Anthony C. Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Was just wondering what is eveyone's opinion on increasing grip strength while cutting weight? Is it doable? I know that a lot of grip strength is actually tendon related so I would think it can be done but who has experience with this? I don't mean a massive cut, maybe only 10-15 pounds over the course of say 3 months. Thanks gents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electron Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I'm doing this for the second time right now. The first time I went from 127lbs to 107 (my goal was 150%BW 2HP) and now I'm going from 140lbs to 129, so I can compete in the 59k at NATS. Cutting weight gets a bad rap from those who aren't diligent enough to do it. Building strength while cutting is very difficult. It becomes more of a game about maintaining strength. Some say that pinch is the first to go, and they may be right. On the other hand, gaining strength and gaining weight seem to go hand in hand. Other sources: Matt Cannon, Eric Milfdld, Jedd too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Pizzo Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 For me personally my grip strength goes up as I go down in weight. I"ve been as heavy as 287 lbs and as light as 205 lbs as an adult and by far my grip was strongest at around 205. My bodyfat percentage was also lowest at 205 which I believe is more of a factor in grip strength than anything (at least for me). I have found that the higher my bodyfat the weaker my grip...however my bench, squat, and deadlift are all stronger at a higher bodyweight regardless if the extra weight was fat or muscle. Other lifts can benefit when your bigger from increased leverages and reduced bar paths, but grip doesn't seem to have that same correlation for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) I've made steady progress in my grip strength as I'm dropping weight 235 at the 1st of the year to 218 this morning. I think it depends on what you're cutting. In my case I'm dropping body fat so the only thing slowing down the grip work is the lower food intake kills my desire to move. Edited June 10, 2014 by Andrew P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshW Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I've lost 20lbs and put it back on again and grip strength was the same the only thing that took a dive was my stamina. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh O'Dell Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 The first time i closed a 3 i weighed around 175, now i weigh 198, but i gained Muscle so my gripper strengh has went way up. Not to say if i weighed 175 i would'nt be doing the same things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony C. Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 Thank you for the responses, guys. Mixed opinions, as i expected. But the majority think that it is possible which i like to hear. I'm hoping that a healthy cutting program will allow gains to be kept. Haven't even decided to do this yet, just wanted some input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccos1 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I dropped 35 pounds a few years back and my lifts stayed about the same (bench and deadlift went up! ... squat went down). But all-around grip stuff improved. I lost a little with braced and unbraced bending, but overall not much. But I trained "harder" in nearly everything to make sure I kept what I had worked toward. Training a few times per month with some guys that were bigger and stronger helped too, as I was always trying to stay with them weight-wise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anwnate Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 It's all relative of course, I barely notice a 15lb loss at 260, but at 150 I probably would. However, that said...3 months is a goodly amount of time to lose that amount of weight. I'd strongly back the position that you can gain strength during that amount of time (losing that little amount of weight). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Cashman Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I think it depends on how far you have to go in the strength spectrum. Someone fairly new to strength training can drop weight and improve strength relatively easy over a long period of time. Someone who may already be pushing their strength limits or is training for fraction of percentages may have a harder time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucasraymond Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 More than anything I feel the way the weight is dropped is far more important than the weight loss...if you start dieting and hydrating correctly 99% of people can lose weight without losing strength especially over a 3 month period. For example I have lost about 8 lbs in the past 4 days just by eating better and staying away from processed food. I am 15 lbs lighter than this time last year and about 20-25% stronger in all aspects. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvance Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 My grip strength seems to peak when I'm in the low 190s. When I'm at or above 200 I rarely PR. Maybe the correlation is lower body fat % and energy production, which can be channeled thru the hands. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electron Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I want to clarify that my earlier comment was in regards to an already athletic individual cutting waterweight or sacrificing muscle mass for the sake of competition. I guess that isn't the focus of your question, I misunderstood. I agree with the others who say that where the weight comes from is a big factor. Fat doesn't move itself, obviously. If an unhealthy man of 250+lbs started powerlifting and leaned down to 220, he will be of stronger constitution in both body and in mind. His grip is no exception. On the other hand a muscular man of 200lbs decided to become a distance runner and lost 30lbs, I'd estimate him to be weaker in terms of grip strength. Following this, if you are planning on losing fat, it's very likely you can still get stronger in the meantime. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony C. Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Thank you all for the great input, i really appreciate it guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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