Merit to frequent, low volume grip training

[Guest mg6680]

I've found that using a frequent, low volume, high intensity gripper workout has given me the best results so far (of the routines I've tried).

When I do the once or twice a week routines I find that I'm almost starting over where I left off from the previous workout.  With the more frequent workouts the soreness in my hands progresses, but so does my strength.

I use this routine w/my grippers, but still haven't found a good way to incorporate my other lifts into it.  I've picked a few brains on the site for info on how to do this and will post when I find one that works.

[Bill Piche]

Who has the time for other lifts (with that frequency!) unless you win the lottery.

Let alone the recovery ability.

The hands are different IMO as well.

[Nathan Say]

Lots of people have had good success by training like that. I've tried it with plate curls & it worked good (even though I think now that I never had the strength to do a 45 but I will sooner or later btw), but I've never tried it with crush/gripper training. I wonder if I'd get anywhere with it?

[Bill Piche]

Lots of people have had good success by training like that. I've tried it with plate curls & it worked good (even though I think now that I never had the strength to do a 45 but I will sooner or later btw), but I've never tried it with crush/gripper training. I wonder if I'd get anywhere with it?

HAH! Good one.

[Big Steve]

Things come to those who wait! Less gets more and more gets less! It will also keep injuries down.

[Bill Piche]

Things come to those who wait! Less gets more and more gets less! It will also keep injuries down.

Things don't come to those who are stuck in a paradigm and whose mind is closed.

[The Mac]

I have always found that it is somewhat difficult to overtrain my hands but when I do (either too much volume or too much intensity) there is a very noticeable drop in performance, far more than I have experienced with my other bodyparts. I'm not one who believes that calves should be trained differently from other bodyparts, for example, but the hands and forearms certainly can be, in my opinion. After my heaviest set of deadlifts (normally a single) I am totally fatigued - after a set of gripper work, no matter how much it might hurt I never feel like I'm going to fall over.

If you want to try other lifts it might be more of a problem, due the higher stresses of those lifts (depending, of course, on what those "other" lifts you are referring to actually are). I think there is a reasonably simple "rule" to high frequency training - train as often as you decide you will until progress falters. Then take a few days off and start the frequent training again.

As an amendment to that guideline, short-term overtaining can lead to a surprising amount of overcompensation when enough rest is allowed. I believe many here have experienced this.

[Nathan Say]

What's so funny Wannagrip?

[OldGuy]

I agree with MAC. I train every day on one thing or the other. So high frequency and low volume works for me. If I find myself in a state of staleness and overtraining, I take off up to a week. When I return in most cases I can surpass all of my previous bests. My best ever #3 closings were after a break of more than 2 weeks from any kind of training. So train hard and rest when your body tells you to. I am all in favor of very high intensity, low volume, and high frequency. I still do once a week, a fullbody routine of all 20 rep sets, but this is considered more for endurance and cardio.