How to warm up before grippers?

[JeffPeterson]

I'm just curious how different people warm up for a gripper session. I'd like to be ready for the heavier Grippers before I hit them. Sometimes it's not until my second or third set on hard Grippers before I feel like my hands are really ready to go. Any thoughts are welcome thank you.

[Luke Blackwell]

   I work my way up from the trainer, all the way up to whatever gripper I'm about to close. In fact, my working gripper itself is sort of a Warmup. For example,  My 123rgc 2.5  is my current working gripper. Typically my first set on the 2.5 isn't great. I can squeeze out 2 - 3 reps, max. But on the following set, I can usually hit 5 reps, followed by 3 or 4 on the third set. That means that the first set of the 2.5 actually warmed me up for the sets ahead.

   The point? Grippers truly do benefit from a thorough warmup.

Edited November 5 by Luke Blackwell

[JeffPeterson]

Yeah man, that's what it feels like for me right now, like they really need to squeeze a lot before it's ready. Thanks for responding. I like it.

[Luke Blackwell]

6 minutes ago, JeffPeterson said:

Yeah man, that's what it feels like for me right now, like they really need to squeeze a lot before it's ready. Thanks for responding. I like it.

Morning sessions (4 - 5 am) are even worse. My performance sucks, no matter what I do. Lol

  Good luck in your training 

[Nuttgens]

I’m sure I do too much but I will do 

#1 10 reps

#1.5 10 reps

#2 10 reps

#2.5 10 reps 

heavy grips 300 10 reps

then my goal is 4 sets of 10 on my ghp 7 but I usually don’t get 10 reps if I do it’s only on my 1st set. the warm up reps are fast only only from parallel. 
 

When I was training to get stronger on grippers I would do lower rep stuff with harder grippers but lately I have been training for grip sport and just kinda hitting this once a week to hopefully not get worse at grippers. I can do this without feeling to beat up for other lifts. 

[Blacksmith513]

I get my whole body warmed up while working up to whatever gripper im using. I pretty much go by feel and know when I'm starting to start my working sets. But I workout pretty early in the morning and it sucks because often by the time I really feel warmed up I feel I leave my best work on the table and have to stop to get ready for my day.

[Bearcat 74]

Squats and some pressing work is always a good total body warmup.  
 

When I was training grippers I always used 

 

Trainer x 10

#1 x 8

#2 x 4

#3 for a single or two

 

On the singles I really cranked on them for a couple seconds before releasing   That seemed to help prime the pump to work   

 

Then start some work sets

[Luke Blackwell]

14 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

I get my whole body warmed up while working up to whatever gripper im using. I pretty much go by feel and know when I'm starting to start my working sets. But I workout pretty early in the morning and it sucks because often by the time I really feel warmed up I feel I leave my best work on the table and have to stop to get ready for my day.

  I either jump on a rebounder or jog outside just to get my body warmed up before I even touch grippers

[Blacksmith513]

2 minutes ago, Luke Blackwell said:

  I either jump on a rebounder or jog outside just to get my body warmed up before I even touch grippers

2 cups of strong black coffee 3 trips to the bathroom and I'm all primed up

[Luke Blackwell]

12 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

2 cups of strong black coffee 3 trips to the bathroom and I'm all primed up

That's the only time I drink coffee. Got 30 minutes to go from 0 - 100

[JeffPeterson]

2 hours ago, Nuttgens said:

I’m sure I do too much but I will do 

#1 10 reps

#1.5 10 reps

#2 10 reps

#2.5 10 reps 

heavy grips 300 10 reps

then my goal is 4 sets of 10 on my ghp 7 but I usually don’t get 10 reps if I do it’s only on my 1st set. the warm up reps are fast only only from parallel. 
 

When I was training to get stronger on grippers I would do lower rep stuff with harder grippers but lately I have been training for grip sport and just kinda hitting this once a week to hopefully not get worse at grippers. I can do this without feeling to beat up for other lifts. 

When you're hitting reps on the GHP seven are they not parallel reps? I see you made a distinction. Just looking for clarification.

[Nuttgens]

2 minutes ago, JeffPeterson said:

When you're hitting reps on the GHP seven are they not parallel reps? I see you made a distinction. Just looking for clarification.

Parallel ish maybe a little wider. But not as fast 

[matek]

For me, warming up the setting hand is equally important, so I always do high-rep push and pull (one or two sets each) before even starting grippers.
I also do high-rep wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, and ulnar deviation, only one set each. Sometimes light, slow, controlled plate curls as well.

Then, GD90 with varying numbers of reps, but finishing it with a single on Level 5. Then, finishing the warmup with a TSG around 75% of my max, one or two reps.

[liftyzig]

Some of my best gripper days have been after doing bench press, getting all those muscles warmed up really seems to supercharge my closing

[Douglas Carney]

6 hours ago, liftyzig said:

Some of my best gripper days have been after doing bench press, getting all those muscles warmed up really seems to supercharge my closing

I have a similar experience with blob and bench press. Gets things firing without frying my hands.

As for grippers...I start super light...(I'm talking RGC 27 Guide) and make 10lb jumps.

The first couple of grippers I'm just opening it a few mm and clicking off half a dozen quick reps.  Then I move to singles with wide filed grippers.

Yes...it takes time and seems a little excessive...but my hands need it or they won't be happy crushing my working set.

[JeffPeterson]

2 hours ago, Douglas Carney said:

I have a similar experience with blob and bench press. Gets things firing without frying my hands.

As for grippers...I start super light...(I'm talking RGC 27 Guide) and make 10lb jumps.

The first couple of grippers I'm just opening it a few mm and clicking off half a dozen quick reps.  Then I move to singles with wide filed grippers.

Yes...it takes time and seems a little excessive...but my hands need it or they won't be happy crushing my working set.

I like it thanks. 

[Fist of Fury]

I really dont need gripper specific warmup anymore. I used to always do lighter gripper closes to warm up but I dont do it anymore. I actually feel it's a waste of time for me. Today I did one set of finger curls on the cable pulley. Then my first working set of bench press. Then I went on to do all my gripper working sets. There's no difference in performance for me doing it like that.

I think reverse wrist curls are really good as warmup. But only a few reps since it can easily be overdone.

[John Knowlton]

I have a couple different warm-up's That I use, depending on what I'm going for on that day.

Somedays I'll do two sets of 10 with the .5 and the trainer and the #1. 

The other warm-up I like to do is 10 7 5 3 2 1 and then go for heavy singles, It seems to work for me.

 

 

[Ivan Cuk]

I got my warm up from Carl, I think mostly because we are at the level where we need a good amount of time to warm up in the same way a 1000lb deadlifter does. It also keeps sessions more consistent and allows us to gauge our level on a given day more accurately. My warm up differs slightly from his as I don't have the exact same grippers but it goes something like this; 

Yellow band x 15 
Red band x 10
1.5 x 5 
2 x 3 
2.5 x 3 
3 x 3
162 x 1 
174 x 1 
187 x 1 
197-203 x 1 
Top set single 
Top set reps 

I know he suggested some plate wrist curls with lighter weight by your side between the first three warmup grippers. 25 x 3, 35 x 3, 45 x 3 to pump up the thumb pad a little and get it used to tucking for the back handle to sit tightly. I have tried these and they help a little. 
 

[DoctorOfCrush]

I used to have a much more extensive lower arm warmup that I followed. That arose out of needing a bit of pre-hab to reduce injuries. 

Nowadays, I always do grippers with a strength movement, so my full body warmup is whatever warmup I'm doing for strength movement. Currently, I do overhead press and neutral-grip bench press with grippers, so my warmup focuses around shoulder mobility and pressing warmup. I also hit the forearms/elbows with a massage gun and hit some sets of extensor bands. After all that, I alternate warmup OHP sets with increasing gripper sets. As for right now, I start with my GHP4 (85) x5 -> GHP5 (109) x3 -> IM 2.5 (121) x2, then my hands diverge. Right hand jumps to 132-135 then to working set in low 140s, and left hand jumps straight to 126-128 for working sets. 

Something I like to do every few cycles is adding in a final PTP/PTF rep before hitting my working sets. Basically, a goal gripper attempt that really primes the CNS (not an exhausting grinder). Then when you drop back in RGC for your working attempts, you'll find the setting and closing will feel easier in comparison. 

PTP is the understanding behind Poliquin's 1-6 method: https://www.poliquingroup.com/articlesmultimedia/articles/article/1448/workout_systems_the_1-6_method.aspx

[JeffPeterson]

3 hours ago, Ivan Cuk said:

I got my warm up from Carl, I think mostly because we are at the level where we need a good amount of time to warm up in the same way a 1000lb deadlifter does. It also keeps sessions more consistent and allows us to gauge our level on a given day more accurately. My warm up differs slightly from his as I don't have the exact same grippers but it goes something like this; 

Yellow band x 15 
Red band x 10
1.5 x 5 
2 x 3 
2.5 x 3 
3 x 3
162 x 1 
174 x 1 
187 x 1 
197-203 x 1 
Top set single 
Top set reps 

I know he suggested some plate wrist curls with lighter weight by your side between the first three warmup grippers. 25 x 3, 35 x 3, 45 x 3 to pump up the thumb pad a little and get it used to tucking for the back handle to sit tightly. I have tried these and they help a little. 
 

Nies, thank you for the specificity.

[Fradders]

GD Iron Grip for me is ideal, working up through the levels