How Much Does Genetics Play In Grip Strength?

[KBI]

I notice some people make quicker gains or naturally have a strong grip. Is it possible for anyone to crush a #3 with the right training.. When does your genetic limit come into play?

[Geralt]

That would be a hard question. I've noticed that most strong guys on the internet write that they already had a strong grip when starting.

Some of them closed the #2 the first time they saw it. Others almost could close the #3 after a few months training.

From the beginning it's just how you train and how your body reacts to it. And off course how much you are willing to invest in research on the net about griptraining. Most guys who are now the strong ones didn't had the internet at their disposal in the beginning.

I guess you can't go for the 'got no good genetics' department after a few months of training. See what your starting point is and choose

high or low volume and keep one of them up for a longer time. If it doesn't feel good, high volume doesn't do you any good. If you're not

getting any stronger when doing low volume, then there's something lacking over there. Just finding what works for you can take a lot of time before you see any progress. What I'm meaning to say is that if you're training wrong you don't get the progress you could get, and you could blame it for the wrong reasons

on 'genetics'. I closed the #2 the first time I tried it (but just) and that was in june '08. I'm now just closing the #3 and am having a hard time getting it CCS.

So going up to closing a gripper is one thing, but mastering it takes a lot of time and for the most of us mortals over here, a lot of dedicated training.

don't get demotivated of seeing guys repping big grippers, see it as a motivation. And maybe genetics play a role, but you can't even think of that if you haven't tried everything and worked with a plan for a long long long long time. Read this board and the internet and you'll find a lot of helpful trainingtips. G E T A P L A N and don't mess around fiddling with grippers, it will get you nowhere.

Just an opinion off course

[OTTOEMEZZO]

I stated this somewhere already, and I believe that almost anyone can train to close #3. Genetics play a role, but so does your background in training, among other factors. With that in mind, I would say that if you make excuses in regards to your genetics, hand size, or whatever else, you are only undermining your own success.

[daniel reinard]

I believe most can close a #3 if they really want it. It may takes months or years but dedication and smart training can take most people where they want to go. I think the quickness of progress probably has more to do with one's lifestyle rather than genetics. If someone uses their hands everyday they will be more successful in the grip department compared to a desk jockey. There are however some freaks out there that are meant to crush things, whether they know it or not. My experience (which is short, started 8/22/10) is that I closed the #2 both hands out of the box. I've always liked working with my hands and thought I had an above average grip. That took me to rock climbing and recently grippers. It took a month to close the #2.5, and now I'm .2" from my #3. I've gotten a bit stale there so I'm changing my routine to work my range of motion and speed as I believe the strength is there, just not the other two variables. I hope by working these two areas I'll be able to click the #3 by years end. I've tried to train smart, hit my weak areas, vary the volume, take deload weeks, work extensors, etc. The key is to train smart, recognize what works and doesn't work, and to stay focused on the goal. In time that goal will be met. Hand size, body weight, age are excuses like any other sad reason to blame something on not meeting your goal.

[Geralt]

And there's closing a #3 and closing a #3 IM style. That IS a HUGE differance.

[daniel reinard]

And there's closing a #3 and closing a #3 IM style. That IS a HUGE differance.

Very true.

[FrankD]

I believe most can close a #3 if they really want it. It may takes months or years but dedication and smart training can take most people where they want to go. I think the quickness of progress probably has more to do with one's lifestyle rather than genetics. If someone uses their hands everyday they will be more successful in the grip department compared to a desk jockey. There are however some freaks out there that are meant to crush things, whether they know it or not. My experience (which is short, started 8/22/10) is that I closed the #2 both hands out of the box. I've always liked working with my hands and thought I had an above average grip. That took me to rock climbing and recently grippers. It took a month to close the #2.5, and now I'm .2" from my #3. I've gotten a bit stale there so I'm changing my routine to work my range of motion and speed as I believe the strength is there, just not the other two variables. I hope by working these two areas I'll be able to click the #3 by years end. I've tried to train smart, hit my weak areas, vary the volume, take deload weeks, work extensors, etc. The key is to train smart, recognize what works and doesn't work, and to stay focused on the goal. In time that goal will be met. Hand size, body weight, age are excuses like any other sad reason to blame something on not meeting your goal.

A month to close the 2.5. That is impressive.

[mightyjoe]

Genetics plays a HUGE role!

Here's my response below to another topic on hand fatique

where I barely even began to dent the surface of this subject:

MOST everyone overtrains their grip!

You can gain more with 1 set (low volume) of

high intensity (key to adaptation) reps than multiple sets (high volume)

of low intensity (no need for adaptation)reps.

Adaptation is triggered by intensity, not volume of work when it comes to

strength training.

And YES, genetics has a ton to do with grip strength.

I will list the many variables if you'd like to research them.

Two of the many variables to consider are CSA (cross sectional area) of muscle fibers and

tendon insertion area. HUGE factors.

Something to think about: Have you ever wondered why some individuals progress quickly

at gripper strength while another individual performing the exact same routine, nutrition,

rest intervals, etc. progress very slowly? It all has to do with genetics. Bottom line is

that some people will and have progressed to closing a #3 gripper rather quickly while others

will never close a #3. Like it or not, this is a fact everyone has to come to grips (pun intended) with.

One last thing. Nearly any normal functioning human will progress at grip work for the first

6-10 weeks of beginning their training simply because of neural adaptations alone. Could go on forever

but I think this will spur most peoples thinking on the subject.

Hope this helps...

I can go into more detail if needed. This subject is long due a deep discussion.

Look forward to this!!!

[climber511]

Genetics plays a HUGE role!

Here's my response below to another topic on hand fatique

where I barely even began to dent the surface of this subject:

MOST everyone overtrains their grip!

You can gain more with 1 set (low volume) of

high intensity (key to adaptation) reps than multiple sets (high volume)

of low intensity (no need for adaptation)reps.

Adaptation is triggered by intensity, not volume of work when it comes to

strength training.

And YES, genetics has a ton to do with grip strength.

I will list the many variables if you'd like to research them.

Two of the many variables to consider are CSA (cross sectional area) of muscle fibers and

tendon insertion area. HUGE factors.

Something to think about: Have you ever wondered why some individuals progress quickly

at gripper strength while another individual performing the exact same routine, nutrition,

rest intervals, etc. progress very slowly? It all has to do with genetics. Bottom line is

that some people will and have progressed to closing a #3 gripper rather quickly while others

will never close a #3. Like it or not, this is a fact everyone has to come to grips (pun intended) with.

One last thing. Nearly any normal functioning human will progress at grip work for the first

6-10 weeks of beginning their training simply because of neural adaptations alone. Could go on forever

but I think this will spur most peoples thinking on the subject.

Hope this helps...

I can go into more detail if needed. This subject is long due a deep discussion.

Look forward to this!!!

It sounds to me like you have a small book bottled up in your head waiting to get out. Why don't you write it all up into a short series of articles (or one big one maybe). I'm sure many would find it interesting.

[Jedd Johnson]

Genetics plays a HUGE role!

Here's my response below to another topic on hand fatique

where I barely even began to dent the surface of this subject:

MOST everyone overtrains their grip!

You can gain more with 1 set (low volume) of

high intensity (key to adaptation) reps than multiple sets (high volume)

of low intensity (no need for adaptation)reps.

Adaptation is triggered by intensity, not volume of work when it comes to

strength training.

And YES, genetics has a ton to do with grip strength.

I will list the many variables if you'd like to research them.

Two of the many variables to consider are CSA (cross sectional area) of muscle fibers and

tendon insertion area. HUGE factors.

Something to think about: Have you ever wondered why some individuals progress quickly

at gripper strength while another individual performing the exact same routine, nutrition,

rest intervals, etc. progress very slowly? It all has to do with genetics. Bottom line is

that some people will and have progressed to closing a #3 gripper rather quickly while others

will never close a #3. Like it or not, this is a fact everyone has to come to grips (pun intended) with.

One last thing. Nearly any normal functioning human will progress at grip work for the first

6-10 weeks of beginning their training simply because of neural adaptations alone. Could go on forever

but I think this will spur most peoples thinking on the subject.

Hope this helps...

I can go into more detail if needed. This subject is long due a deep discussion.

Look forward to this!!!

It sounds to me like you have a small book bottled up in your head waiting to get out. Why don't you write it all up into a short series of articles (or one big one maybe). I'm sure many would find it interesting.

Great idea!

[djukac]

Good genetics or not, if someone has more will power and desire than you he will get better.

[Geralt]

Good genetics or not, if someone has more will power and desire than you he will get better.

I believe that's true for 80%, the rest would be genetics. BUT to get to the point where one would reach that, he would have

done everything possible in his training, I dare to say most of us have not. I believe that a lot of people in strengthtraining fiddle for a long time around with weights on whatever area, would it be grip, bench, squat, or whatever. I saw this in my own gym. Than most come to the point as where they don't see any results and they

stop training. The other half will go on and start to study in whatever he can find to read, thus learning about how exactly to train. There come the legions/quazillions of ways to train etc, in which you have to make your choice. In other words, finding out what works for you will cost a lot of time

cause you have to try something for a longer period to see if it works or not. Look at those movie actors with a normal physique. they will start to train for a

certain roll and will get accompanied by a personal trainer. Those guys look at one's metabolism and other bodyspecific parts and adapt the training for that certain person. And presto, within a short time the actor transforms his body with hard work in a perfectly sculpted torso. What I'm meaning to say is most of us don't have a personal trainer so we train how we THINK it's best for our body and train besides our normal life with children, work and other things that also cost a lot of energy, which some other people put only in their training and not much besides that. So I still think that one person is stronger because of the other because of 'better' genetics, but in order to reach our individual genetical limit, most of us simply won't get that far because of the way we are training and living our lives.

But of course that's just an opinion. Very interesting though to read all those varied ideas.

[KBI]

I'm a CPT, & it's really a hit or miss with hand strength since we use our hands all the time. & kills me when I see people at the gym with all their wrist wraps.. My father who is 74 made great hand strength gains in 2-3 weeks he was doing 40 reps with the HG100..

[mightyjoe]

Good genetics or not, if someone has more will power and desire than you he will get better.

Orde,

I appreciate and respect your input!

Will power and desire are factors to consider but become limited by one's genetics

in numerous ways, mainly how much threat your CNS is under (particualrly blood supply

to nerves). Keep in mind that your CNS is in TOTAL control of motor unit activation

and muscle tension. The CNS will win every time over your will power and desire if pain signals

are ignored and further threat is detected. Results? Injury, nerve damage, sensory motor amnesia,

etc.

Also keep in mind I'm talking about normal functioning athletes without any genetic enhancements

or drug therapy. This changes things drastically of which I have no interest.

Something to think about.

MORE later.

Take care...

[djukac]

Good genetics or not, if someone has more will power and desire than you he will get better.

Orde,

I appreciate and respect your input!

Will power and desire are factors to consider but become limited by one's genetics

in numerous ways, mainly how much threat your CNS is under (particualrly blood supply

to nerves). Keep in mind that your CNS is in TOTAL control of motor unit activation

and muscle tension. The CNS will win every time over your will power and desire if pain signals

are ignored and further threat is detected. Results? Injury, nerve damage, sensory motor amnesia,

etc.

Also keep in mind I'm talking about normal functioning athletes without any genetic enhancements

or drug therapy. This changes things drastically of which I have no interest.

Something to think about.

MORE later.

Take care...

Thanks Joe, I respect your knowledge and experience that you are sharing with us. I know that the CNS is crucial. And I forgot to mention smart training, cause as you said if you don't pay attention to the pain signals or similiar stuff you'll get injured etc. And yes it's true that genetics limit you, there has to be an end, but no one have ever reached their full potential. Plus on the powerlifts you have limb length that is crucial, short arms-easier to improve the bench press, but harder on the deadlift and vice versa and that is genetic limitation, but there are lot of people with long arms that can bench monstrous weights and people with short arms that can pull a lot. Those guys prove that even though they lack in ideal genetics they try hard and succeed. So we gotta keep on training .

[OTTOEMEZZO]

Philosphically speaking, there is an exact point where you can no longer get any stronger. No matter what you do, how much you vary your training, etc. That point exists right now, and there is no way to improve past it. Simply, it represents the best training, nutrition, injury avoidance, etc. that you can possibly implement. I am of the opinion that our potential is much greater than we think.

[KBI]

Good genetics or not, if someone has more will power and desire than you he will get better.

Orde,

I appreciate and respect your input!

Will power and desire are factors to consider but become limited by one's genetics

in numerous ways, mainly how much threat your CNS is under (particualrly blood supply

to nerves). Keep in mind that your CNS is in TOTAL control of motor unit activation

and muscle tension. The CNS will win every time over your will power and desire if pain signals

are ignored and further threat is detected. Results? Injury, nerve damage, sensory motor amnesia,

etc.

Also keep in mind I'm talking about normal functioning athletes without any genetic enhancements

or drug therapy. This changes things drastically of which I have no interest.

Something to think about.

MORE later.

Take care...

Thanks Joe, I respect your knowledge and experience that you are sharing with us. I know that the CNS is crucial. And I forgot to mention smart training, cause as you said if you don't pay attention to the pain signals or similiar stuff you'll get injured etc. And yes it's true that genetics limit you, there has to be an end, but no one have ever reached their full potential. Plus on the powerlifts you have limb length that is crucial, short arms-easier to improve the bench press, but harder on the deadlift and vice versa and that is genetic limitation, but there are lot of people with long arms that can bench monstrous weights and people with short arms that can pull a lot. Those guys prove that even though they lack in ideal genetics they try hard and succeed. So we gotta keep on training .

Very true. There's a midget powerlifter that holds the world record in his weight class.. Some argued he was 'cheating' since his arms were so short.. I believe he benched 374 at 123 division or lower if I'm not mistaken. This was in the 90's. To be technical, I think you would need to be on adrenaline if you truly want to measure your physical limitations or drugs.. As I too believe no one reaches their full potentional, cause there is no way to measure it.

[RiotGrip]

I'll add a touch of pessimism to the topic. I think genetics is a HUGE part of grip strength or any strength. I would guess that most of the people on this board that consider themselves "mortals" were in the top 10 to 15% strengthwise of their high school class and have at least decent genetics. Very few people who ever pick up a weight will continue a weight training program if they aren't making at least decent gains(ie people with bad strength genetics), and they certainly will avoid training in a gym. Most of the people who ever visit this board likely were into strength training of some sort before they got into grip, and they likely excelled in strength or athletics. Those reading this post do not represent a standard bell curve of strength, most if not all of you are strong with good genetics. But still, those with the most superior genetics stand out among us. Everyone who has closed a #4 to my knowledge has closed a #3 within 4 months or less (with a set), it wasn't just that they worked hard--they all have superior genetics for grip.

Consider this, I've read that most people will only double their baseline (untrained) strength with excellent training, and only the most exceptional and smart trainers will come close to triple their baseline adult strength--under ideal circumstances. (source: the weightlifting encyclopedia) . Think about that when you wonder what your "limit" is.

Also whenever someone touts finding the next "Natural Grip Freak" they are usually either: 1. Someone of VERY large size who has a long history of hard manual labor; or 2. Someone over 200lbs and built like a Brickyouknowwhathouse, who lifts a lot of weight in the gym--people with great genetics for strength and a good base for grip. With training and size being equal, the most important factor of your grip strength will be the percentage of fast-twitch muscle you have in your forearms.

Before anyone flames me, genetics are not a reason to give up, and I am not trying to put anyone down. Most people will not reach their full potential in their lives, so there is still always room to improve. Remember, hard work is the next biggest factor in how strong of a grip your ultimately achieve . You can take what I say with a grain of salt, and it is not meant to discourage anyone, just my opinion.

[Cannon]

I'll add a touch of pessimism to the topic. I think genetics is a HUGE part of grip strength or any strength. I would guess that most of the people on this board that consider themselves "mortals" were in the top 10 to 15% strengthwise of their high school class and have at least decent genetics. Very few people who ever pick up a weight will continue a weight training program if they aren't making at least decent gains(ie people with bad strength genetics), and they certainly will avoid training in a gym. Most of the people who ever visit this board likely were into strength training of some sort before they got into grip, and they likely excelled in strength or athletics. Those reading this post do not represent a standard bell curve of strength, most if not all of you are strong with good genetics. But still, those with the most superior genetics stand out among us. Everyone who has closed a #4 to my knowledge has closed a #3 within 4 months or less (with a set), it wasn't just that they worked hard--they all have superior genetics for grip.

Consider this, I've read that most people will only double their baseline (untrained) strength with excellent training, and only the most exceptional and smart trainers will come close to triple their baseline adult strength--under ideal circumstances. (source: the weightlifting encyclopedia) . Think about that when you wonder what your "limit" is.

Also whenever someone touts finding the next "Natural Grip Freak" they are usually either: 1. Someone of VERY large size who has a long history of hard manual labor; or 2. Someone over 200lbs and built like a Brickyouknowwhathouse, who lifts a lot of weight in the gym--people with great genetics for strength and a good base for grip. With training and size being equal, the most important factor of your grip strength will be the percentage of fast-twitch muscle you have in your forearms.

Before anyone flames me, genetics are not a reason to give up, and I am not trying to put anyone down. Most people will not reach their full potential in their lives, so there is still always room to improve. Remember, hard work is the next biggest factor in how strong of a grip your ultimately achieve . You can take what I say with a grain of salt, and it is not meant to discourage anyone, just my opinion.

I thought this was a good post. Especially the point that most people will not tap out their full potential no matter the starting point or aptitude for grip.

I have a question: How do you know if you have fast-twitch muscle?

[RiotGrip]

I'll add a touch of pessimism to the topic. I think genetics is a HUGE part of grip strength or any strength. I would guess that most of the people on this board that consider themselves "mortals" were in the top 10 to 15% strengthwise of their high school class and have at least decent genetics. Very few people who ever pick up a weight will continue a weight training program if they aren't making at least decent gains(ie people with bad strength genetics), and they certainly will avoid training in a gym. Most of the people who ever visit this board likely were into strength training of some sort before they got into grip, and they likely excelled in strength or athletics. Those reading this post do not represent a standard bell curve of strength, most if not all of you are strong with good genetics. But still, those with the most superior genetics stand out among us. Everyone who has closed a #4 to my knowledge has closed a #3 within 4 months or less (with a set), it wasn't just that they worked hard--they all have superior genetics for grip.

Consider this, I've read that most people will only double their baseline (untrained) strength with excellent training, and only the most exceptional and smart trainers will come close to triple their baseline adult strength--under ideal circumstances. (source: the weightlifting encyclopedia) . Think about that when you wonder what your "limit" is.

Also whenever someone touts finding the next "Natural Grip Freak" they are usually either: 1. Someone of VERY large size who has a long history of hard manual labor; or 2. Someone over 200lbs and built like a Brickyouknowwhathouse, who lifts a lot of weight in the gym--people with great genetics for strength and a good base for grip. With training and size being equal, the most important factor of your grip strength will be the percentage of fast-twitch muscle you have in your forearms.

Before anyone flames me, genetics are not a reason to give up, and I am not trying to put anyone down. Most people will not reach their full potential in their lives, so there is still always room to improve. Remember, hard work is the next biggest factor in how strong of a grip your ultimately achieve . You can take what I say with a grain of salt, and it is not meant to discourage anyone, just my opinion.

I thought this was a good post. Especially the point that most people will not tap out their full potential no matter the starting point or aptitude for grip.

I have a question: How do you know if you have fast-twitch muscle?

Everyone has fast twitch muscle, the percentage of it in each muscle group is what counts, for a maximal lift through a full range of motion. It can vary between muscle groups, but usually if you have a high percentage, you will be strong throughout.

Some common ways of telling that you have a lot of fast twitch muscle include:

1. You can run a 40 yd dash in under 5 sec without much training.

2. You have a vertical jump of 36 inches or higher.

3. You can do handstand pushups for reps with minimal training.

I listed these because they are done with bodyweight. However overall muscle size matters too, which is why someone who is 6' 7" 300lbs and not very fat will almost always have better grip potential than someone who is 150lbs. However regardless of how big of a person you are, if you meet two of the three criteria I mentioned above, you are almost guaranteed to have success in athletics to level of getting a college scholorship if you develop your talent and want to excel. I mention overall size as well, because that is genetically controlled too, again if you are 6' 7" 300+lbs and can move like someone who is 5' 10" and only an average athlete you will also have athletic success if you choose even if you can do none of the the above things. But colleges are filled with athletes that can't do any of those things, and it doesn't mean you are doomed. Tom Brady likely still can't do any of the three feats I listed and he has had much success in a strength intensive sport.

How all this pertains to Grip potential is tough to say, because I believe overall size is very important. Most people who close a #3 weigh over 180lbs. I'd venture a guess that anyone under 160lbs closing a three in a year or less probably has a lot of fast twitch muscle, and is a very good athlete with great genetics for their size. Upper body strength is also more critical for grip strength as well, so the handstand pushups would probably play more of a role with determining genetic grip potential than the jumping and speed, but make no mistake they are indicators of relative strength. Again, this is not to put down anyone, but some people do have a lot better base when it comes to strength than others.

[KBI]

I'll add a touch of pessimism to the topic. I think genetics is a HUGE part of grip strength or any strength. I would guess that most of the people on this board that consider themselves "mortals" were in the top 10 to 15% strengthwise of their high school class and have at least decent genetics. Very few people who ever pick up a weight will continue a weight training program if they aren't making at least decent gains(ie people with bad strength genetics), and they certainly will avoid training in a gym. Most of the people who ever visit this board likely were into strength training of some sort before they got into grip, and they likely excelled in strength or athletics. Those reading this post do not represent a standard bell curve of strength, most if not all of you are strong with good genetics. But still, those with the most superior genetics stand out among us. Everyone who has closed a #4 to my knowledge has closed a #3 within 4 months or less (with a set), it wasn't just that they worked hard--they all have superior genetics for grip.

Consider this, I've read that most people will only double their baseline (untrained) strength with excellent training, and only the most exceptional and smart trainers will come close to triple their baseline adult strength--under ideal circumstances. (source: the weightlifting encyclopedia) . Think about that when you wonder what your "limit" is.

Also whenever someone touts finding the next "Natural Grip Freak" they are usually either: 1. Someone of VERY large size who has a long history of hard manual labor; or 2. Someone over 200lbs and built like a Brickyouknowwhathouse, who lifts a lot of weight in the gym--people with great genetics for strength and a good base for grip. With training and size being equal, the most important factor of your grip strength will be the percentage of fast-twitch muscle you have in your forearms.

Before anyone flames me, genetics are not a reason to give up, and I am not trying to put anyone down. Most people will not reach their full potential in their lives, so there is still always room to improve. Remember, hard work is the next biggest factor in how strong of a grip your ultimately achieve . You can take what I say with a grain of salt, and it is not meant to discourage anyone, just my opinion.

I agree. I made gains & stook with it.. in 4 yrs I benched 435. My routine was very simple.. I did 3-4 sets of 10 reps.. When I could do 12 reps I would increase the weight. I made gains with this routine for 4 yrs..

[bencrush]

And there's closing a #3 and closing a #3 IM style. That IS a HUGE differance.

Very true.

Exactly what I was going to say. I believe that with the right training the "average" man can get strong enough to MMS close an average #3 - which is about 152lbs on the RGC. I DO NOT believe that the average guy will be able to train to CCS close a 152lb #3 though. What is average and all that though...

[Bill Piche]

I have stated the same thing many times and some people just don't like it on message boards (they say it's negative) but it holds true based on what I have seen the last 30 years. If you want to bench 400, then getting to 300 should be basically "little effort". Same with closing a 3 versus a 4. If you have the capability to close a 4, then getting to a 3 was basically a piece of cake. The same logic applies to any lift. If you want to bench 500, getting to 400 should have been a piece of cake.

And, yes, it's genetics.

[mightyjoe]

I appreciate your input RiotGrip!

Couple of observations based on what you stated:

1)Quote "Everyone who has closed a #4 to my knowledge has closed a #3 within 4 months or less (with a set)",

Not true. Paul Knight is an example.

2) Quote, Everyone has fast twitch muscle, the percentage of it in each muscle group is what counts, for a maximal lift through a full range of motion

True, everyone has FT, Type 2 muscle fibers. The percentage of type 2 fibers in each muscle groups is what counts is

NOT TRUE in and of itself. What does count (collectively) is the number of motor units activated, size (CSA) of Type 2 fibers, initial muscle length of fibers, joint angle, and speed of muscle action.

For example, you can have 2 athletes with the same number (percentage) of FT fibers in a given muscle group but the one with the most motor unit recruitment and larger CSA will have more strength than the other one with less of each. This doesn't even consider joint angle and muscle length ratio. In other words, maximal force depends on the relative position of the muscles insertion on the bone (this is where the tendon attaches your muscle to bone). If ones tendons are inserted futher

towards the end of a bone the more leverage they will have using that muscle group.

3) Quote, "the most important factor of your grip strength will be the percentage of fast-twitch muscle you have in your forearms."

Not true, See above. the presence of FT,T2 fibers alone doesn't equate to more strength (force applied). Other factors I mention above combined have to be considered.

Also, I'm not sharing this knowledge in order to discourage anyone from grip training. I'm sharing it as a reality

as far as genetics is concerned.

Hope this discussion continues. It's all good!

[Bill Piche]

Gee guys, if you start going into analysis paralysis one can even point to differences in attachments/hand makeup (again genetics) as a factor for closing big grippers. Genetics do matter, plain and simply. As one smart trainer once stated..."You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit". BWAH!