Advice I Got From Another Competitor

[wressler125]

Long time member, but I've been away from grip training for quite a while. I compete in strongman at a fairly high level, and it hasn't been an issue for a while, but clearly is now.

Typically I train very low volume, almost HIT style but with lots of variations for strongman. This works really well for me for most lifts, but clearly wasn't working for grip. I started thinking about how popular high volume routines are for grip work, and them being a smaller muscle, etc, so I started to look for other options.

Another competitor recommended training grip almost everyday for 2 weeks or so, then giving it an easy week to recover, and repeating the cycle regularly. Basically short term overtraining, followed by recovery. I'd be alternating days of thick bar, regular bar, and pinch grip training, with some COC closes at the end of every day.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with something like this?

[climber511]

Everyone is different. The only real way to know is to try it. But start slow - high volume before you're used to it can cause some problems also. It depends somewhat on the routine you'll be doing as well of course - there's high volume very targeted and that same volume spread over more muscles and movements. One may be better for you than the other. I'm not a fan myself but it does work for some.

[jvance]

For me personally, I have gotten the best results from high volume-ultra specific and medium intensity grip exercises. Variety is key for me. Also, I've gotten poor results from HIT style work or extremely strenuous routines. It is become my grip philosophy to stay within limits in order to consistently increase them.

To answer your question specifically, I like the daily volume. I would stay well away from working to failure if you're gonna keep a daily routine.

[Jeremy C.]

Like they said everyone is different and it depends on your goals. I work grip twice a week, I respond better to low rep heavy weight. Workout #1 I'll do 5 sets 1-2 reps, workout #2 I do 5 sets of 5 reps. I alternate exercises each workout (grippers, 2Hp, thick bar). So I do grippers every 3rd workout. This is for strength, but if you need endurance you may need more volume.

[milktruck]

I have actually been thinking about this a lot lately, basically how to beat the 2 on/1 off cycle.

I originally found myself training this way, optimal or not. I used to get about ~2 weeks of nearly daily training in before I would have to take about 5-10 days off. This was when I trained grippers, eagle loops, and an exercise that is basically holds on a campus board.

I am back on a big accumulation phase in my lifting with no comps till Dec, so I am hitting grip hard again and I have added blob training, sledge hammer levering, farmers walks, pony clamps for the thumbs, rope climbing, and a more aggressive rubber band finger extension program for balance. I had hoped incorporating these exercises in the rotation would allow me to train uninterrupted by deloads. It sort of worked, and I went 3+ weeks without burning out in the first minicycle. About to start the second.

My recent thought is that I can try to train certain exercises, my first thought being farmers walks, at a level that is more conditioning than intensity, and train them continuously while I cycle things that I am trying to gain strength on. I dont have continuous access to farmers handles, though, but I am thinking of making some with 5 gallon buckets of concrete so I could regularly do holds at home. These would be ~90-95 lbs each from what Ive read, so not too intense. The different sledgehammer moves are rapidly becoming easier as well, and I may try the same approach with them by using high reps and not longer levers.

These are just some thoughts I have had on how to up my work capacity in spite of the 2 weeks on/1 week off cycle I seem to fall into. The big problem is that I didnt measure progress before, and now I am not sure what would be the best measure of the kind of general grip strength and endurance I am training for. Maybe its the importance of the connective tissue and CNS in grip that makes it different, and the down time is necessary to come back fresh.