What is the best exercise to complement gripper training?

[Gripperer]

Hi all,

What in your experience is the best complement to training grippers? By that, I mean, what will:

- improve strength in grippers

- not overly fatigue muscles used for grippers

- offer an alternative facet to one's grip game that can progress simultaneously alongside grippers

I guess an alternative way of framing the question is: if you were training grippers plus something, what would the something be?

Edited April 10, 2023 by Gripperer

[dubyagrip]

Pinch, it will build strength across all of your fingers, potentially helping any imbalance.  It has made my ring and little fingers stronger on closes.

[Gripperer]

Just now, dubyagrip said:

Pinch, it will build strength across all of your fingers, potentially helping any imbalance.  It has made my ring and little fingers stronger on closes.

Thanks, is that any particular pinch width or just normal?

[dubyagrip]

Just now, Gripperer said:

Thanks, is that any particular pinch width or just normal?

You'll want to train varying widths.

[Gripperer]

How about sledgehammer training? 

Is that complementary, or does it have a similar effect to bending in that it can fatigue the hands and prevent gripper PRs?

I like the idea of a sledgehammer to combine with grippers as it's a versatile, minimalist piece of equipment that is measurable and offers milestones to hit (think if you were to mark out measurements on the handle). 

[dubyagrip]

Just now, Gripperer said:

How about sledgehammer training? 

Is that complementary, or does it have a similar effect to bending in that it can fatigue the hands and prevent gripper PRs?

I like the idea of a sledgehammer to combine with grippers as it's a versatile, minimalist piece of equipment that is measurable and offers milestones to hit (think if you were to mark out measurements on the handle). 

Never tried it, I couldn't say.  Try it out and see if it interferes or not.

[Nuttgens]

I train grippers pinch and thickbar weekly  and although it might be slower than having one focus I do gain strength on all 3 at the same time.

[Bigfoot Grip]

1 hour ago, Gripperer said:

How about sledgehammer training? 

Is that complementary, or does it have a similar effect to bending in that it can fatigue the hands and prevent gripper PRs?

I like the idea of a sledgehammer to combine with grippers as it's a versatile, minimalist piece of equipment that is measurable and offers milestones to hit (think if you were to mark out measurements on the handle). 

Never tried the exercise before but I've heard finger walks can be a nice finisher to grippers. Personally I've only tried levering. Don't know how much it helps but like the extensor elastic bands I feel it helps with balance and possibly injury prevention. 

 

[Fist of Fury]

Double overhand deadlifts, rows, thick bar, block weigths, ulnar deviation.

Also, never use lifting straps. If you can't hold the weight you're lifting, lower the weight.

[Gripperer]

1 hour ago, Fist of Fury said:

Double overhand deadlifts, rows, thick bar, block weigths, ulnar deviation.

Also, never use lifting straps. If you can't hold the weight you're lifting, lower the weight.

I've heard numerous times that thick bar and associated lifts can worsen gripper performance, as being finger flexor dominant, they fatigue the same muscle groups.

That said, if one were to keep gripper volume and frequency low, and go for briefer skill based sessions maybe once a week, and get the rest of their grip workout from thick bar & co., perhaps this would work synergistically. 

How does that compare to your experience? 

[Douglas Carney]

2 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

Double overhand deadlifts, rows, thick bar, block weigths, ulnar deviation.

Also, never use lifting straps. If you can't hold the weight you're lifting, lower the weight.

I feel like this all helped me gain a base level of strength.

But to @Gripperer's point, I personally only train grippers every other week because I feel like they impact my block weight work.  So perhaps the opposite is true...if I wanted to focus on grippers I'd need to throttle back on thick bar and block weights.

For what it's worth...I'm also 52 and don't bounce back quite as quickly as I used to.  Your mileage may vary.

[Fist of Fury]

2 hours ago, Gripperer said:

I've heard numerous times that thick bar and associated lifts can worsen gripper performance, as being finger flexor dominant, they fatigue the same muscle groups.

That said, if one were to keep gripper volume and frequency low, and go for briefer skill based sessions maybe once a week, and get the rest of their grip workout from thick bar & co., perhaps this would work synergistically. 

How does that compare to your experience? 

If you want to be good at grippers you should train grippers. It's that simple. There's no short cuts.

[Gripperer]

11 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said:

If you want to be good at grippers you should train grippers. It's that simple. There's no short cuts.

Looking for the best synergistic exercises is not the same as looking for a short cut.

[Fist of Fury]

8 minutes ago, Gripperer said:

Looking for the best synergistic exercises is not the same as looking for a short cut.

Everything can set your gripper progress back if you don't know your limits. If your main focus is grippers, that's what you should put all your focus on.

[Gripperer]

56 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said:

Everything can set your gripper progress back if you don't know your limits. If your main focus is grippers, that's what you should put all your focus on.

I can't argue with that. 

What complicates the matter somewhat is that I would like dual specialisms (if you can call them specialisms... I'm not that good at either).

Would be nice to be good at two things, and have them offer a balanced grip strength, and have them either benefit each other or at least not negatively affect the other. 

Grippers + pinch or grippers + sledge seem to stand out at the moment. 

[Fist of Fury]

49 minutes ago, Gripperer said:

I can't argue with that. 

What complicates the matter somewhat is that I would like dual specialisms (if you can call them specialisms... I'm not that good at either).

Would be nice to be good at two things, and have them offer a balanced grip strength, and have them either benefit each other or at least not negatively affect the other. 

Grippers + pinch or grippers + sledge seem to stand out at the moment. 

It's difficult to balance thick bar with grippers because thick bar training requires very good ability to recover. Also when doing thick bar you're training in a more open hand position, so you don't get the neurological training of closing a gripper, which is more narrow. A standard olympic barbell is much better to simulate that closing position. If you want to be good at both at the same time you need to train both at the same time. One smart tactic you can use, if you're looking to be good with one handed thick bar is to specialize one hand for thick bar and the other for crush. Some people have done that with great success, Juha Harju is an example of that.

It also depends a lot on genetics and what methods you use in training. Some people are just more gifted than others and can handle a lot of training better.

The thing with grippers is that you don't need to be good at anything else in grip in order to be good at it. In fact for many people it can be negative to train at all. When I reached my highest strength on grippers so far I didn't strength train at all for over a month, I did absolutely nothing except for very high intensity gripper closes and negatives. Gripper strength is very dependant on the CNS. If you're CNS is fresh you will be much better off. That's why squats is a good exercise to do while training grippers, it gets your CNS firing really good. So squats are probably better as assistance to gripper strength if you ask me, but that is not for building strength, just for getting it out in your hands.

Bench press and all other presses are also good. Strong shoulder is good for gaining gripper strength, in fact it's good for everything in grip, including steel bending as well.

 

[Gripperer]

Bit of an add-on question here as I didn't think it warranted its own thread: has anybody found success by trying to set and close grippers harder than their target gripper, and skipping the target gripper for a while completely, before dropping back down?

Thinking of doing my pyramid with #1, #1.5, #2, then attempt the #3, skipping the #2.5 (target) altogether, at least for a few weeks.

[dubyagrip]

Yes, do harder grippers than your goal at a narrower set width as part of your overall training towards your goal gripper/set. I also train weaker grippers from extreme widths...TNS on filed GHPs.

[steeve tremblay]

On 10/04/2023 at 14:48, dubyagrip said:

Pincez, cela renforcera tous vos doigts, contribuant ainsi potentiellement à tout déséquilibre. Cela a rendu mon annulaire et mes petits doigts plus forts lors de la fermeture.

 

[steeve tremblay]

J'aime beaucoup le transfert du pincement vers la pince et la force des 2 derniers doigts ; travailler sur vos points faibles merci pour vos conseils à suivre