Grip strength

plamb1991
plamb1991 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone know any tips on how to improve grip strength for free weight workouts. I feel a lot of times my forearms and hands are burning before the muscles I'm targeting.

Replies

  • jagodfrey08
    jagodfrey08 Posts: 425 Member
    Following. I feel like I'm losing the bar on shrugs because I can't keep my fingers gripped around the bar.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I've been using Grip Masters as part of my martial arts training for years. Really helpful, IMO.

    https://www.amazon.com/Prohands-Gripmaster-Strengthening-5-0-Pound-Tension/dp/B001M0MDV6/ref=sr_1_32?s=exercise-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1485460290&sr=1-32&keywords=grip+strengthener
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    just keep lifting, your grip strength will catch up. Also every time you are holding a weight, squeeze the bar as hard as you can. You can also use chalk to help hold the bar, and reverse grip when you can. Heavy deadlifts is what gave me hulk like grip strength.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    edited January 2017
    Hanging from a Pull Up bar, Farmer's Walks, Deadlifts, etc.

  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Make sure you're doing something to tax your grip every workout. Heavy deadlifts are great, farmers walks are great, pull-ups are great, anything like that. Use fat bars and/or fat gripz on exercises like rows and such just to give you a little edge if you want.

    Unfortunately it does take a while to build grip strength. It's just something you have to stick with. Personally, I have found that those grippers and such don't do anything that actually translates to the gym. I believe the problem is, a gripper is sort of a dynamic movement where you are closing a grip. Real exercises are more of an isometric movement where static gripping strength is required. So in other words, make sure you are doing something that translates to that actual exercises you're doing.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Farmer's Walks, Plate Pinches, and Static Holds
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Ed Coan has a video discussing grip strength where he loads up a barbell at lower thigh height and lifts it with one hand. He holds it as long as he can... Wait, let me see if I can find it... Here it is. It's based on deadlifting, but it's good nonetheless. The part I described above starts at around 8:40.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-febRoO0gG0
  • plamb1991
    plamb1991 Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for the input. When do yall work on grip strength. Like before, during, or after arms day?
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    Wraps or hook grip for shrugs.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Just keep lifting.

    Playing in the dirty rice is my secret weapon.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    I do farmer's carries every time I hit shoulders. I also get a good forearm workout when training arms. I focus on gripping the dumbbell/barbell as hard as I can. As mentioned above, fat gripz are a good tool to help build forearm strength. I do have wrist wraps, but only use them when doing heavy back training.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited January 2017
    if your gym has those spring clips . . . the ones at my rec centre are horrible; not only four twists strong but all rusty and beaten up. sometime a few years ago, i arbitrarily laid it on myself that i could not use the collars for a whole month, just to see what would happen.

    what happened was, i grew a grip like a strangler. the problem was, i originally intended it to catch up my left-handed strength to my right. i think it helped, as far as that goes. but i can still only manage those clips with my left hand.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    if your gym has those spring clips . . . the ones at my rec centre are horrible; not only four twists strong but all rusty and beaten up. sometime a few years ago, i arbitrarily laid it on myself that i could not use the collars for a whole month, just to see what would happen.

    I try and use the oldest, rustiest clips at my gym and boy has my grip improved. Also farmer's walks and this thing (don't know what it's called) like a wooden stick with a weight attached by a rope, you wind it up in one direction and unwind with control then repeat in the opposite direction (kills my forearms after a couple of reps).

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    plamb1991 wrote: »
    Thanks for the input. When do yall work on grip strength. Like before, during, or after arms day?

    You're working on it during your workout anytime you're doing heavy exercises that strain your grip - deadlifts, pullups, lat pulldowns, shrugs, rows, etc.

    If you want to do supplemental grip work, I'd recommend doing it at the end of your workout (on whatever day(s) you want), because it will screw you for the rest of your exercises that require grip strength if you do it before.
  • Gimsteinn
    Gimsteinn Posts: 7,678 Member
    1. Negative pull ups/muscle ups
    2. Use a wide bar when doing pull ups
    3. Hang onto that bar, try letting go and use one hand.. see how long you can hang there.
    4. Try pole dancing for a few weeks, that *kitten* will build your grip strength ;)
    5. If you don't wanna pole dance, try rock climbing. That *kitten* also builds grip strength. ;)

    tenor.gif
  • blakemarshall
    blakemarshall Posts: 17 Member
    Get a full time job as a furniture removalist.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    Gimsteinn wrote: »
    1. Negative pull ups/muscle ups
    2. Use a wide bar when doing pull ups
    3. Hang onto that bar, try letting go and use one hand.. see how long you can hang there.
    4. Try pole dancing for a few weeks, that *kitten* will build your grip strength ;)
    5. If you don't wanna pole dance, try rock climbing. That *kitten* also builds grip strength. ;)

    tenor.gif

    uh huh! Pole dancing (call it pole fitness if you manly men don't like the name ;) ) gives you insane grip strength. My physio cried out in pain when instructing me to "grip as tight as you can onto my hand" when testing after injury... haha!
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    Dead lifting and rowing heavy has made a huge difference for me. I just kept on til my hands finally caught up.
    Chalk/liquid chalk also helps a lot. My gym has some crappy bars with zero knurling, but a little liquid chalk has made a huge difference.
    If I'm doing high rep hypertrophy back work after deadlifts I like to use Versa Grips. My goal there is to work my back, not my grip. I've also found that they can help a little with tendinitis.
  • Gimsteinn
    Gimsteinn Posts: 7,678 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    Gimsteinn wrote: »
    1. Negative pull ups/muscle ups
    2. Use a wide bar when doing pull ups
    3. Hang onto that bar, try letting go and use one hand.. see how long you can hang there.
    4. Try pole dancing for a few weeks, that *kitten* will build your grip strength ;)
    5. If you don't wanna pole dance, try rock climbing. That *kitten* also builds grip strength. ;)

    tenor.gif

    uh huh! Pole dancing (call it pole fitness if you manly men don't like the name ;) ) gives you insane grip strength. My physio cried out in pain when instructing me to "grip as tight as you can onto my hand" when testing after injury... haha!

    Yeah... I just took up a new sport that requires a lot of grip strength.. We're hanging from a bar for ages sometimes and I can hang there all day if I need to. I've even got some of the hardcore guys to come try pole cause of it.
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