Extensors?

[skyman]

i would like to learn more about working the extensors. any suggestions or tools to use to work these?

[Sean Dockery]

A bucket of sand or rice works well. Another way is to get a large jar and fill it with something then lift with fingers inside the rim pushing out. The el cheapo option is using the opposite hand to provide resistance. All are low cost. And all are from Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield (or at least I think they are, I could be wrong)

Edited December 12, 2003 by macronan

[BarBender]

A suggestion I posted earlier is to do wrist extensions or reverse curls with the hand inside of a weighted jar. I use a plastic container filled with iron scraps and bent nails. There should be enough room to insert the hand and lift with the fingers extended.

[SqeezeMasterFlash]

Rubber bands work well. I do lots of these durring the day at work. Just add more or double them up as it gets easy. I've found more reps works better than maxing out for keeping my hands feeling healthy.

Edited December 13, 2003 by SqeezeMasterFlash

[bender]

Recently, I've discovered that twirling a 4' x 1" wooden rod around my fingers, palms down, is a great extensor work out. Just a few minutes of it will leave your extensors sore for a few days. It's also fun, and a great dexterity work out.

[skyman]

The el cheapo option is using the opposite hand to provide resistance.

this is the method i have been using and to tell the truth it sucks lol it is hard to measure the resistance or to increase it in any way i haven't tried the sandblasting yet but i finally did get a bucket of sand

thanks for the information, the gripboard rocks.

[skyman]

Rubber bands work well.

do you use the large rubber bands and loop them around your wrist or just around the fingers?

[skyman]

A suggestion I posted earlier is to do wrist extensions or reverse curls with the hand inside of a weighted jar.

i haven't tried that yet but i will, as my wife jokingly says "oh great another peice of equipment in your workout room". at least i think she is joking

[skyman]

Recently, I've discovered that twirling a 4' x 1" wooden rod around my fingers, palms down,

i have visited that website of yours and wow nicely done, although you might want to watch out for the mrs. she may out bend you one day. but really great job and advice, keep bending.

on the topic of twirling maybe i am not seeing the big picture but is this like twirling a baton???? i have never been sucessfull in twirling anything any suggestions on how. is the bar going over your fingers or a combination of fingers ?

[bender]

You know how when you're bored, and twirl a pencil around your fingers? One finger at a time, in sequence, up and down the hand. Turn the hand in different positions or change directions, and it hits different muscle groups.

[Hulk]

For the rubber bands, I use the ones that you can find at your produce grocer (I got mine off of a brocolli) Its about 1.5 inch diameter and 2/3rds an inch wide, it provides a good amount of tension i think. So I dont have to fiddle around with multiple bands or looping them aound themselves anymore.

[skyman]

You know how when you're bored, and twirl a pencil around your fingers?

great analogy i will give it a try, thanks

[skyman]

For the rubber bands, I use the ones that you can find at your produce grocer (I got mine off of a brocolli)

great idea, i need to make a trip to the grocery store any way. (i wonder how they will feel when they find all of their brocolli without rubber bands lol ) i appreciate all the help i can get.

thanks

[Hulk]

No problem, give the ol' brocolli bands a try and see if you like them. :stuart

[Sonny]

For the rubber bands, I use the ones that you can find at your produce grocer (I got mine off of a brocolli) Its about 1.5 inch diameter and 2/3rds an inch wide, it provides a good amount of tension i think. So I dont have to fiddle around with multiple bands or looping them aound themselves anymore.

Yeah, I prefer high reps too! This exercise is a godsend! I was really having a hard time with wrist, finger and elbow pain. After doing the rubber band thing, the pain is TOTALLY gone!

[bseedot]

I really like using rubber bands and sand. I like very high reps too. With rubber bands I don't even count reps and I do them quickly to get the blood flowing- almost flicking the fingers open. It really helped my elbows when I was doing heavy gripper work.

BC.

[Davekline]

What's everyones experience with the outer limits loops made by Ironmind?

[Jonathan McMillan]

Dave,

The OL's aren't the greatest that being said I have had fun training with them but lately have let them drop from my regular routine. You really have to watch that your placement of fingers and thumb is strictly done. Too much in the loop and your extensors are taken out of it.

Jon@han

[Anuwbius]

For me, the outer limit loops were horrible. My hand was positioned so tightly and the way pressure was applied was akwerd. It made my thumb extensor tendon hurt in a bad way (as compared to the pain of progession, the burn, that good ol feeling) anytime I actually tried to do anything with em. I think it has alot to do with hand size, but more palm and finger length ratios. I feel as though if the thumb loop was a bit looser, or longer you could say, it would of made the world of difference.

As for the rubber bands, besides the broc bands, i will take many smaller ones, they are 3" v 1/16, and make a web of different connections between my fingers and thumb. Often doubling them up, make different patterns for different things. I found it allows for more range of motion as compared to the broc bands, and often adds the muslces involved in finger walking a sledge. I will use anywhere from 6 -12 bands at a time, great for small overload. Together, both kinds of bands are unbeatable.

Edited April 27, 2004 by Anuwbius

[foggymountainmuscle]

Anuwbuis, are your hands big? My hands are on the small size and even I find the outerlimit loops to be a tight fit. I however feel they have really helped me, but at the same time I can imagine the possible problems anuwbuis talked about. Make sure to keep your hand, arm, and fingers in a straight line, no need to kid yourself with heavy weights. High pulls with the OLL may be an exception.

Actually my friends the real el cheapo way to train the extensors is to close and open your hand as fast and hard as possible for as many times in a minute as possible. You don't even add resistance, now that's cheap!

[Anuwbius]

My hands are on the larger side at 8 inchs. I have gotten gains from the OLL, but anytime I attempted to make anything significant, it would hurt me.

That exercise is great, it leaves your arms so pumped.

[HANDY ANDY]

I have definately improved my extensor muscles by using the Outer Limit Loops. Over time, I have increased the weight on my loading pin, and can see the strength increases made plus the gains in definition. It's important to make sure the fingers and thumbs are fully 'pushed in' and secure. I mainly use them by loading up a pin with a low weight, to warm each arm up, then steadily add more plates, until I'm trying to push out with the fingers & thumb as hard as possible, with the sole purpose of getting the weight up off the ground. In between this I'll do 'timed holds'. I usually start off by walking around the kitchen, with O.L.L on, whilst trying to hang on before the micowave oven 'pings'! lol!

I do get many strange looks in my local fitness centre type gym, where I'm the only person (except my training partner!) who does ANY form of grip training! So I mainly do O.L.L training at home and leave my Rolling Thunder training for the gym. I'm hoping to start up a website soon showing my various training methods/routines for the lower arm. I have got many photos taken from when I was a gym instructor at my previous gym.

Andy

[Monte Cristo2]

This is something you can make yourself.

There used to be a product advertised in Powerlifting USA called "HandStraps" that could work the extensors. It was a book that was a plan on how to build and use them.

This product could work both flexors and extensors. I have not seen it on the net or

in more recent Magazines. I don't know if they are still in business.

Basically, a pair of well fitting leather work gloves are slit on either side of the fingernail postition(Through both palm and top side) and sewn loops of narrow (about 1/2 inch) nylon strapping are put through the slits and sewn into short loops. The slits go through top and palm side of the glove and are the same width as the strapping. The loops can be moved to either side and are long enough to attach weight

by another longer strap to the weight plate or loading pin. The loops are moved in either direction depending on which side of the hand/wrist/forearm you are working.

A thumb loop can also be installed in the same way and would be used to work the thumb seperately.

For extensors you pull the tip loops through to the palm side attach the weight to the

loops and open and close your hand. The advantage of this device over EagleLoops

from IronMan is that the fingers can be worked either individually or together or in any pairing you desire and in either direction and attached to the glove there is less chance of slippage. Also, as the weight is basically attached at the finger tip, so you don't need as much weight.

[Davekline]

I do get many strange looks in my local fitness centre type gym, where I'm the only person (except my training partner!) who does ANY form of grip training! So I mainly do O.L.L training at home and leave my Rolling Thunder training for the gym.

I know what you mean. I can say that I am the only person in my gym who does hublifting. I think I realy need to get a set of O.L.L. just so I can get even more funny looks.