Grip Strength.
Grip strength increases overall strength.
Being stronger will mean you can lift heavier things and build more muscle.
Having more muscle will mean your body is more metabolically active and will burn fat more effectively.
Strengthening your grip will also strengthen the muscles in your forearms.
Strong forearms help support the wrists, which can be a ‘weak’ point in many people.
Having strong muscles supporting the wrists can help reduce chronic inflammation, tendonitis and repetitive strain conditions.
Strong wrists and a strong grip will also help with everyday tasks, as well as improving sporting performance in sports such as climbing, power lifting, rugby, boxing and mixed martial arts.
Here are some of the best exercises to increase your grip strength.
Try adding one grip strength workout per week to your training routine.
Squeeze a hand gripper.
Buy a hand gripper and work 3 rounds of 20 squeezes with each hand.
Hold each squeeze for one second and then relax your grip for one second.
Use a tennis ball or plastic stress reliever if you don’t have a hand gripper.
Hold something heavy.
Now you’ve warmed your hand muscles up with some squeezes, it’s time for some heavy work.
Use a heavy barbell, or pair of heavy dumbbells or Olympic plates, and hold at arms length for as long as possible.
Work 3 rounds for as much time as possible with 60 seconds rest between rounds.
Perform some finger tip press ups.
Now it’s time for some press ups.
Balance up on your fingers, rather than using the palms of your hands.
Aim to start with 3 rounds of 5 press ups.
Try to build this up to 3 rounds of 20 over a 6 week period!
Hang from a bar.
We’ll finish with some dead hangs.
This is where you hold onto a chin up bar for as long as possible, until your grip gives out.
Work 3 rounds for as much time as possible with 60-90 seconds rest between rounds.
Once you can hold for 3 rounds of over a minute, start making life tougher for yourself by wearing a weighted vest, gripping a towel rather than the bar, or focusing on single arm hangs
Good luck with this grip strength workout.
After 4 weeks you should start to notice a big difference in the strength of your handshake, your bottle top opening abilities, and your food shopping carrying skills!
