dennisb Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Well here i am putting my neck on the chopping block. This of course is just my opinion based on my personal experience. No death threats please...lol.On the 30th of september i tore a deck of cards in half yadda, yadda, yadda. And my hands are still pumped and sore. And i felt more muscle activation doing that feat. Then I ever felt using the grippers.I know the grippers primary function is to stimulate the hand and forearm. But there is still no comparing the two. I believe if your trying to improve grip strength and want a strong grip. why not incorporate the most muscle fibers etc. In to the exercise? I think the grippers are a good secondary exercise but as far as im concerned ill stick to the card tearing for building my hands,wrists,Etc. Tell me what you guys think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopher Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 I wouldnt just tear cards for a workout. Not only would it be expensive but I doubt it would strengthen your hands and wrists as much as using block weights, gippers, sledge hammers and all of that good stuff. I also learned to rip cards this summer. Have you tried a phonebook. I think it's easier. How long have you been training? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennisDude Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 I wouldnt just tear cards for a workout. Not only would it be expensive but I doubt it would strengthen your hands and wrists as much as using block weights, gippers, sledge hammers and all of that good stuff. I also learned to rip cards this summer. Have you tried a phonebook. I think it's easier. How long have you been training? ← Tearing cards is an incredible workout. Not only does it work plenty of muscles, pinch and crush strength especially, but it also makes your hands a lot tougher. I think tearing cards is one of the best and coolest workouts you can do, because of the different muscles it works and the conditioning it provides. -TennisDude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dude Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Have you tried bending at all? I used to think I worked my hands, wrists, and forearms, and whole upper body for that matter during my workouts until I started bending. If you havent been doing any bending then you've definately hit the muscles used in bending which might account for the new found soreness. Keep up the tearing though, nice work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdoire Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Let us know when you can close the 3 from tearing cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisb Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 Tearing is not the only thing i do guys im just saying to really zero in on my hand strength. I think cards work better then grippers. I do thick wrist roller and thick off set curls, leverage etc. -Dude- i purchased some 60d nails from lowes today however saturday i smashed my finger good so ill be out of action for a while. But i did make circles with a 3 foot piece of 1/4" HRS. from home depot with out ever doing any special grip work. If that accounts for anything. I want to bend more but i gotta practice on some small stuff and work my way up to those 60d's i bought today. Because when i bent that 1/4" it tweaked my left elbow. Plus i havent been doing grip work that long i used to be a framer so i had kinda strong hands already. I bought a #1 in August and i did that right out of the package pretty easy for 10 reps. So i know i can do the #2 and maybe in a couple more months after my finger heals ill smash that #3 Then ill post it up in my gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revtor Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Dennis, just because you can get the #1 for ten reps, doesnt mean you can get the #2!!!! buy one and give it a shot. good luck with the 3. a true beast. I see what youre saying about tearing, it uses more that just crushing strength muscles as opposed to the grippers which are 90% crushing muscles. Of course. And tearing wont necessarily help you with crushing and vice versa. Of course. Our hands are so multi purpose that inorder to have truly strong hands in all situations you need to do a variety of exercises. Grippers are pretty addictive (second to crack) and fun to use so they get alot of attention, also there are standards amongst the grippers, so its relatively easy to gague your progress and compare to others. Everyone's got their favorite exercises. so go ahead and tear away. Add cards one by one. Tear decks into quarters, and then do it while wearing oven mitts. Youll have pliers for fingers by then. whatever floats you boat, as long as youre getting stronger! ~Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisb Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 I hope i didnt offend anyone. Im not knocking the gripper guys. I like grippers to. But im saying that to me( only me ) I like what the cards do for me. The grippers i do agree ,show someone what strength crushing ability one has. But i do see what you mean Rev. there is more then one way to cook an egg. And i hope you guys dont think im knocking you because im not.I have respect for each and everymember on here. Now i will crawl in to my hole and hide...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMMERHEAD Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Just keep having fun. You'll get stronger. -HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdoire Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Don't sweat it, no big deal. Different strokes for different folks. We all have our favorite things top do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickr104 Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Well here i am putting my neck on the chopping block. This of course is just my opinion based on my personal experience. No death threats please...lol.On the 30th of september i tore a deck of cards in half yadda, yadda, yadda. And my hands are still pumped and sore. And i felt more muscle activation doing that feat. Then I ever felt using the grippers.I know the grippers primary function is to stimulate the hand and forearm. But there is still no comparing the two. I believe if your trying to improve grip strength and want a strong grip. why not incorporate the most muscle fibers etc. In to the exercise? I think the grippers are a good secondary exercise but as far as im concerned ill stick to the card tearing for building my hands,wrists,Etc. Tell me what you guys think. ← Just be careful that you don't over do the cards. It puts lots of stress on the fingers . If you don't give yourself proper time to recuperate from a session of card tearing you could mess your fingers up good. i have over done it ripping cards before and it messed up all my other grip work for 2 - 3 weeks. that is just me tho everyone is different. Keep at it just work it smart and listen to your body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtime Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 i did 35 reps on my number 1 before i could close my 2... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Styles Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 I'd agree that grippers are overrated. A lot of other grip work is actually more fun, but the grippers are easy to pick up. The most I've ever closed my #1 is 6 reps. I've closed both my #2's, thanks to KTA. It all has to do with what you train for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foggymountainmuscle Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 (edited) I don't think the feel of an exercise is a good indication of it's effectiveness. For example heavy, bent over rows has about the lowest felt intensity of qny exercise I know of. If you lift with good form and are giving your best efforts you wonder "Am I brining my arms up all the way, maybe it's too heavy?" and then "I'm not even sore yet but I missed that last rep!" Compared to some exercises it feels rather lack luster, but between bent over rows and pullups, that's all you need to get moster lats and the pulling half of a powerful upper body. Contrast this with concentration curls and tricep kickbacks which can give a serious burn and pump without too much weight, yet I wouldn't reccomend either of these exercises. I personally haven't gained a bit of strength and size from including them in my workout. I don't intend to downplay the results you get with card tearing (be sure to change up left and right hand position for good balance) but the conclusion of their effectiveness can only be determined with time and persiverance. Edited October 3, 2005 by foggymountainmuscle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Moose Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 If you do a lot of tearing, you get good at tearing. Work with grippers and ......guess what, you get good at grippers! At the moment I concentrate on bending and pinching but three weeks from now my RB grippers will arrive and then I'll step up the gripper training and bending have to step down for a while. I'm trying to do a bit of all, I don't want to specialize, not yet. Claes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 I think if you left the grippers out you wouldn't develop NEARLY the level of grip strength that you ultimately would if you included both the tearing and the grippers. In fact, I think that tearing is WAY overrated as far as developing grip strength. I think it's one of those things that if you're able to do it well (tearing) then you already had the grip strength necessary, not that you built the grip strength only from tearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revtor Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 yeah, ben I agree.. Once you can tear a deck of cards youve got the grip strength necessary. Once you start adding cards to the deck youll need a bit more strength, but youll also need more arm and chest strength. Id guess that you can build grip strength from doing it by adding a card at a time, and/but youll also be building many other muscles at the same time. and definietly allow rest time after a tearing session, tons of stress at all weird angles put on the hands, your arms may not feel too tired, but your fingers will have had a hell of a time, so dont over do it.. Think of it like any type of training. ~Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkdan Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 variety is the key to growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Ten Ox Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 - i purchased some 60d nails from lowes today however saturday i smashed my finger good so ill be out of action for a while. But i did make circles with a 3 foot piece of 1/4" HRS. from home depot with out ever doing any special grip work. ← I think we need to go back for a moment and address this issue here first guys, we can settle the gripper/cards thing later but you need to pick a side buddy. You can't be shoppin' at Lowes AND THD. What ever happened to loyalty? Clearly once this is figured out all the other stuff will fall into place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisb Posted October 4, 2005 Author Share Posted October 4, 2005 Ox, I had to get the 60d's from Lowes because for some strange reason my local Home depot does not carry them i dont know why but this is the truth...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grh122 Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 I like exercises that work the wrists as much as the hands. My number one favorite for this is double underhand bending. The only problem with tearing is that it is easy to cheat, when the cards on the outside tear first, tossing them aside. Keep up the pressure with your fingers throughout the tear and it is a great workout. I agree that the best training approach is to balance it so your bracing with one hand as much as with the other (i.e. tear a deck right-handed, then tear a deck left-handed). Set some goals with tearing (e.g. a pack of Bicycles if you haven't already done these, or two decks if you have ...), and then do grippers once or twice a week as an assistance exercise for achieving your card tearing goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybersnott Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 I hope i didnt offend anyone. ← That's the understatement of the year! Im not knocking the gripper guys.You got a funny way of showing it! I like grippers to. Uh huh. And i hope you guys dont think im knocking you because im not.I have respect for each and everymember on here.Well then show some love and stop drinking so much HATE-ORADE!!Now i will crawl in to my hole and hide...lol Good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emsquared Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I think it all depends on the person. I have closed #1's #2's many #3's an Elite an RB210, RB240, RB260, and RB300. I can't do more than a few reps on any of them let alone the smaller of the grippers, but I can close them or have closed them at one time. So I think that closing a gripper multiple times before the next level all depends on the perosn. Just my $.02 M2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeagle4-temp1@yahoo.com Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 my opinion, i found that grippers are a gateway drug, they get you into it, but ultimatly other things like bending are at least as, or more fun. get enough other grip exercises going, and your gripper progression slows way down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnimalCage Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I've done tearing and grippers and a little bending, and I think they all contribute to strength in their own way. We all have our favorites. The important thing is that we are getting stronger. We also all have our own personalities, which keeps things interesting. My next goal with cards is lengthwise tearing, thanks to the BBB. And Snott, try some CHILL-ORADE!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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