Recovery From Hand Strength Training

[bender]

I’ve been very hesitant to post this finding, but you will see if you try, that it is an incredible technique for recovery. Perhaps not the coolest or most manly, but the results are real.

A few months ago, I was at home after a huge bending work out. 60D’s, grippers, and block weights. Wrists torqued, tendons inflamed, thumbs trashed. It was a great work out, I could feel my self getting stronger, but just needed to recover. I ate a pile of tuna, a few glasses of milk, and some joint supplements, and then started to ice my hands. After that, I was going to warm them up. I was moving to the sink, to fill it with hot water, but remembered that I stopped at the Surplus store that afternoon and picked up a pair of Extreme Cold weather mittens. Mittens so thick and warm, that nobody in any part of the world would actually “need” mittens so warm. It was made of ½” compressed wool and leather with a nylon shell, and stretched all the way to the elbow.

Well, I put them on, and my hands got warm. Very warm. The pain went away, so I took them off, and later went to bed. Laying there, I realized my hands started to hurt again, so grabbed the huge mittens and put them on. The discomfort went away and was again replaced by a warm, pleasant sensation. It was so nice, that I slept that way.

The next morning, my hands felt great. Near perfect. A bit puffy from the increased circulation from the heat, but no pain or any negative sensation. I thought it was interesting, but nothing more.

The next week, I had another work out, and again picked up the mittens. The next morning, my hands felt awesome again! I then realized that this was something that really helped my body recover. In the last month, I used them every time my hands hurt. But in this last week, I was thinking about hand health, and decided to wear these super mittens to bed even though my hands felt fine.

Well, with in this period I’ve done intense block weight training, added 50 lbs to my dead lift, closed my SM and GM, gotten my #3 down to a PR small gap (about 5mm or less), and bent two more grade 5’s. Every night, I wear the mittens, and the next morning my hands feel like new. Brand new. Tender, but fully healed. I now know that it’s not a coincidence, but instead a fact that this helps A LOT.

Grip brothers. Try this. Don’t judge a single thing I wrote, until you get a pair of very warm, loose fitting mittens, and wear them to bed after a huge hand workout. The results will speak for them selves.

[Digdogz]

Good on ya Bender

Are you sure the Grip-goddess doesn't mind your new bedroom apparell?

Good discovery mate.

Digz

[bballdad]

makes sense to me. Sometimes its hard to for me to get to sleep with my hands aching. When I wake up I can barely make a fist. Will give this a try bender. Thanks for the tip.

[Jedd Johnson]

Not sure if I can sleep with something on my hands, but I can try.

Thanks.

[Guest gripmaster316]

I like the shot rotation. I just pick up some grand daddy marbles and let them do the work. My hands feel pretty good after it.

[tmmicklabs]

Thank you Bender.

I owe you once again.

My hands have been killing me.

I just put on some gloves and they already feel a hundred times better after only 10 minutes.

[Matt Van Weele]

Bender sounds like a good little trick. I will try and see how it works. If it works well thanks in advance.

[Gripintime2]

Thank you for the tip and for sharing it with us!

[The Gripster]

Are your mittens pink?

ahhhh..uh oh just kidding

[Guest wells]

Great tip! Your right Bender the key indeed is the increased blood circulation into the hands.

Pa Kua (Ba Gua Zhang), T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Wing Chuan, and San Shou practioners will note the importance of a single chi kung exercise called 'whisking arms'. This rapid swinging of the arms (arms held loosely with no tension by your sides) via a quick twisting of the upper torso actually forces blood down into the extremeties (ie.: hands, fingers, and finger tips). It is a very important exercise especially after heavy weapons exercise and/or palm/hatchet/hammer fist strikes on a heavy bag or board as it greatly relieves muscle, tendon, joint, and carpal/metacarpal/phalange cramping, pain, and soreness. When practiced properly your hands and fingers should feel warm.

Chi kung helps in reducing heart rate and blood pressure, induces dilation of the blood vessels, and enhances oxygenation of the tissues. Chi kung exercises are said to have a beneficial effect on the nerves that regulate the pain response. By increasing the flow of lymphatic fluid, they are thought to improve the efficiency of the immune system. And by improving circulation, it helps speed elimination of toxic substances from the body, improving general health.

[SqeezeMasterFlash]

Sounds like a neat trick. I'll have to give it a try.

[HAMMERHEAD]

Where'd you buy 'em? An outdoors store?

-HH

[Sean Dockery]

Watch your local Army-Navy surplus store for 'em. Or perhaps they can order for you. I remember these mittens from the Corps. And they did a great job of keeping our hands warm. Not sure what they'd cost? Bender?

[bender]

Not sure if I can sleep with something on my hands, but I can try.

It's a bit akward at first, but once you feel the hands warm up and the tightness and pain drift away you'll think different about it. I enjoy the feeling now, and it doesn't bother me one bit.

Are your mittens pink? 

Ha ha ha... Leather and Olive-Drab nylon.

By increasing the flow of lymphatic fluid, they are thought to improve the efficiency of the immune system. And by improving circulation, it helps speed elimination of toxic substances from the body, improving general health

Exactly! Speed the bad stuff out, rush the good stuff in. The increased blood flow is like resting 24 hours instead of 8 hours. It makes a very big difference.

Where'd you buy 'em? An outdoors store?

Army surplus. "Ranger Rags" in Columbus, GA.

Not sure what they'd cost?

They are usualy about 50, but bought them that day because there was one set left for 20 dollars. I guess nobody in Georgia needs extreme cold weather gear.

My hands have been killing me.  I just put on some gloves and they already feel a hundred times better after only 10 minutes.

That's why I had to share this. It works, and not only does it work, but it works well. Very well. I was tired of going to bed with sore hands and waking up with stiff-sore hands. Not anymore. It's a miracle cure, for sure. I'm just glad I could help.

Though I've never stuck to a true KTA cycle, I would assume that this technique would greatly help the program. Recovery is key.

As far as what Maggie thinks... She laughed at first, but doesn't mind. Instead, she offered to make a different pair for me out of double layered polar fleece. Something a bit more comfortable and not so goofy looking.

[Jedd Johnson]

Bender,

I did this last night, and when I woke up this morning, my hands felt very good.

Thanks for posting that.

Napalm

[Jedd Johnson]

This rapid swinging of the arms (arms held loosely with no tension by your sides) via a quick twisting of the upper torso actually forces blood down into the extremeties (ie.: hands, fingers, and finger tips).

I have heard this can alsdo help with headaches, especially those that result from too much blood flow to the head with causes pain when the capillaries expand. Is this so?

[Jedd Johnson]

This rapid swinging of the arms (arms held loosely with no tension by your sides) via a quick  twisting of the upper torso actually forces blood down into the extremeties (ie.: hands, fingers, and finger tips). 

Wells,

I have heard this can also help with headaches, especially those that result from too much blood flow to the head with causes pain when the capillaries expand. The blood instead flows into the appendages. Is this so?

[Guest wells]

Jedd:

Yes, you are right. The brain is one of the major areas besides your feet where blood tends to 'pool'. 'Pooling' in the feet area is due to gravity... of course. The 'pooling' in the head is caused by the large network of capillaries, arteries and veins, the amount of blood flow (which is quite large), water retention, and the high density of brain tissue.

In the Marines your drill instructor, platoon sergeant, 'gunney', or first sergeant will scream at you for 'locking your knees' while standing at attention; I don't know how many guys I have seen crashing face first in front of me during an inspection, parade, VIP visit, punishment formation, etc. because they tighened and straightened their legs while 'at attention'... and it wasn't a typical hot 'black flag day' either. Locking the knees reduces blood circulation and increases your blood pressure which actually induces pooling in your feet... thus preventing your oxygen starved brain from receiving the much needed blood.

For headaches Chi Kung 'whisking arms' would be performed at a much slower pace with little or no tension in the waist. Breathing technique would be deeper and slower following a t'ai chi chuan or xing yi quan stepping pattern. The idea behind this headache cure is as you stated, the movement of excess blood into the deep extremeties, lowers blood pressure allowing your circulatory system to work more efficiently as it was designed to. When blood is flowing down into fingers, it actually helps the heart push the blood around as it squeezes the blood back through the veins thus reducing the need for the heart to pump harder. Also the deep breathing, providing more oxygen, may be reducing the amount of water being carried in the red blood cells; the space now being taken up with more oxygen.

[bender]

If anyone who trains hard (and smart) hasn't tried this yet... You're missing out.

Forget the goofyness of wearing mittens to bed, but when you wake up you'll understand.

BTW: I learned this technique from a way of treating lower extremity injuries such as bone bruises in the foot and hair-line fratures of the tarsuls/meta tarsuls. An elevated foot with an ultra-warm blanket around it can literaly "Cure" some lower extremity problems over night, or at least remove the swelling and pain.

[Incindium]

Heh I tried this last night. I really hadn't worked my grip much the last few days so It was basically just to see how my hands felt in the mornings after having them enclosed in something overnight. I actually just stuck some tube socks over my hands before going to sleep. End result? They did feel less stiff than they usally do in the morning. The problem is I didn't sleep well last night because I felt too hot. I was friggin warm all night long. So i might try this again on a night where my hands are really shot but otherwise forget it.

[hooligan]

I will have a great time trying to find cold-weather gloves in Florida in the summer... heh

however, most of the time, my hands aren't the hardest hit as my wrists and especially my forearms. I wonder if an insulated bracer or maybe the sleeves of a small sweatshirt would work well for that...