Crushing Handshake

[Alawadhi]

Before commenting I would like to say if someone is asking how to get stronger handshake it doesn't mean he is looking to hurt someone. Why do people assume that? Were they hurt in a handshake war before or something?

Now for your question. Genetics is the key. You need bigger hands. Now, if you have average hands then you can train them. From my experience armwrestlers tend to have strong hands even though they don't squeeze. Which means its how hard the hands are. Some powerlifters are same. When you shake their hands as if you shake a rock. I remember Eddie Hall and even our own Juha Harju having rock like hands. So it about how hard the hands are if your goal is to impress people with your handshake, even though you don't want to squeeze. 

[Cannon]

29 minutes ago, Alawadhi said:

Before commenting I would like to say if someone is asking how to get stronger handshake it doesn't mean he is looking to hurt someone. Why do people assume that?

In this case it was framed by the original post. This old thread posed the question "Is it possible to crush someone's hand?" like hurt them. I agree it's a different question to ask "How can I get a respectable handshake?" but that wasn't the question. Much of the thread is about mercy, breakages, leverages that will hurt, and strategies to "win" or protect against someone trying to hurt you. 

[Hubgeezer]

I think this “crushing handshake” business is a throwback to a time that just is no longer relevant today. And, I believe it is “our” sport, hobby, obsession, or whatever that has made it such. After you have spent 1000 hours or so on this, you realize that the macho-look-at-me-I-have-a-hell-of-crush-shake means nothing.

By far, the “weirdest” handshake experience of my life was how I came to believe this. Here goes…

 In 2005, my late brother, an extreme bodybuilding fan,  came to my town because he wanted to go to a Dave Draper/Bill Pearl seminar in Santa Cruz, Ca, about 40 miles from where I live. I said sure, and went. There were maybe 60, 70 middle aged guys there, at a gym, very informal, people sitting on machines, etc. Very nice. A bit after it began, Ed Corney, legendary bodybuilding poser, star of Pumping Iron, buddy of Arnold,etc. showed up. There was a barbecue at a nearby park afterwards. Draper’s wife Laree knew how to put on a bash.

After Pearl and Draper were done, people were mingling. My brother proudly says “Mike, Mike, let me introduce you to Ed!” I am thinking “Geez, what do I say after that?” Then it came to me: We started shaking hands, and I was telling him that when I saw Pumping Iron at the theater right when it came out with my future bride, she just couldn’t stop talking about that “good looking man Ed Corney”…As I was talking while we were shaking hands, he was squeezing harder and harder, not saying a word, and I was offering just enough resistance so he wouldn’t be putting me away. It was as if he really wanted to do that, his face was determined, he was getting a bit frustrated, I kept calmly talking, and was being friendly and saying nice things, and was very relaxed. He finally stopped, didn’t say a word to me (and never uttered a single word during the entire time) and walked away,  looking dejected. I never said anything to my brother about it, as he really liked Ed. I was in my early 50s, Ed was in his early 70s, and lived to be 85. I watched Pumping Iron on TV last night(Tubi) as I was doing a gripper workout, and seeing just how respected Ed was (he, not Arnold, was in the movie poster when the film came out) was the trigger for this ridiculously long story…

A strong handshake for egotistical purposes, is just plain silly.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Hubgeezer

[Blacksmith513]

22 minutes ago, Hubgeezer said:

I think this “crushing handshake” business is a throwback to a time that just is no longer relevant today. And, I believe it is “our” sport, hobby, obsession, or whatever that has made it such. After you have spent 1000 hours or so on this, you realize that the macho-look-at-me-I-have-a-hell-of-crush-shake means nothing.

By far, the “weirdest” handshake experience of my life was how I came to believe this. Here goes…

 In 2005, my late brother, an extreme bodybuilding fan,  came to my town because he wanted to go to a Dave Draper/Bill Pearl seminar in Santa Cruz, Ca, about 40 miles from where I live. I said sure, and went. There were maybe 60, 70 middle aged guys there, at a gym, very informal, people sitting on machines, etc. Very nice. A bit after it began, Ed Corney, legendary bodybuilding poser, star of Pumping Iron, buddy of Arnold,etc. showed up. There was a barbecue at a nearby park afterwards. Draper’s wife Laree knew how to put on a bash.

After Pearl and Draper were done, people were mingling. My brother proudly says “Mike, Mike, let me introduce you to Ed!” I am thinking “Geez, what do I say after that?” Then it came to me: We started shaking hands, and I was telling him that when I saw Pumping Iron at the theater right when it came out with my future bride, she just couldn’t stop talking about that “good looking man Ed Corney”…As I was talking while we were shaking hands, he was squeezing harder and harder, not saying a word, and I was offering just enough resistance so he wouldn’t be putting me away. It was as if he really wanted to do that, his face was determined, he was getting a bit frustrated, I kept calmly talking, and was being friendly and saying nice things, and was very relaxed. He finally stopped, didn’t say a word to me (and never uttered a single word during the entire time) and walked away,  looking dejected. I never said anything to my brother about it, as he really liked Ed. I was in my early 50s, Ed was in his early 70s, and lived to be 85. I watched Pumping Iron on TV last night(Tubi) as I was doing a gripper workout, and seeing just how respected Ed was (he, not Arnold, was in the movie poster when the film came out) was the trigger for this ridiculously long story…

A strong handshake for egotistical purposes, is just plain silly.

great story.. Its, sad a man like Ed Corney should have/had nothing to prove.   Its all about control. I don't have many memories of my grandfather but he had quite the grip from being a mason. No hugs, always a firm handshake as a little kid and direct eye contact. That was his way of teaching me and it worked because that memory is ingrained in my mind. I'm starting to do that with my nephews.

The other side is people who are already pulling their hand back before the handshake begins... That tells me right there that that person values their time more than mine. 

I hate the world of fist bumps... Shaking someones hand and looking them in the eye is a VERY good indication of getting a good read on someone.   That right there told you everything you need to know about "Ed Corney".

[Hubgeezer]

53 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

great story.. Its, sad a man like Ed Corney should have/had nothing to prove.   Its all about control. I don't have many memories of my grandfather but he had quite the grip from being a mason. No hugs, always a firm handshake as a little kid and direct eye contact. That was his way of teaching me and it worked because that memory is ingrained in my mind. I'm starting to do that with my nephews.

The other side is people who are already pulling their hand back before the handshake begins... That tells me right there that that person values their time more than mine. 

I hate the world of fist bumps... Shaking someones hand and looking them in the eye is a VERY good indication of getting a good read on someone.   That right there told you everything you need to know about "Ed Corney".

Ed was the best poser of his time. Who knows? Maybe my brother told him I was a grip guy…

[slazbob]

The end of Superman 2 when he crushed General Zod’s hand,  can still motivate me even tho I know it’s silly. Haha

[Hubgeezer]

1 hour ago, slazbob said:

The end of Superman 2 when he crushed General Zod’s hand,  can still motivate me even tho I know it’s silly. Haha

Well…that’s different!