Hand Thickness & Grip Training

[CubanPete]

Hi All,

I'm new to grip training and apart from wanting a strong grip, I'm also very interested in having big, thick "MAN HANDS!"

I'm very self-conscious about my soft hands, and my long, slender fingers. They look like boy hands. You can see a picture of them on my blog post entitled, "Edward Sissyhands"

I'm curious, though, what kind of an increase in hand thickness (especially thickness of the fingers) can one expect from consistent grip training?

What have been some of your experiences? For instance, do you have a wedding ring that no longer fits, or have you had to jump from small workout gloves to large ones because size small no longer fits? etc.

What type of training would you suggest is good for thickening the fingers? What kind of results are typical?

Personally, I've been training with sandbags for about a week, and it seems an old ring is getting a little harder to put on.

Any suggestions or experiences you can share will be very appreciated!!! Thanks!

[Magnus]

Reminds me of this:

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?autocom...si&img=1558

My hands and fingers have definitely gotten thicker as a result of grip training. I'll see if I can find any comparison pics to throw on. It's important to train all aspects of grip to get the best results, though.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Magnus

[Blackdog]

I will say this.... welcome to the king of strength sites

[Grippster]

Training every day (which is bad btw) really added thickness to my fingers. Some people's fingers don't grow much at all, others a lot. I rather like having thicker hands due to the fact that they stay warmer in the winter.

[Cannon]

I have to say that a lot of this is going to be genetic. I've trained grip hard for almost 3 years and my forearm has changed, but my hand is almost exactly like it was 3 years ago. Parts of my hand are more dense than before, but nothing is really any bigger. My wedding ring still fits exactly the same--loose.

[Magnus]

Another thing I think helped thicken up my hands was bulking up from regular weight lifting.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Magnus

[ox3782]

I have trained grip for going on 6 years now and no change to the thickness of my fingers at all.But from doing a lot of pinching my thumbpad has fattened up a lot and the muscle on the top of the hand in relation to the thumb.

[stump]

Another thing I think helped thicken up my hands was bulking up from regular weight lifting.

Exactly

[diesel]

my thumbpad has gotten noticeably thicker. fingers? maybe a small amount.

[CubanPete]

Thanks guys for all the info. I can tell I'm going to like this place.

Yeah, I figured it might be a genetic thing. I hope I have it in me to add some size to my hands though. I think a combination of grip training, strongman, and general bulking are the best bet to add overall size and strength.

One observation, though. I've noticed that most manual laborers, or guys who work a lot with their hands tend to have strong, massive hands. I was at a junkyard recently and the workers there had barely an ounce of visible muscle, but their hands looked like they could crush coconuts! Hard work seems to be key. Who knows? I might volunteer at a local construction site just for kicks!!

-CubanPete

[gumpster]

I think the problem with your fingers/hands might not really be a problem at all. Your hand looks quite meaty compared to mine - pic of my hand. I have really skinny fingers and with 2 years of grip training I've seen no change at all in my fingers or hands (my forearms gained a little meat). I don't think you're going to find any specific exercise that will drastically change the size/shape of your fingers.

You're just going to have to get the idea that your hands are lacking cosmetically in some way out of your head. If you are interested in grip stuff that's great. Jump in and get started on the road to having stronger hands but try not to worry about the superficial appearance of your hands. If someone happens to make a comment about how your hands look, take that as an opportunity to show them that though they may not look strong, they are. A quick feat of hand strength will change their tune faster than anything you could say.

[bencrush]

My fingers barely got thicker, but my thumbpad and on both hands has gotten quite a bit bigger with training. I also developed an odd muscle that's about 3/8" wide and 1" long on top of my index finger bone in the middle of the back of my hand. It's something I haven't seen on anyone else, but I don't think I'm the only one who has it.

[Pancake Sprawl]

My fingers barely got thicker, but my thumbpad and on both hands has gotten quite a bit bigger with training. I also developed an odd muscle that's about 3/8" wide and 1" long on top of my index finger bone in the middle of the back of my hand. It's something I haven't seen on anyone else, but I don't think I'm the only one who has it.

are you talking about a little piece of meat between the middle finger and index finger ligament on the back of the hand?

i'm the same as the thread starter, i don't have big square hands (although the measurements of my hands are large nearly 9in.) and my friends always talked about my fingers cuz they were kind of skinny, but i have done a lot of manual labor and my hands have always been like that. for some reason i even have really good fingerprints (something you're not supposed to have if you do manual labor)

[BroodingMoon]

I'm curious, though, what kind of an increase in hand thickness (especially thickness of the fingers) can one expect from consistent grip training?

There are no muscles in the fingers to speak of so theres nothing in particular to train, however you will increase the size of your thumb pad with any pinch or thickbar training, and the muscle on the pinky side of the palm (not sure what this is called) will benefit from any crushing or supporting training. Aside from that you will build beastly forearms and the skin on your hands will most likely toughen up.

[Grippster]

When all else fails doing physical work almost always gives you thick hands and fingers. Everyone that I've seen working in construction has meaty hands. Working with a hammer sometimes gives my forearms a pump that the grippers couldn't.

Edited March 7, 2009 by Grippster