippers!

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Welcome to the forum. This is really a great place with lots of information.

I was not surprised that my strength went up fast when I started with grippers because I already knew it would. First time I actually started with grip training was when I was seven or eight years old. I had a spring collar that I was squeezing a lot (don't ask me why I did this) becasue of that I always won armwrestling matches on the school playground, even against kids that were older and bigger than me ;)

Then of course I didn't continue with it because I didn't even know why I did it :grin: Of course this is something I realized when I grew up, why I always won armwrestling matches as a kid. So it was part of the reason why I started with grip training again because I knew it would do great things.

oh, and women like a man with strong grip, that's a benefit for sure :tongue

Heck yeah. But, one of the downsides to a better grip is a lowered tolerance for people with dish-rag handshakes!

Haha a few months after I started with grip training, maybe like 5-6 months or so, I was able to close the COC#2.5 then I met a really big guy, over 2 meters tall and he had a really strong handshake, so I sqeezed a little bit extra and he gave me a strange look. I don't think he was expecting that :D

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Get the ironmind extensor bands, you can do those every day if you want. It can be hard to leave the grippers alone, but for off days get some 2.25" ball bearings to rotate in your hands, the_ball_man on ebay had the best prices I've found. Read up around here and make it your top priority to not injure yourself.

It is fun and very useful, I've been moving furniture around lately and get some funny looks holding half a couch with one hand.

As far as hand shakes go, you just have to tense your hand a bit, try to match the other person's pressure, and hope you don't squish their hand to the point where other people in the room notice. It's a bit awkward.

Ha ha ha! Your last sentence got me cracking up. I am definitely doing all I can to avoid injury. I would rather have snail-slow progress than an injury that keeps me from training for a while. Thank you for responding. I do have a set of exercise balls, and they really do help keep the off day blues at bay. Thank you again.

This is what I was like in the beginning, loved every minute of the training and making quick gains with the grippers!

Heck yeah! I find myself working up strategies for grip workouts being incorporated into every workout. I can hardly believe how addictive gripping is! Thank you for responding, I appreciate you.

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Welcome to the forum. This is really a great place with lots of information.

I was not surprised that my strength went up fast when I started with grippers because I already knew it would. First time I actually started with grip training was when I was seven or eight years old. I had a spring collar that I was squeezing a lot (don't ask me why I did this) becasue of that I always won armwrestling matches on the school playground, even against kids that were older and bigger than me ;)

Then of course I didn't continue with it because I didn't even know why I did it :grin: Of course this is something I realized when I grew up, why I always won armwrestling matches as a kid. So it was part of the reason why I started with grip training again because I knew it would do great things.

oh, and women like a man with strong grip, that's a benefit for sure :tongue

Heck yeah. But, one of the downsides to a better grip is a lowered tolerance for people with dish-rag handshakes!

Haha a few months after I started with grip training, maybe like 5-6 months or so, I was able to close the COC#2.5 then I met a really big guy, over 2 meters tall and he had a really strong handshake, so I sqeezed a little bit extra and he gave me a strange look. I don't think he was expecting that :D

Nice! I was absolutely clueless about there being bigger and better gear for training grip out there. Congratulations on the 2.5, by the way. That is a tough gripper!! Thank you for responding.

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I started training over 7 years ago with overhead dumbbell lifting and grip training, and starting as an aspiring grip athlete/strongman, I did not see quick gains that you guys are haiving with your other lifts (it took my over a year to close my COC #2, and that was only after I started deadlifiting DO). I think my slower gains could be mostly due to begginer's stupidity--I didn't have a clue about how to program.

One sure rule I have found: as I iron out other weaknesses (like core strength, or hip imbalances) and get my overall strength up, my grip seems to sail right along with it--and that generally does surprise me :)

Edited by wulfgeat
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I started training over 7 years ago with overhead dumbbell lifting and grip training, and starting as an aspiring grip athlete/strongman, I did not see quick gains that you guys are haiving with your other lifts (it took my over a year to close my COC #2, and that was only after I started deadlifiting DO). I think my slower gains could be mostly due to begginer's stupidity--I didn't have a clue about how to program.

One sure rule I have found: as I iron out other weaknesses (like core strength, or hip imbalances) and get my overall strength up, my grip seems to sail right along with it--and that generally does surprise me :)

You really stated that perfectly. The entire body is a single machine, and can only be as strong as its weakest part. NICE! Very well said, Wulfgeat. Thank you for responding.

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One good benefit is the pickle jars will tell horror story's of you to the relish jars at night.

Ha ha ha! I want that on a tee-shirt! Thank you for responding.

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According to scientific studies the first thing a woman looks at in a man is...... his hands. It has been evolved over the centuries that in a woman's brain it is wired to "detect strength "to defend ,and ability to work and sustain her in a man' s paws. No, I didn't make it up.

One of the most amazing things I ever experienced was with proudly shaking the hand or a world renounced grip /stong man and it was the closest thing to holding a cold,dead, fish in my hand. To this day I will always wonder how disheartening as it was that was possible. A firm ( not crushing grip and a square look in the eye while doing it is I think a key to the start of an equal understanding and respect of two people.

Greeks and Romans greeted other civilization leaders with a hand shake and with the off( left) hand clasped on the others forearm to see how developed and battle ready their sword wielding arm was.

Edited by 1stCoC
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According to scientific studies the first thing a woman looks at in a man is...... his hands. It has been evolved over the centuries that in a woman's brain it is wired to "detect strength "to defend ,and ability to work and sustain her in a man' s paws. No, I didn't make it up.

One of the most amazing things I ever experienced was with proudly shaking the hand or a world renounced grip /stong man and it was the closest thing to holding a cold,dead, fish in my hand. To this day I will always wonder how disheartening as it was that was possible. A firm ( not crushing grip and a square look in the eye while doing it is I think a key to the start of an equal understanding and respect of two people.

Greeks and Romans greeted other civilization leaders with a hand shake and with the off( left) hand clasped on the others forearm to see how developed and battle ready their sword wielding arm was.

That is awesome info. Thank you very much for responding. I love science!

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According to scientific studies the first thing a woman looks at in a man is...... his hands. It has been evolved over the centuries that in a woman's brain it is wired to "detect strength "to defend ,and ability to work and sustain her in a man' s paws. No, I didn't make it up.

I would like to see this study, link please. Because I 100% disagree. Drive past your local college or walk through your local mall. See the hotties with the skinny, sickly looking guys in skinny jeans? Yea I see it too. Or the hot moms with the fat balding guys. Yep I see that too. What about the hot goth/emo chicks with dudes that wear more make-up than them? I see that as well. That study is well out dated if it exists. Edited by EJ Livesey
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According to scientific studies the first thing a woman looks at in a man is...... his hands. It has been evolved over the centuries that in a woman's brain it is wired to "detect strength "to defend ,and ability to work and sustain her in a man' s paws. No, I didn't make it up.

I would like to see this study, link please. Because I 100% disagree. Drive past your local college or walk through your local mall. See the hotties with the skinny, sickly looking guys in skinny jeans? Yea I see it too. Or the hot moms with the fat balding guys. Yep I see that too. What about the hot goth/emo chicks with dudes that wear more make-up than them? I see that as well. That study is well out dated if it exists.

Guilty, lol

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I don't know what's the first thing women notice, maybe it's difficult to generalize that but I think we can all agree that strong hands/ forearms are usually admirable. I work as a physical therapist and use my hands a lot working on others and I sometimes get compliments from both males and females about my forearms which are only an inch smaller than my biceps with all the grip training.

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I've noticed quite a few benefits of grip training and grip strength since getting back into training more seriously this May...I do quite a bit of handgun shooting in the summer months and having a "solid purchase" on a pistol helps with accuracy and faster follow up shots...My groups have tightened and rapid fire drills are really closing in nicely....I didn't shoot for about a month+ when i first started hitting my grip training consistently again, the following range trip surprised me by how much weaker the recoil felt or for that matter how much better my hands were dealing with it. My 45 ACP, which has significant recoil by most standards, felt like a 9mm (much weaker recoil impulse). My accuracy was way up as well. The harder you can squeeze a handgun with your offhand the less the sights will move when you crack a shot off if your trigger pull mechanics aren't the best. (see jerking the trigger lol) My buddy who i usually shoot with even made the comment "Been practicing much?" I said "No, been hitting my grip pretty hard though." Pretty sure I sparked some interest in beefing his grip up because he ordered up some grippers and a rolling thunder shortly after that day at the range.

I work two different jobs that are pretty labor intensive. My grip training has made many different aspects of my jobs much easier or efficient... I do a decent amount of "Hardscaping" (Installing block retaining walls, paver patios, out door brick kitchens etc). You gain much better energy transfer when using hand tools like hammers, shovels, pick axes...Your strikes "count" more every time you strike or dig. Moving and installing blocks and bricks don't tax the hands nearly as much after a long day (better pinch/support endurance). My 2nd shift job i work as a Maint. Tech in a die cast foundry. A lot of BIG machines that when they break down, need BIG repairs. Usually your wearing thick heat resistant gloves and everything has a coat of grease or oil on it...Already at a grip disadvantage in that sense..Being able to use your fingers and hands with extra force in odd angles or confined spaces, where you cant really use the power of your body, can mean the difference of getting a job done with out having to make specialty tools or tear things apart past what you really need to do to complete a repair...Hope that makes sense...

I forget where I heard the analogy, but having a weak grip would be like having a 4x4 vehicle with bald tires...no way to put that power to the ground and dig in...Stands true in my experiences so far...

...And yes its a nice plus if you have some tough looking hands, wrists and forearms lol ;) ... let alone ones that can perform better and help with your day to day duties and hobbies...

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I've noticed quite a few benefits of grip training and grip strength since getting back into training more seriously this May...I do quite a bit of handgun shooting in the summer months and having a "solid purchase" on a pistol helps with accuracy and faster follow up shots...My groups have tightened and rapid fire drills are really closing in nicely....I didn't shoot for about a month+ when i first started hitting my grip training consistently again, the following range trip surprised me by how much weaker the recoil felt or for that matter how much better my hands were dealing with it. My 45 ACP, which has significant recoil by most standards, felt like a 9mm (much weaker recoil impulse). My accuracy was way up as well. The harder you can squeeze a handgun with your offhand the less the sights will move when you crack a shot off if your trigger pull mechanics aren't the best. (see jerking the trigger lol) My buddy who i usually shoot with even made the comment "Been practicing much?" I said "No, been hitting my grip pretty hard though." Pretty sure I sparked some interest in beefing his grip up because he ordered up some grippers and a rolling thunder shortly after that day at the range.

I work two different jobs that are pretty labor intensive. My grip training has made many different aspects of my jobs much easier or efficient... I do a decent amount of "Hardscaping" (Installing block retaining walls, paver patios, out door brick kitchens etc). You gain much better energy transfer when using hand tools like hammers, shovels, pick axes...Your strikes "count" more every time you strike or dig. Moving and installing blocks and bricks don't tax the hands nearly as much after a long day (better pinch/support endurance). My 2nd shift job i work as a Maint. Tech in a die cast foundry. A lot of BIG machines that when they break down, need BIG repairs. Usually your wearing thick heat resistant gloves and everything has a coat of grease or oil on it...Already at a grip disadvantage in that sense..Being able to use your fingers and hands with extra force in odd angles or confined spaces, where you cant really use the power of your body, can mean the difference of getting a job done with out having to make specialty tools or tear things apart past what you really need to do to complete a repair...Hope that makes sense...

I forget where I heard the analogy, but having a weak grip would be like having a 4x4 vehicle with bald tires...no way to put that power to the ground and dig in...Stands true in my experiences so far...

...And yes its a nice plus if you have some tough looking hands, wrists and forearms lol ;) ... let alone ones that can perform better and help with your day to day duties and hobbies...

Absolutely! I wasn't sure about mentioning weapon retention and better ability to manage a hand gun. Some people/places are touchy about that type of thing. My own stick practice has gone next-level in the month I have been grip training. I haven't been to the range since I started, but I am looking forward to it. Thank you for responding, DW. I appreciate you.

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