Help a beginner

[Guest rspector]

Hi everyone,

It's my first time here, so go easy on me.  

My grip sucks.  Always has.  I have very small forearms - an average untrained man has bigger forearms than me - and they are out of proportion to the rest of me (5'10", 225lbs now).  

I've been working really hard on the Hammer gripper machine, but now my gym doesn't have it anymore.  

I don't have any of the cool grip toys I see you guys talk about.  What can I do in an "average" gym that has regular bbs and dbs?  

I have seen mention of plate curls - is that a good start?  

I'm thinking about plate curls and just heavy bar holds.

Please let me know what you think.  BTW, how long is the minimum time to hold a heavy bar?

Tks,

Rob

[Guest JSallee]

First welcome to the board.  There are a lot of exercises that you can do in a moderatly equipped gym.  

 For starters I would recomend pull ups, without any kind of strap or grip aid.  

 You can also do wrist curls both foward and reverse with DB's and a  bar.  Let the weight roll down your fingers and then start to curl it back up.  I have also found that the muscles stretch a little better if these are done with the arm extended, as apposed to in a full curl or flexed at the elbow.  

 You could do bar holds.  With an Olympic bar, load on a low rack and hold from the end.  I would say that if you can't hold it for an eight count, you should go lighter.  Others may disagree.

 You could pinch two ten lbs. plates with the smooth side out.  To work on your "pinch" grip.  

Just a few ideas.  Hope this helps.  I am sure there are others that will chime in here pretty soon.

[tomfitz]

welcome to the board! plate curls are a good idea. personally, i love barbell wrist curls- that's what i find works best for me.

[MilGrip]

rspector,

Welcome to the wild, wild, world of grip! Don't know where that came from! Anyway, check out Ironmind.com for their grip equipment, I would suggest a Trainer and #1 gripper. As far as utilizing what is commonly available at the gym I definately recommend the plate curls. Start with a couple of 10# plates stacked upon each other, and do that for a few sets of 6 to 8 reps. As with any individual, you have to experiment to see what works the best for you.

If you are going to do any type of wrist curls, DO NOT let the handle/bar roll down your fingers. This places excessive stress on your tendons and joints, there are plenty of people on this board who will attest to or second me on this.

One more exercise that can't hurt, would picking the biggest Db you can hold (one hand at a time) and simply holding it for time. Start with something you can hold for around 5 seconds, when you progress to the point where you can hold it for 10 seconds, grab a Db 10# heavier. I said above use one hand at a time because you will be able to use more weight this way per hand, and it will be easier on you and more of a challenge to see how HUGE a Db you can lift with one hand! The name of the game here is maximal strength, so don't just stand around holding Dbs for minutes at a time. Use one that will really give you a challenge.

Well hope this rambling post helps. I may not be a seasoned grip master, but hope this sets you in the right direction. Good luck.

M Bolstad

...if you're gonna do it, over do it.

[Tou]

Here's my top 3 for the gym grip workout :

1. pinch grip

2. farmer's walk

3. one hand deadlift

[Roark]

If your gym has one of the arm curl blasters that

is worn so the elbows stay in position during curls,

then wear it backwards this way: Do not hang it

from your neck (the straps won't be long enough),

instead wear it like a belt, but with the curved part in your lower back area. Grab a barbell, place the backs of your

wrists against the curl blaster, and do some standing wrist curls. These are easier on your joints.

So as you are standing, your palms are facing away

from you in back of you. If need be to get full contraction,

lean slightly forward at the start of the set.

Another seldom seen but very worthy exercise can be

done on a lat machine if it has an adjustable or bottom

pulley. Grab a straight bar attachment, keep you arms

straight, with the backs of the hand toward the ceiling,

and do some wrist curls, rotating only at the wrist, not

at the elbow or shoulder- the only body part in motion

should be the wrists.

If you are just starting, select a weight that will allow

a couple of sets of 12 reps before you fail, Not before

you quit counting because you have reached 12, but

a weight that will make you wonder at rep ten if 11 is going to happen.

Good luck!

[underdawg]

all those work very well.  another cheap little number i like is doing chins by holding a rolled up towel that has been drapped over the chin bar.  if you've got an old towel you can waste wrap it with a couple of layers of duct tape to make it even harder

[Tou]

Plate curl would be a good exercise to incorporate in your routine but I would train a few months on barbell wrist curl before trying plate curl.

[Guest Jesse Marunde]

Everything I do I find a way to work my grip. chins with a towel, thick bar, Iron Minds Eagle Loops*, one finger etc. Presses and curls with thick handled DBs or a 2" bar. My opinion is that forearm size is not indicative of grip strength.

This is my first post by the way, thanks for inviting me over!

Jesse

[Guest james]

Jesse Marunde - I've read somewhere that you did 30 reps with the #2 and 3 full reps with the #3!

What is current best with the #3?

James

[Guest StrongerthanArne]

A friend of Magnus Samuelsson told me he had seen Magnus doing ten repetitions with a CoC #3 with relative ease. It would be interesting to see how much damage Magnus could do to a 500 IP gripper.

[Guest kINGPIN]

Welcome to the board rspector and Jesse.  

One thing I would have to say on this is to go down the local hardware store and get some matirials there.  Get some thick pipe, strong cord, caribiners, chain, 2 by 4 and anything else you may need and make yourself some kit tailoured to your requirements at a fraction of the cost.

If you use your imagination you can make;

Wrist rollers

Pinch blocks

Hubs

Thick handles

Lifting rings

.....you name it!

All the suggestions above are also very worthy of attention.  

Jesse, I read your interview on another page, very inspiring.  What is your current progress with the grippers and with your football?

[Sybersnott]

Get a good grip machine - and then use it HARD and HEAVY (as heavy as you can without causing injury to yourself).  Beginners such as yourself should go easy at first.  Learn a good technique then increase the weight.  I'm the opposite of you - I'm the same height, weight - EXCEPT my forearms are bigger than normal (14 1/2" cold).  Someone said big forearms are NOT indicative of grip strength - very true.  When I started, I couldn't close the #2.  Welcome to the board!  

[Bearcat 74]

I'm not so sure about the taking it easy part.  Beginners usually can go hard 2-3 times per week because there body is adapting fast.  Think about weightlifting, when you start do you go really light for a few weeks?  No, you go light for about 1 workout, and then you want to max basically everytime you go to the gym.  Same way with grip, go at it hard until your progress slows, then backoff, evaluate your program and goals, then set up a routine.  Snott does make a good point with the technique.  This is a BIG key to making progress.