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GNC Pro Performance Ultimate Power Grips - Advanced Set

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Sportivii i concurenii de fitness tiu c pentru a concura la un nivel mai inalt, trebuie s aiba mini si brate puternice. Cel mai avansat Pro Performance Ultimate Power Grips, este sistemul pe trei nivele de antrenament, ce dezvolta mainile, incheietura mainii si puterea antebraului pentru o performan mai bun. Mana si antebratul sunt importante ntr-o mare varietate de sporturi, cum ar fi fotbalul, baschetul, luptele libere, basebalul, halterele, tenisul, golful i multe altele. Fiecare prindere este facuta din materiale de cea mai inalta calitate, cu oel masiv,manere anti-alunecare, construita pentru a oferi beneficii pe timp indelungat in ceea ce priveste antrenamentele pentru dezvoltarea puterii.. Dup ce experimentati primul nivelul de rezisten, treceti la urmtoarea provocare i s continuati s construiti i s va dezvoltati puterea, cu ntregul set. Maximizati puterea n minile dumneavoastr cu Pro Performance Ultimate Power Grips. Fiecare pachet conine 3 niveluri de rezisten: 90 kg 113 kg 136 kg

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GNC Pro Performance Ultimate Power Grips - Advanced Set

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Captains of Crush Grippers

Pictured CoC n.1 (on the left), and n.2 grippers Products tested : CoC Grippers n.1 & 2 Available from : Ironmind.com US$19.95 or Pullumsports.com 19.95

There's an old man that wrestles at the Tokei. He must be into his 70's, and the wrestlers there call him "John-the-Grip". No-one seems to know his surname, and if you ask them of his background, they'll shrug and say they think he was a wrestling champ in his youth. What they all agree on is that he's got an amazing grip and because of that, he's a complete pain to wrestle. John-the-Grip looks like he creaks, this old man is no longer fast, supple nor apart from his hands, strong. Yet the wrestlers down there say "just don't let him get hold of you!". Once John-the-Grip gets a hand on your wrist it's stuck and he's stuck like a limpet. When he gets both hands on your wrist he just lies down and you just go with him. Stuck like glue. Grip strength in wrestling is a very handy asset indeed. The Captains of Crush train 'Crushing strength"......From the Grip FAQ at Ironmind.com - "We feel that there are at least three distinct types of grip strength: 1) crushing, 2) pinching, and 3) supporting. Crushing grip is what most people think of when they think of grip strength - its the type of force you exert when you shake hands with someone. Pinch grip strength is what comes into play when you, for example, lift a smooth barbell plate with your fingers on one side and your thumb on the other. Supporting strength is used, for example, when youre fighting to hang onto a heavy deadlift. "

Which gripper should you buy? Again from Ironmind, "If youve never trained your crushing grip specifically, its best to start with the Trainer. If youve been training with a sporting goods store gripper, or regularly use hand strength as part of your work, then start with a No. 1. Very rarely does anyone close a No. 2 the first time he tries it, although it is done occasionally. The No. 3 had never been closed the first time anyone tried it - (although Manfred Hoeberl came very close) - until Ken Brown did it at the 1997 U.S. Strongest Man competition. As you might guess, the list of people who have tried to close this gripper reads like Whos Who in the strength world." Gripper Resistance levels: Trainer - 100lb n.1 - 140lb n.2 - 195lb n.3 - 280lb - not many have closed this n.4 - 365lb! - Only 1 person - Joe Kinney - has ever closed this gripper!

I wonder which gripper John-the-Grip could close.

Review: Beautifully made and heavy duty, these grippers look and feel bombproof. The first thing that grabs you is the weight - the n.2 gripper is heavy! and feels twice the weight of the n.1. Most people can just about close the n.1 first time, but closing the n.2 is a totally different matter. If you can just about close the n.1, the n.2 gripper will stop you in your tracks. Apparently even the trainer is tougher than just about any other commercial gripper you can buy too. The knurling is heavy, and bites in well to get a good grip. Ironmind recommends you go easy on these, training them maybe twice a week tops. When you can close your gripper a dozen times you move onto the next one. As stated by Ironmind above, the grippers will, however only train one aspect of hand strength. So you'll need to supplement your training with pinch grips, wrist curls, static holds, wrist leverage movements etc. There's loads of speciality gear for that at Ironmind too if you want to flex your wallet. Pros : Cons : None really, but the following apply to all grippers of similar design i.e: Bombproof construction, sharp knurled solid (aluminum?) handles over a heavy duty steel coil Internationally recognised measure of strength It works! OK price Definite 'cool factor' - you get certification if you can close the n.3 or 4 grippers

Not adjustable for hand size No progressive resistance adjustment per gripper (you have to buy a new one when you outgrow your current gripper) The Ivanko type gripper also sold by Ironmind addresses the 2 issues above Doesn't train the thumb (again, more of a generic problem)

Summary : They are good. Get one.

Related links: Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield Review Baraban Brass Grippers review Heavygrips Hand Grippers review Handgripper Manual 1 by Steve Gardener Review Guide to Handgripper training by Steve Gardener Pocket Gym review Lifeline Cable review Olympic Barbell set review Scrappers Bodyweight Exercise videos review

Recommended reading: Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield at Amazon.com Dinosaur training - Read review

Wrist Exercises
Sunday, 7 June 2009

Wrist Exercises - 7 Great Exercises To Build Powerful Wrists And Forearms

Welcome to my blog about wrist exercises. Here I wish to share with you my own experiences in wrist exercises and wrist training and give you some examples of exercises you might want to try out for yourselves. The reason I have such an interest in wrist exercises is because I have noticed a massive increase in my performance in relation to other sports I enjoy. These being weight lifting and grappling. Since implementing these exercises I have been able to increase my wrist stability during heavy lifts, such as deadlifts during weight training and my grip strength has also skyrocketed during grappling sessions. These benefits are obviously transferable, so if for instance you play baseball, tennis, golf or any other sport for that matter you may want to use these wrist exercises to improve your grip strength and wrist stability. Now because of the fact that many of the muscles that move your fingers also cross your wrists, I have included some finger exercises for good measure. Please Note - You should always consult you doctor before beginning any new training program. If any exercises you do perform causes you pain, you should stop immediately and seek medical advice. Great, now I have that out of the way lets get onto the fun part. The methods I will discuss below are exercises to build wrist & forearm strength as well as wrist stability & endurance and I have personally used them myself with great success. OK so here are some of my favorite wrist exercises.

1. Gripstik Counter Twists 2. Hammer Raises 3. Static Crate Holds 4. Elastic Band Extensions 5. Tennis Ball Squeeze 6. Isometric Jar Holds 7. Kettlebell Swings Now for the breakdown. 1. Gripstik Counter Twists - This exercise involves using a Gripstik to provide resistance whilst you continuously rotating either handle in opposite directions. This wrist exerciser not only helps to build strength, but more importantly it helps build endurance in the forearms as you become more accustomed to the lactic acid effect of high repetition sets. One of my favorites! 2. Hammer Raises - For this exercise I will hold a hammer in my hand with the head hanging alongside my leg and attempt to lift the hammer head to point straight ahead of me by bending my wrist upwards. (This may be a little difficult at first so you may want to start by holding the hammer closer to the head). This exercise is great for building forearm and grip strength. 3. Static Crate Holds - This is a military favourite and helps build endurance. This wrist exercises involves holding an old crate by both handles in front of yourself, resting against your thighs. The object is to lift the create to a 90 degree angle and hold it there for a count of 1 minute. As this exercise is intended to build forearm and wrist endurance, I prefer to increase the time of the lift to 2 minutes and so on, rather than increasing the weight lifted. 4. Elastic Band Finger Extensions - In this exercise you wrap an elastic band around the outside of all you finger nails including your thumb (leaving the elastic band in a circular shape). You will then spread all your fingers appart as wide as possible againgst the restistance of the band, whilst returning to the starting position and repeating the process for 1 minute. This exercise is great for building grip endurance and also helps stabalize your wrists as a secondary benefit. 5. Tennis Ball Squeeze - This one is an easy one but still important one nonetheless. As the name suggest, all that you are required to do here is take a tennis ball and squeeze it repetitively for a minute. This will help strengthen your hands as well as your forearms. This exercise is quite popular amongst individuals rehabilitating after injury as it is a relatively

gentle exercises. 6. Isometric Jar Holds - This exercises is similar to the elastic band finger extension except in this exercise you are to place your fingers inside a small jar and opening your fingers to put pressure on the inside of the jar, lift it an inch or so of the table to support it purely by using your finger strength. Hold this position for a minute, then rest for a few seconds and repeat as required. 7. Kettlebell Swings - Finally during this last exercise I will hold a kettlebell alongside my hip and then curl it upward toward the side of my chest and hold it there for a count of 5. Then carefully lower the kettlebell to its original position and repeat for a total of 15 reps. Obviously use a weight your comfortable with and use a spotter if youre not experienced with kettlebells. This exercise is difficult to perform but the benefits in terms of grip strength are definitely worth the effort. So there you have it, some of my favorite wrist exercises that I use to build strong wrists and forearms. I hope you can benefit from this information and wish you all the best in your sporting efforts. If you want to know more about wrist exercises click the link. Enjoy!
Posted byMo Mastafaat15:42 Labels:grip strength,wrist exercises,wrist stability,wrist strength,wrist training

http://www.yougoprobaseball .com/how-to-make-ahomemade-wrist-roller.html

How To Make A Homemade Wrist Roller For Forearm and Grip Strength Making a homemade wrist roller that you can use for forearm and grip strength is easy to do and very cheap. All you need to make a homemade wrist roller is: A wooden dow A rope Some weights Drill Lighter (All can be found at your local hardware store) The first thing you will need to do when making a homemade wrist roller is to cut the wooden dow to size. Just longer than shoulder width apart is the size that I decided to go with. The next thing you will have to do when making a homemade wrist roller is drill a hole in the center of the dow just big enough so you can thread the rope through. After that, you will have to measure and cut your rope to length. For a homemade wrist roller, you want your rope to stretch from shoulder height to the ground. This way if you are holding your homemade wrist roller at shoulder level, the weight should be just touching the ground. Next you want to burn any of the frays on the rope so it stays together. Burning the ends of the rope will ensure that your homemade wrist roller last for a long time. Otherwise, you may be replacing the rope often. After you have done that, thread one end of the rope through the hole in the wooden dow. Tie a knot in the rope toward the end so you wont have to cut any excess off. Pull it tightly against the dow. It shouldn't go through the hole now. Lastly, you want to add weights to the bottom of your homemade wrist roller. If you don't have regular lifting weights, you can use something else around the house. Be sure to use a weight that challenges you. You can implement this exercise into any workout you do. I like to use it after an upper body lift and usually do about 3-4 sets of 3-4 reps.

Wrist Roller The Best Exercise For Increasing Forearm Strength

Wrist roller article with a picture of Bruce Lee? Its not a coincidence. Besides being an overall health and fitness and martial arts fanatic, he put priority in training his abs and his forearms. The reason for this was that in martial arts power originates in the core or stomach muscles, but is transmitted through the hands.

Bruce Lee was not a fitness freak just for the sake of it. He had a definite major purpose an idea he got from Napoleon Hills book Think and Grow Rich. His supreme physical shape is a manifestation of his pursuit of excellence in order to achieve the life he wanted for himself and his family. He actually achieved his dream goal of being the biggest Chinese Star in the world.
The Wrist Roller Fantastic for Forearm Strength

I believe using wrist roller because is one of the best ways to train your forearms. First, you get to train with a fatter grip which always makes the exercise harder and allows for more work to be done by the gripping muscles in the forearm. Second, both the extensors and the flexors of the wrist get to be worked in a single exercise. But the best part is that you are not simply flexing a muscle and trying to keep tension on it. You are doing real work so your muscles cant help but work at full capacity.

What Is a Wrist Roller

The wrist roller is a simple device that you can create yourself very cheaply. Its basically a piece of PVC piping to which you attach a rope. At the end of the rope hangs a weight plate. You can attach the rope to the pipe by drilling a small hole, guiding it through and tying it. A karabiner at the other end of the rope allows you to slide it and clip it to secure the weights. In this way adding more weight is fast and easy.
How to Train With the Wrist Roller

Take a look at this video we shot at the awesome terrace of our gym. The exercise is simple you hold the wrist roller in front of you and roll under control up and down. Make sure to roll in both directions to work both the flexors and extensors of the wrist. Also control the lowering portion of the move. Generally beginners dont need direct forearm training. Once you are past beginner stage however, and especially for folks with skinny forearms like me, its forearm workout time. The forearms can be trained very heavily. Work them out with the wrist roller at least 3 times per week with at least 3 sets of flexion and extension. The weight and reps depend on your choice both high and low reps work just make sure to work at your limits in order to make the forearms grow.
How to Create Your Own Wrist Roller

It is actually very easy to create your own wrist roller. All you need is a thick PVC pipe, a rope and some weight. Here are a few tutorials on how to create a sturdy axle mounted wrist roller so you are not limited in the weight you can use:

DIY Wrist Roller Ross Enamait posted a new tutorial on his blog on how to create your own wrist roller and mount it on a squat rack. Axle Mounted Wrist Roller This is the original thread on Dave Drapers site. This particular page is a fantastic resource for all sorts of DIY home equipment.

How to Build a Wrist Roller

X By Rick Suttle, eHow Contributor

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Wrist or forearm rollers are used to build large forearm muscles. A wrist roller usually consists of a short bar and rope from which a weight is attached. The exercise is performed by turning both wrists, until the weight is raised to the bar. The exerciser then rolls his wrists the other way to lower the weight back down. Wrist rollers are relatively easy and inexpensive to make.
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How to Build Wrist Muscles

Great Forearm Exercises

Things You'll Need

1 1/2-inch wooden dowel 3 feet of synthetic rope Ruler PencilDrill3/8-inch drill bitVise2-by-4-inch wood scrap2- to 3-inch S-shaped or Dshaped/closed hookPliers5- or 10-lb. Olympic weight plateShow (8) More

Instructions
1.
o

1
Cut a 12-inch section from a long 1 1/2-inch dowel stick. Take a ruler and mark the wooden dowel with a pencil exactly 6 inches from either end. Make a dot at the center of the stick on the 6-inch mark.

2
Place the 12-inch dowel inside a vise or on top of a 2-by-4-inch piece of scrap wood. Drill a 3/8-inch hole on the dot in the center of the dowel. Continue drilling until you have a hole that goes completely through the wood. Hold the dowel against the 2-by-4-inch scrap wood to drill the hole, if you do not have a vise.

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3
Take one end of the synthetic rope and loop it through the hole in the dowel. Secure the area above the dowel with a bowline knot.

4
Tie a knot around the top part of the S-shaped or D-shaped/closed hook on the other end of the rope. Use any type of knot that you want to secure this hook, according to the "Forearm Roller" instructions at Impulseadventure.com. Use pliers to close the top end of the S-shaped hook around the rope.

5
Feed the entire S-shaped hook through a 5- or 10-lb. Olympic weight plate, which has a relatively large hole compared to other weights. Pull the rope up around the weight plate, then hook the free end of the S-shaped hook to the rope above the weight plate. Pull up on the rope and tighten it against the weight plate.

6
Sand the ends and wooden handle of your new wrist roller to help prevent splinters.

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Tips & Warnings

Consider using a D-shaped or closed hook if you want to further secure the rope around the weight plate. Also, you may want to slip a rubber cover on the handle for better comfort. You can probably unhook the weight plate and take the rest of the wrist roller to a hardware store for the right size. Never start out using a weight that is too heavy for you to handle. If you have never done the wrist roller exercise, start with a 2 1/2- or 5-lb. plate, until you get used to it. This will help you avoid straining a muscle in your forearm.

Read more: How to Build a Wrist Roller | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6660346_buildwrist-roller.html#ixzz2Pjzrfk4h

DIY Wrist Roller May 23rd, 2010 | Category: Training Homemade wrist rollers are fairly common and an excellent way to target the forearms. Hand held versions are limited however, as you can only roll as much weight as you can hold. If you wish to roll more weight, an axle mounted version is an inexpensive option (assuming you have somewhere to mount it). Instructions for this simple piece of equipment can be found below: Axle Mounted Wrist Roller A related discussion can be found here (also courtesy of davedraper.com).

I recently got around to building one of these wrist rollers. The project was perhaps the easiest and least expensive do-it-yourself job that Ive tackled. I already had the rope and spring clip so I only had to purchase a short piece of PVC tubing and a hose clamp to secure the rope. My cost was less than $5. +++++ I began by cutting the PVC tubing to fit my power rack. I then secured a piece of rope with the hose clamp (as seen below).

+++++

Next, I wrapped the hose clamp with duct tape. This step was done to prevent the jagged edge of the clamp from digging into the rope.

+++++ Lastly, I tied the end of the rope to a spring clip. The clip is used to keep the weight plates in place. Feed it through the weights and then clip it around the rope (as seen below).

+++++ In summary, if you have a power rack, this DIY project will cost a few dollars and a few minutes of your time. Its a great piece of equipment that will allow you focus solely on rolling he avier weights. Ive only had it for a few days and Im already quite pleased with the end product. I highly recommend it. For more homemade equipment ideas, please refer to the link below: Homemade Exercise Equipment Archives

For those of you involved with other strength sports or grappling, grip strength is an asset that deserves some attention. If you have trouble opening that jar of pickles in your refrigerator, you might want to read ...
By: Panzer Jun 07, 2003

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Read Part Two HERE!

Why give any attention to grip strength? What would you have to gain by taking some time to work your
grip as hard as a killer set of squats? For a bodybuilder, grip strength isn't necessarily that important. However, for those of you involved with other strength sports or grappling, grip strength is an asset that deserves some attention. If you have trouble opening that jar of pickles in your refrigerator, you might want to read this. If you rely on your wife to open that jar of pickles, you need to read this. Most of us assume that grip strength is related to forearm size. While it's true that there is a mild crossover effect, the bulk of exercises used for forearm development don't always translate to good grip strength. There are also several kinds of grip strength, each with specific methods for training. I'll outline the various types of grip strength and how each can be trained without elaborate or expensive equipment. Most of the equipment used for building grip strength can be constructed with a minimum investment of money and effort. One thing you must remember is to keep your training progressive. Just as in lifting at the gym, you want to be sure to either increase volume, intensity or resistance (or any combination thereof) when possible to building strength. Treat these exercises the same as you would any other gym lift.

Types Of Grip Strength:

Crushing grip strength: Giving a firm handshake is an example of crushing strength. Supporting grip strength: Being able to exert crushing strength on an object and sustain it for a period of time. For example, high repetition stiff-legged deadlifts would require strong supporting strength. Pinch grip strength: Grasping and lifting an object placed between your thumb and fingers is an example of pinch gripping strength. This type of grip strength relies heavily on the strength of the thumb. Wrist strength: Lifting a chair by grasping one of the front legs (while keeping it level) is an example of wrist strength. While this doesn't necessarily impact grip strength, I feel that strong wrists are an essential part of lower-arm strength.

Now I will tell you how to develop each type in the sections below!

Training Your Crushing Grip:

To train for maximum crushing grip strength, there are some simple methods available. The most cost effective manner in which to train crushing strength is with "hand grippers" that you attempt to close by squeezing the handles. Most of us have seen the little plastic grippers at the sporting goods store. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about that kind. Ironmind Enterprises sells a set of grippers called "Captains of Crush" grippers ($19.95 ea, order info) in a series of five difficulty levels. Here is a quick breakdown of the grippers and their difficulty level: Trainer: 100 lb pressure Number One: 140 lb pressure Number Two: 195 lb pressure Number Three: 280 lb pressure Number Four: 360 lb pressure

These grippers have set the standard for testing crushing grip strength. To put things in perspective, fewer than 100 men in the world have successfully closed the #3 gripper with one hand. Most guys can't close the #1 on the first try and fewer will close the #2. So far, ONE man (JB Kinney) has closed the #4 gripper under authenticated conditions. (View the complete list here.) Ivanko also sells an adjustable device called the "Super Gripper" (order info) that looks to be another effective tool for building your crushing strength. The grippers can be trained for singles, or any variation of repetitions. I will also sometimes use negatives with a gripper I can't yet close. I'll use two hands to close it, then try to hold it shut with just one hand.

Another simple method of training your grip is with a plate-loaded gripper. I recently purchased one from NewYorkBarbells.com that is sized for Olympic plates. Sadly, it doesn't hold enough weight in its standard configuration because only 25-pound plates fit the frame. With some welding and a little creativity, I'm updating mine to fit either more plates on the sides or size it to hold 100/45-pound plates. Again, the action of using one of these is similar to the grippers. You simply try to squeeze the handles together. JB Kinney recommends using heavy negatives and static holds with the plate loaded gripper machine. Since he's slammed the Ironmind #4, I plan to heed his advice and give this a try, in addition to various repetition ranges. Another exceptional tool for building crushing strength is "plier lifting" as noted by John Brookfield in his excellent book, "Mastery of Hand Strength". Mr. Brookfield suggests simply getting a pair of pliers and a bucket. Put some sand, plates, water etc. in the bucket and lift with the pliers in a sort of hammer curl motion, while keeping the pliers vertical. Rather than squeeze the bucket handle directly with the pliers, Mr. Brookfield advises to use a piece of leather (an old belt would do) or rope that you thread through the handle, while pinching the ends together with the pliers. The heavier the weight gets, the more force you'll have to exert. You can do any variety of sets, repetitions or timed holds with "plier lifting".

Training Your Supporting Grip:

While supporting and crushing grip strength are linked closely, I find the endurance factor of the supporting grip to be challenging to develop. Using a thick-handled barbell (or dumbbell) is an

outstanding way to develop both supporting and crushing grip strength. There is no doubt that the extra thickness of the bar makes every lift more challenging, especially for the hands and wrists. I first read of using thick bars in Brooks Kubick's book "Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development" (info). I believe thick bar training is also mentioned briefly in Stuart McRobert's original "Brawn" book (info). In order to make your own thick bar, you can buy a 7' length of cold-rolled steel (hotrolled steel is weaker) from a local steel supplier. By centering a 5' length of steel pipe with a 2" inside diameter over your 7' bar, you'll create a thick bar with a 2 3/8" diameter and 12" sleeves on each end for your Olympic plates. If you aren't into making your own thick bar, check out IronMind.com or FractionalPlates.com for a variety of thick bars and thick dumbbell handles. I purchased my thick bar, called Apollon's Axle, from Ironmind Enterprises. It is 2-inch diameter bar with no knurling, which makes performing pulling movements extremely challenging. I use the bar for basically everything except my squats and heavy (near PR) deadlifts. By simply using this bar for presses, cleans, curls, snatches and rows, I was able to close the #2 Ironmind gripper without doing any sort of direct grip training. Doing some one-handed deadlifts or timed holds with a thick bar will also give a direct grip workout. Aside from using the thick bars, another great way to build supporting grip strength (among other things) is doing the "farmer's walk" with some very heavy dumbbells. Simply pick up the heaviest dumbbells you can hold and start walking. When the bells hit the ground, your grip will be fried ... as will your traps. You won't believe how sore your traps will be the day after trying this. Don't blame me when you wake up in pain. This agonizing exercise is performed with up to 300 pounds in each hand during some strongman competitions, so start aiming for at least 150 per hand, taken for a nice, long walk. Just watch your toes when the 'bells hit the ground. Another novel idea for training the supporting grip is to use a baseball (or softball if you have large hands) with an eyebolt through it from which you can suspend weight. I believe an arm wrestler named John Ottarski first mentioned this method of grip training in the pages of MILO magazine. Mr. Ottarski drove a nail through his baseball and bent it to form a hook, to which he could attach a rope or chain to secure the weights. I decided to drill a hole through a ball and insert an eyebolt (picture) instead, since it would be easier to attach a carabiner, which is connected to a chain holding the weight. John Brookfield suggested using a softball in the same manner. While this is unusual, it's definitely an interesting twist to grip training, although you may get some odd looks when bring such equipment to your gym. I would suggest trying fairly heavy single repetition lifts or timed holds with the "baseball lift".

Training Your Pinch Grip:

Even if you have a strong crushing grip, you may find that pinch gripping objects is difficult because it requires a great deal of thumb strength. It's difficult to directly strengthen the thumb while doing other grip work because the fingers alone generally exert the squeezing forces. The simplest way to train your pinch grip is to grab two widerimmed plates and put them together with the smooth sides facing outward. Now, put your thumb on one side, fingers on the other, and lift! The mark of a man with an excellent pinch grip is to be able to do this feat of strength with two, 45-pound widerimmed plates. I assure you, it's much more difficult than it sounds. You can also try this using four, 10-pound plates. Just try to hold them as long as possible. For progression in your training, you may find that you're stuck at using a certain pair of plates. If you want to add weight in a progressive manner, simply put a DB handle through the plates and add whatever

amount to the dumbbell that is necessary to continue making the lift a challenge, until you're ready to tackle another pair of larger plates. You can also try lifting a plate by the center hub (shown below), grasping it with just your fingertips and thumb. Again, a traditional feat of strength is to lift a 45-pound plate by its hub. This will naturally only work with the wide-rimmed plates. I have some of these in my home gym and find that 35 pounds will be about my limit, but I plan to try stacking some small, 1-1/4pound plates on the 35-pound plate to begin working toward the elusive 45-pound plate. This type of lifting is well-suited to single attempts or timed holds.

Lifting by the center hub. Another very simple way to build your pinch grip is to with another homemade device that I'll outline for you. Take a short 2" x 4" board and cut a section anywhere from 4" to 6" in length. Find the center of the board (laying it horizontally) and drill a hole in it through which you can insert an eyebolt. Again, the idea is the same as the aforementioned baseball/eyebolt combination. Once you have your weight connected, just use your fingertips and thumb to grasp and lift the board. I found that using something thicker seems a bit easier to grasp because a 2" x 4" is actually only 1-1/2" thick. I used a short piece of a 4" x 4" board instead, but the idea is the same.

Training Your Wrists:

The last portion of building complete, powerful hands is building wrist strength. You can work your wrists well with the conventional wrist curl, but I suggest that you do wrist curls using a thick bar or thick dumbbells if at all possible. The extra thickness of the bar takes this exercise to a completely new level of difficulty. For purely building strength, I'd suggest doing no more than 6-8 reps per set. Brooks Kubick recommends doing heavy singles, but I would ease into these gingerly. My wrists got painfully sore from attempting heavy weight when using a thick bar for low repetitions. Another twist on the wrist curl is to do them with a plate, instead of a barbell or dumbbell. Simply rest your forearm on the bench as you would for a traditional wrist curl, but perform the exercise with a plate (palm facing up or down). You'll actually be pinch gripping the plate, so you'll be getting a twofold effect by training the thumb and fingers as well as the wrist. I was completely shocked when I realized how hard it is to do "plate wrist curls" with a paltry 25-pound plate. Another form of plate curling you might attempt is performing a full, standing curl while holding the plate in your pinch grip. You can do them with the plate vertically (like a hammer curl) or horizontally (like a regular curl). The idea is to keep the wrist at the same angle throughout the lift. Again, even a semi-light weight is going to feel heavy. I suggest sets of 6-8 repetitions. Another simple method for training the wrist without unusual equipment is to simply load one end of a dumbbell and perform exercises like rotating the hand right, left, up and down while not moving the elbow. You may want to support your forearm across you leg or a bench while doing these in a seated position. For these, anything from medium to high repetitions would be fine. I personally don't think heavy singles

or extreme low-rep work would provide benefits outweighing the potential for injury during this exercise. I would stick to sets of at least 6 repetitions.

Miscellaneous Training Thoughts:

Many of you remember the wrist roller, made from a wooden dowel rod. While this little piece of equipment can really blowtorch your lower arms, the problem for me was that the deltoids or other supporting muscles got fatigued before my forearms. After seeing some interesting wrist rollers in various issues of MILO magazine, I'm going to recommend that you trying making a thick wrist roller from a longer piece of steel pipe. The idea here is to place your long wrist roller across the pins in a power rack so you can remove any supporting muscles from the lift, as well as set the pins high to gain a very long range of motion. I've seen pictures of guys rolling nearly 300 pounds in this fashion, so imagine the forearm development you'd get by using that kind of weight coupled with a long range of motion. Just be sure to roll it in both directions to work the forearm completely.

Feats Of Grip Strength:

For many old-school traditionalists, feats of grip, hand and wrist strength are fun to attempt or watch. I'm going to briefly outline a handful of old-time strength feats that are rarely seen any longer, except in a strongman act (by someone like John Brookfield). Tearing a telephone book in half Tearing a deck of playing cards in half (or quarters for the extremely strong). Bending a 60-penny nail (I have done this on two occasions and it is extremely difficult). Bending horseshoes

I believe the greatest feat of overall hand strength must be the following: Hermann Goerner: 727.5 pound 1-hand deadlift. This was performed October 8, 1920. Goerner used a "hook grip" meaning that the thumb was first wrapped around the bar, with the fingers placed over the thumb. This feat of hand strength is considered by many to be the greatest feat of single-hand lifting in recent recorded history. The hook grip is still used a great deal by Olympic weightlifters and others who are not using lifting straps. Don't use straps if you want a strong grip! In closing, I'd like to say that just putting together this article has inspired me to get my motivation for grip training back where it should be. I have a long-term goal of closing the Ironmind #3 gripper and eventually becoming a member of the "Captains of Crush". I hope some of you will find the basic tips that I've explained useful and productive in your training. Read Part Two HERE! This article appears courtesy of www.mindandmuscle.net

Panzer
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Continue to improve your grip strength with these unconventitional exercises, such as tearing phone books, bending nails, and many others.
By: Panzer Jun 16, 2003

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Read Part One HERE! In the last article, I discussed the various types of grip strength and covered a variety of exercises for grip training. Since weve covered the basics, Id like to delve into some additional exercises with which you may not be familiar, and offer some suggestions on how to incorporate these into your usual strength-training program. Ill also cover methods that can be used to train for three of the traditional feats of grip strength I mentioned in Part 1. While these traditional strength feats are certainly challenging, I do believe that it is within our collective grasp to become able to perform any of them with consistent, progressive overload training.

Sandbag Lifting
At various times, Ive used sandbags in my training. Admittedly, this isnt something of my own design, but an idea taken from the pages of Brooks Kubicks Dinosaur Training. Not only does sandbag lifting work your grip extremely well, but it can also be used to hit other large muscle groups when you perform a compound lift. Sandbag lifting allows you to incorporate some grip training into days of your program that dont cover direct grip work, thereby increasing your weekly volume of grip work without adding additional sets of pinch grips, gripper work etc. Basically, the premise is simple. Get a military surplus duffel bag, several bags of play sand? at your local hardware/home improvement store, and put as much weight (in the form of sand) into the duffel bag as you can handle. Ill suggest that you use two duffel bags. After filling the first bag, either use heavy thread to stitch the bag closed or use duct tape (leftover from your chem.-warfare protection stash) to seal the bag.

After doing so, slide your second bag over the first and use the regular clip provided to latch the bag closed. Obviously, by not sealing the bag extremely well, youll have sand pouring everywhere, but Im sure you get the idea. You might wonder what exactly you can do with this new toy. Personally, I like to use the bag for standing military presses. The idea is that youre going to have to grip very tightly since youre only holding the bunched-up canvas in your hands. This is much more difficult than simply holding under? the bag and pressing, since youd basically be supporting the weight with open hands, instead of actually gripping the bag to maintain control. Doing a clean prior to the press is likewise a great way to put a heavy load on your grip, since the explosiveness of the lift will make the bag want to slip from your grasp. Naturally, this type of grip can be implemented with high pulls, bent-over rows, snatches, curls or even the farmers walk, which I discussed in the last installment. By the way, as mentioned in Dinosaur Training, dropping a heavy sandbag on your foot will really only bruise your ego. A steel suitcase or other such implement could crush your foot, so consider the bags for training from a safety perspective. I personally dont care for doing the farmers walk with a sandbag, due primarily to its width, but this is merely personal preference. The heavier of my two sandbags (about 200lbs) is used basically for clean? and carry work. I honestly cannot perform what resembles a pure clean, which is why I put quotes around the word. Its more of a lift/wrestle/continental/drag/push-type lift, just to get it to my shoulder. This obviously doesnt hit the grip as hard, since I must grip under? the bag to break it from the floor. However, it is possible to carry a much heavier bag for time or distance by carrying it in a deadlift position, in front of your body. This would allow you to grab the extra material and get a tight grip, which must be maintained to perform any sort of walking with the bag. The best part of using a sandbag is tha t its extremely versatile and certainly not expensive. The duffel bags should run less than $15 each from any surplus store and sand is maybe $3 per 50lb bag. For very little cost, you have a very, very effective tool at your disposal. If youd rathe r not make several of these but would like to have varying weights, you can simply add extra weight in the form of chain (3/8? 5/8? would be best) inside the outer? bag. I do this with the lighter of my two bags; Ive got some short lengths of log chain that I drop in when I feel like its time to add a few pounds. The chain will conform to the bag a bit better than using 10lb. or 25lb. weight plates, which slide around and create a large lump? in the bag once its pressed overhead.

Vertical Bar Lifting

Just as it sounds, instead of lifting a horizontal barbell or dumbbell handle, you have a single bar weighted at the bottom that sits vertically. This works a combination of your crushing? and supporting? grip strength. The sim plest way to construct a vertical bar is to purchase a loading pin? from one of the companies Ive listed at the bottom of this article. They are sized for Olympic or Standard plates. Personally, since were discussing grip, Im obviously going to recommend the Olympic pins since they have a 2? diameter, which naturally forces you to grip much harder. You may also be able to find a section of water pipe (2? diameter) that is threade d on one end. Simply screw on the appropriate size cap to retain the plates, and youve got a budget -minded setup to serve as your loading pin. This type of lift can be done either for heavy singles or timed holds, using a fixed weight. You might try rowing or doing a pulling movement with the pin in order to add some extra resistance in the form of movement.

Ideally, youll want to either increase the weight, reps, sets or length of time a weight is held. Dont forget the principles of progression! These loading pins are smooth, with no knurling, so youll likely find that it doesnt take much weight to make it seem as though the pin is glued to the floor. Alternately, you could suspend a loading pin or other smooth bar from a chinning bar or rafters and attempt to perform chins, or simply hang from the bar for that matter. Again, you can do this for time, reps or both. Another idea, closely related to doing towel chins? is to purchase a thick piece of rope from a hardware/home improvement store to use for grip work. Much like the vertical bar, you can hang the rope over a chinning bar and hold one end in each hand while doing chins or just holding on for time. Another simple variation would be to hold BOTH ends of the rope together, wrapping your hands around the rope and chinning or hanging that way. The same idea can, of course, be applied to the towel as well. The first time I tried doing towel chins, I found them much harder than I expected, so be prepared to be humbled. Its a very different feel when compared with a regular chinning movement or dead-hang from a straight bar.

Brick Lifting
Brick lifting in the manner Ill describe works the wrist very heavily, as well as the pinch grip. The way this is done is very simple. Take some standard size bricks, available at any hardware/home improvement store, lay one flat and grasp it with your four fingers underneath and your thumb on top. Youll be holding the brick lengthwise? meaning that your four fingers will be nearly to t he edges (width) and the length of the brick will run from but base of your hand beyond the fingertips. Obviously, lifting one brick in this fashion is easy; its very light. However, once you start stacking bricks on the end opposite your thumb, youll see just how much stress this puts on the wrist and pinch grip (where the thumb is usually the weak link). Try stacking five or six bricks across the end of another, and then lift the whole stack in the manner Ive described. Youll have to try har d to keep them level, which is where the wrist work really begins. Hermann Goerner, who I mentioned in my last article, was capable of performing this feat with forty kilos loaded on the end of a brick. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is a record. That is a staggering feat of grip and wrist strength. When I initially began to attempt these, I would generally lift a given weight and hold it as long as possible. I found that my wrists would get unusually sore, so I knew I found a great lift to include in my training.

Feats of Strength
Telephone Book
Tearing a telephone book or deck of playing cards in half (or quarters) is very impressive to most people. Most of us already have the strength in our body to rip through the pages or cards, but our pinch grip isnt sufficiently strong to allow us to tra nsfer all the tearing force onto the object were attempting to shred. If youre doing many of the exercises outlined that increase your pinch grip and wrist strength, youre well on your way to being able to perform either of the aforementioned feats of strength. However, if you want to attempt to work on the particular feat itself, you may have to get

creative, unless you have a stack of telephone books or dont mind buying decks of cards by the dozen. John McCallum wrote an article on training grip/forearm strength that described how to fold a newspaper into an object thats about the same size and thickness of a deck of playing cards. Here is the basic idea that he presented: Starting with two sheets of newspaper, lay one on top of the other. Fold the sheets in half a total of five times. When finished, this will resemble a deck of cards. Once you can go through two sheets, add another. McCallum says that anyone who can tear four sheets of paper, when folded in the manner described, should have no trouble with a deck of playing cards. Another option is to go to a print shop and find some fine card stock. Have this cut to the length and width of a playing card and begin by tearing through as many sheets as possible. Keep adding sheets as your strength improves. The telephone book is a bit more difficult to simulate. However, were an enterprising bunch, so Id imagine that you could easily find some old magazines that can be stacked together until youve created something resembling the approximate thickness of a telephone book. You can also use old cardboard that is cut into similar dimensions. This will be much more difficult to tear than would be a telephone book of equivalent thickness, so keep that in mind. There are two ways to tear a telephone book. You can either begin your tear at the top, where there is no binding to be broken, or you can start at the side, tearing through the binding first. In order to get through the binding, youll need very strong wrists, in order to twist? the binding back and forth to break it. This will make tearing through it much easier. If you just immediately try ripping through the binding, youll likely get stuck. By working it back and forth, youll be able to weaken it enough to get it to tear. Once the binding goes, the rest is easy.

60-Penny Nail
I also mentioned the traditional strongman feat of bending a 60-penny nail in my last article. This is quite a bit harder than it looks, due primarily to the short length of the nail. Again, o ur equipment? for this will be found at the local hardware/home improvement store. Go to the hardware fastener section and buy a handful of nails. They should be no more than $0.10 each, so price is no concern. I have found that the lack of leverage resulting from the nails short length is a much greater factor than my ability to securely grip the nail in my hands when trying to bend it. How Big Is A 60-Penny Nail?

View Video Footage Of A 60-Penny Nail Being Bent! If you are unable to immediately bend a 60-penny nail, here is another suggestion made by John McCallum that will get you started. The best way to start training is to get one or two short sections of

pipe. Youll slide the pipe(s) over each end of the nail, going out only far enough to give you the leverage needed to begin the bend. As you become stronger, move the pipes inward, thereby decreasing the leverage advantage. Eventually, youll eliminate one pipe, then the other. When youre bending a 60-penny nail with your bare hands, youll definitely be the owner of a powerful pair of hands. I further suggest that you cut the point and head off the nail (use a hacksaw) and either wear some leather gloves or put a cloth over the nail to keep it from digging into your hands. When youre applying enough force to bend the nail and the head begins digging into your hands, youll understand what I mean. I learned this the hard way. If you like to get fancy equipment, Ironmind Enterprises (listed below) sells something called the Bag of Nails? that includes a large variety of steel nails? for bending. The bag? contains a variety of strengths that goes from well below to well beyond the 60-penny nail. They are all smooth, so theres no problem with the point or head that youll find on a regular nail.

Conclusion
In closing, Id like to sincerely thank all of you who have given me such positive feedback sin ce my having written the first in my series of grip articles. I have definitely become more motivated to seriously reevaluate my own training program and give more attention to my grip strength. I have further enjoyed discussing various training ideas with the readers on the forum and hope to continue doing so in the future. If you have any feedback, questions or comments, dont hesitate to contact me through the board. Dont forget to drop me a line when you join the Captains of Crush!? Read Part One HERE!

Training The Hands

By Ross Enamait Published in 2004 Over the years, I have learned the importance hand training. As a young boxer, I broke my right hand three times. Each of the injuries occurred inside the ring. At the time, I was ignorant to the importance of hand training. I did not allow sufficient time for the bones to heal between fractures. My ignorance resulted in many months of frustration. An old saying states that hindsight is 20/20. Fortunately, I have learned from past mistakes. Rather than waiting for an injury to occur, I now preach a proactive approach to hand training. Proactive is defined as acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes. This definition is important when considering a hand training routine. You train the hands to prevent future injuries. All fighters can benefit from a regular dose of hand training. The routines are brief, yet highly effective. By training the hands, forearms and wrists, you become less susceptible to injury. A ground fighter also uses grip strength to manhandle his opponent. Forearm and hand training does not require an investment in elaborate training devices. You can effectively train the hands with several low budget options. If you wish to compete without injury, I highly recommend a regular dose of the exercises below...

Low Budget Hand Training Options

Wrist Roller - Hang a weight from a rope and roll the weight up and down. Work the hands forward and backward. This movement is one of the best forearm strengtheners available. You can attach the rope to a dumbbell handle or any wooden dolly (even a broom handle). Choose a thick handle for an even greater challenge.

Rice Grip - Fill a bucket with rice and practice grabbing and twisting the rice in your hand. Forcefully grab the rice with each repetition. You can add a clockwise or counterclockwise twist to the movement to work the wrists.

Knuckle Pushups - Perform pushups from the knuckles. This movement is excellent for wrist stability.

Fingertip Pushups - A personal favorite movement of mine is the fingertip pushup. This movement is excellent for the hands.

Towel Pull-up - Hang two towels (or a rope) over a pull-up bar. Grab each side of the towel with one hand and pull yourself up to the bar. This exercise is deceivingly difficult. It will blast the forearms.

Door Grab - Stand directly in front of an open door. Grab it with one hand. Lean the body backwards toward the floor to generate resistance. Hold the door tightly to develop pinch grip strength. As your strength improves, you can "sit back" until the thighs become parallel to the floor (as illustrated). Work both hands evenly. When this becomes easy, you can hold a dumbbell in your non-working hand to increase the difficulty. You can also remove one or two fingers from the door grip. For example, you can work with simply your thumb and index finger.

Farmer's Walk - Grab two heavy dumbbells and walk for distance or time. Walk until you are unable to hold the dumbbells. This movement is an excellent finisher to a strength workout.

Sledgehammer - Sledgehammer swinging will blast the forearms, strengthen the core, and improve work capacity. You can purchase a sturdy sledgehammer at any hardware store such as Home Depot. Expect to pay approximately $2 per pound. You can swing the sledgehammer for repetitions or time. Many fighters swing the sledge against a tire for timed intervals equivalent to the length of one round (ex. 3-minutes). Alternate between left and right hand dominant swings (right hand one top vs. left hand on top). For example, swing the sledge 10 times from the right side, and then 10 times from the left side. Continue in this fashion. Allow one minute of rest between rounds. Start with three rounds, and work your way up to six.

Sandbag lifting - Sandbag training is excellent for grip strength. There are an infinite number of movements that you can perform with the sandbag. Two of the best include the Sandbag Clean and Press and Sandbag Shouldering. Both movements are sure to develop grip strength and total body power.

Hand Gripper - A quality hand gripper makes an excellent addition to any routine. I have a gripper in my car that I use regularly. When choosing a gripper, stick with a quality provider such as Heavy Grips.

Sample Hand Circuit

The exercises above do not take long to perform. You can always find time for a few minutes of hand training. I recommend 2 to 4 sessions per week. One effective option is to perform several movements as a circuit. These circuits are an excellent conclusion to a strength training workout. You can perform 1 to 3 complete circuits.

Towel Pull-ups Knuckle Pushups Fingertip Pushups Wrist roller Rice grip (each hand)

Perform one quality set for each exercise. Do not push yourself to failure or it will be impossible to finish the circuit. I recommend working to approximately 80% of your 1-set maximum. For example, if you can perform 50 knuckle pushups, stop at 40 reps. You can also include 2 to 3 days of sledgehammer and/or sandbag lifting.

I also recommend regular practice with the door grabbing movement. You can perform this movement sporadically throughout the day. A few minutes of practice will lead to considerable improvements in pinch grip strength (pinching together weight plates is another option). Learn from my mistakes. Make time for hand training.

About the Author - Ross Enamait is an innovative athlete and trainer, whose training style is among the most intense that you will find. Ross is committed to excellence and advancements in high performance conditioning and strength development. He has a sincere interest in helping today's athlete in their quest for greatness. Ross has authored several training manuals, and operates a training business in the New England area. Feel free to contact

him at ross@rosstraining.com, and follow his regular updates at www.rosstraining.com/blog.

towel pull ups finger pull ups no hand pull ups Elbow lever Hand Grippers Loaded dumbell twists wristroller dumbell pinch rice in bucket grab and twist. pull ups work pretty well for your grip. There is one that I know of that is very good, but it is hard to describe. I will try anyway. Basically you grab a pull bar in the chin-up grip(back of hands facing u). Then do a pull up but hold it. then lean your body back a little bit. While your ohldin it kind of push your body out and pull back in . do atleast 8-10 more if you can. If you do this i gauruntee they will become much stronger.Towel pull ups. If you do not know how to do them just pm me or aim me at DirtyJerz4LIF187. No hand pull ups which is you basically grip the bar with ur wrists by placing them on top of the bar and also there is the finger grip pull ups by just holding it with your fingers. Another thing that is good i dont know if this is considered as weight, but if u get hand grips they work well. if they do i guess you could just find something to squeeze. Another thing that is pretty good is to just take a bowl of water and quickly open and close your hand under water it is very good for your hands. The final thing i that if you have a shitty pull up bar that you dont care if it breaks. Take two pairs of grip pliers and grip onto the bar with them then do pull ups. you could just use one hand and rotate after 8-10 reps or however many you could do.take a sledge hammer or a loaded dumbell(all the wight on one side) and rtotate ur wrist in circles. also here are 2 websites. [Only registered and
activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Finnaly if you take a sledge hammer and just hiit a tire taht is in front of you on the ground.(over head motion swing.) like 20 times it will work your forarms and back. do wrist curls reverse and regular. Also do them in like a fishing motion. Also those grip things. Like the grabber thigns do them. Finnaly a great one is to submerge ur hand in water and open and close your hand repeatedly as quick as you can. If you want to toughen your forearms start hitting it with something soft and then move up until you cuold take a baseball bat to your wrist and forearm. Guerllia press ups and knuckle pushups moght help too alsoi try finger tip pushups. also handstand pushups if you can do them
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Iron Hands and Leather Knuckles

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Clint

To be fully prepared for bare-knuckle fighting, you need tough hands and strong wrists. Theoretically, the methods for toughening and strengthening the hands are supposed to be taught in traditional martial arts such as Karate and Kung Fu. My experience has been that most

schools dont bother teaching or talking about this much in class (at least, not with beginners) so, really, this is something that the serious student needs to take upon themselves. Iron Hand Training is homework. Dont expect to learn it in class. Youll need to research and practice this on your own. Strengthening of the hands and wrists is the first step. The basic foundation of grip and wrist strength is built simply by working hard on the basic compound pulling exercises. Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Rows, Deadlifts, Shrugs and Bicep Curls all work the wrists and grip hard. Refuse to use lifting hooks or wrist straps on these basic exercises, and youll soon develop all the hand strength youll ever need. The traditional Chinese method of strengthening the grip is to practice thrusting your hand into a bucket of sand and then squeezing handfuls of sand as hard as you can. I must admit that Ive never bothered to try doing this exercise on a really regular basis, as it seems like it would probably be more trouble than its really worth. Ive tried a lot of wrist and grip isolation exercises over the years and theyve all turned out to be a waste of time. Doing wrist curls, wrist extensions and high rep squeezing exercises will not give you anything compared to what you gain by doing chin-ups and moderately heavy deadlifts. If youre already working hard on the basics and you want more wrist and grip strength, then it might be time to try some advanced wrist/grip exercises. The simplest solution is to increase the gripping challenge on your basic pulling exercises. Try doing your chin-ups on a rope or towel and choose thick handled bars for your other major pulls. For more variety at an intermediate/advanced level, there are several other types of functional strength exercises you can try. Rockclimbing, indoor or outdoor, just add it to your schedule once or twice a week. Rope Climbing, works the grip like nothing else. When I was training up for Commando Selection, I used to go twice up and down a six meter rope as a warm-up before my regular lifting session. Lugging and Loading, the Farmers Walk is the classic, heavy grip strength exercise. Simply grab a heavy dumbbell in each hand, stand up straight and try to walk as far as possible without dropping them. (Work up to progressively heavier weights, not longer walks.)

Lifting and carrying sandbags and other odd objects will also do a lot for grip and hand strength. Suburi and Sledgehammer Training. Old school Boxers used to chop wood and dig ditches to build grip strength and all-over conditioning. Old school martial artists would multi-task their time by swinging around heavy swords, spears, clubs and sticks. There are two ways to use sword/stick training to strengthen your wrists. One is to practice your basic strikes in the air for reps (harder than it sounds) the second is to work with impact. The best target for impact work is a used truck tire. A punching bag will also work, but I dont want you to ruin a good bag unnecessarily. You can practice beating on an old tire using batons, Escrima sticks, wooden swords or even a sledgehammer. Note that all of the above advanced methods involve fairly heavy full-body exercises. This is how you build a monster grip, not by doing isolation work. The basic Toughening exercises for your fists are Knuckle Push-ups and Impact work. Start with Knuckle Push-ups first. This will begin thickening the skin over your knuckles and trains the wrist muscles to act specifically as stabilizers. You wont build a lot of wrist strength this way, but its an important part of learning how to use your muscles correctly in a punch. Carpet is the best surface for this. If you dont have a carpet, you can lay a towel down. Doing knuckle push-ups on wood, tile or concrete is also achievable, but is not really necessary (nor particularly helpful, in my opinion). To return to the Chinese sand-bucket training mentioned above, if you wanted to try it as a supplementary skin-toughening exercise (with, possibly, some small benefit to grip strength) then maybe it makes more sense in that context. If you have very soft skin, you may want to try washing or soaking your hands in rubbing alcohol or mentholated spirits daily for a month or so before beginning impact work. Once you begin impact work, discontinue the alcohol treatment and give your skin a proper chance to heal between training sessions. The traditional Chinese method of impact training for bare handed fighting seems to involve very high repetitions of fairly light tapping and pounding. The idea is to start out very light and then build up to progressively heavier pounding on progressively harder surfaces.

Im quite sure that the traditional method will work, but it really seems like a long, slow, boring way of doing things to me. Also, I dont like the idea of training myself to hit lightly. When you practice hitting on hard surfaces, you inevitably end up teaching yourself to pull your punches somewhat. Theres no way around this, if you were to really punch a rock with full force, youll either break the rock or youll break your hand. If nothing gets broken, then it wasnt really full force. Dont kid yourself. On the other hand, you can practice full power strikes (almost exactly as youd use them in a real fight) by working your punches on the boxing focus pads and modern heavy bag. This is my preferred method. Lets call it Modern Iron Hand Training (though perhaps Leather Knuckle would be more accurate). Again, its best to do this as homework on your own and outside of class time. In a group class setting you cant control the volume or intensity of work demanded as easily as you can when working alone. You want to build up slowly and carefully. You should try to avoid straining your wrists and skinning your knuckles as much as possible. Unfortunately, some amount of bruising and lost skin does seem to be an inevitable part of the process, but overdoing it today will always limit your progress tomorrow. Dont hurt yourself, its not macho and it just slows down the process. Note that it is not necessary to do all of your impact training bare handed. My Kickboxing/MMA coach (who also happens to be a Kung Fu master) has stated that you should do about 80-90% of your punching with gloves and wraps on. Only 10-20% needs to be bare-knuckle. The way I achieve this is by usually wearing gloves in class and then emphasizing bare-handed strikes on my own time. (Are you starting to understand why I keep specifying this as homework?) Start out working single, carefully placed strikes, bare handed on the heavy bag. Focus pads are more forgiving on the hands if you have a good training partner, but dont allow you to control the situation as much as hitting a bag on your own. If your pad holder is too aggressive, or doesnt know what hes doing, you can actually end up jamming your hands more often on the pads than the bag. One element of traditional training that might really come in handy is the use of Dit Da Jow. In English, we usually call this stuff Iron Hand Medicine, though Im not sure if thats a literal translation. What it is, really, is an old Chinese herbal remedy for bruising, usually applied as a cream or liniment. Dit Da Jow does not actually do anything to toughen your hands up in and of itself. What is does is take down any bruising or swelling fairly quickly, allowing you to train harder and more often.

Some types of Dit Da Jow work very well, in my experience, though some recipes seem to work better than others. The good stuff works really well (almost like magic), much better than any of the modern chemical alternatives Ive tried. The first time I did any really hard bare-knuckle training on the heavy bag, my hands swelled up and turned purple. I also tried Dit Da Jow for the first time that night and by morning the swelling had gone down to normal. Even more interesting, though it took some time for the discoloration between my knuckles to go away, my hands were completely pain free the very next morning after I first used Jow (and have never, ever, bruised up like that again). Once youre able to throw full power singles without hurting yourself, its time to start working on combinations and blasting. Remember, slow and careful is the way to start. Place each shot carefully. Sprained wrists and broken thumbs will only delay your progress. Yes, Im speaking from experience when I say that. Once youve gotten to the point where you can blast full speed, full power, continuous punches into the heavy bag, youve got all the Iron Hand conditioning youre ever going to need for bare-knuckle fighting. Remember, there are no magic secrets (except, maybe, finding a really good Jow). Regular strength training builds a foundation for stability. Regular impact training toughens the skin and teaches you how to protect your hands and wrists. At the end of the day, you will still be made of skin, bone and muscle. As a bare-knuckle fighter, you need to be much more careful about how you throw your punches than a gloved Boxer needs to be. Learn to hit accurately and hard. Train to develop tough hands and strong wrists.

Hojo und
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may have too many section headers dividing up its content. Please help improve the article by merging similar sections and removing unneeded subheaders. (February 2012)

Hojo und () is a Japanese language term, translated as "supplementary exercises", that refers to the conditioning exercises specifically used in martial arts. Hojo und training was

designed to develop ambidextrous physical strength, stamina, muscle coordination, speed, and posture. This style of training uses simple, traditional devices, made from wood and stone.

some Nigiri game and Chi ishi

Contents
[hide]

1 Chi Ishi 2 Ishi sashi 3 Makiage kigu 4 Makiwara 5 Nigiri game 6 Tetsu geta 7 Jari bako 8 Kongoken 9 Tou 10 Tan 11 References

[edit] Chi Ishi

Chi Ishi (weighted levers) are concrete weights that are attached to a wooden pole. The practitioner strongly grips to the end of the wooden pole (opposite the concrete weight), and moves his or her wrist and arms in motions used in techniques normally used in kata or against opponents. This weighted training helps strengthens the fingers, hands, arms, and chest.

[edit] Ishi sashi

Ishi sashi are hand-held weights in the shape of padlocks, traditionally made of stone.

[edit] Makiage kigu

The makiage kigu (wrist roller) is a weight hanging by a rope from a wooden handle. The practitioner grasps the handle with the weight hanging in the middle, and twists the handle to

wrap the rope around the handle. The handle is raised and lowered throughout the twisting to strengthen the wrists.

[edit] Makiwara
Main article: Makiwara

The makiwara (striking board) is used to practice striking a target that provides resistance. There are two types of makiwara: sage-makiwara (hung from the ceiling) and the more common tachimakiwara (secured in the ground). Of the tachi-makiwara, there are two variations: one flat and one round. The flat makiwara is created with a board placed into the ground and some type of padding on the top. The practitioner stands in front of the makiwara and strikes the top. The round ude-makiwara has a similar construction, but is round on all sides. This allows for additional techniques to be practiced.

[edit] Nigiri game

Nigiri game (gripping jars) are ceramic jars filled with sand to different weights. The jars are gripped around a lipped rim. Then, while holding the jars, the practitioner moves in varying stances, in order to strengthen the arms, shoulders, back, and legs.

[edit] Tetsu geta

Tetsu geta

Tetsu geta (iron clogs) are worn like sandals, but requires gripping the clogs with one's toes. The practitioner then moves around and kicks while wearing these. The extra weight required to move the foot strengthens the leg for kicks.

[edit] Jari bako

The jari bako is a bowl filled with sand, smooth stones, or dry rice that is used by striking one's fingers into it. This conditions the fingers and fingertips.

[edit] Kongoken
The "Kongoken" is a metal bar formed into an oval that can vary in weight and is used to condition the arms, legs, strengthen the wrists and core. This was used by wrestlers in Hawaii, and adopted into the Hojo und by Chogun Miyagi Sensei.

[edit] Tou
A "Tou" is simply a bundle of bamboo tied together either at both the top and bottom or tied in the middle. This is used similar to the Jari Bako by striking the fingers into it.

[edit] Tan
A "Tan" is similar to a modern barbell, made with a wood post and concrete weights on both ends.

[edit] References

Burlington Karate & Kobudo Hojo undo Okinawa karate supplemental exercises (Hojo undo) Shorin-ryu karate of Williamsburg hojo undo Bushikan Karate Dojo Goju Ryu Hojo Undo

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The Grip Book

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The Grip Book Focal Press; 3 edition | May 10, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0240852338 | 432 pages | PDF | 10.8 Mb Depositfiles Mirror

(sponsor link) Download from BookShelf Related books

Uva's Basic Grip Book The Grip Master's Manual Burn With Kearns - Grappling Specific Conditioning Five Machado Brothers Camp 2008 This DVD demonstrates the benefits of dynamic and static contractions. Hook flips with and without the gi will also be discussed. Kali Knife Fighting John Brookfield - The Art of Steel Bending They suck the user in from the outset and hang on to them with a death grip ... We awoke in the anxious grip of globalization, unpredictable terrorism and ...

Comments for "The Grip Book"

Uva's Basic Grip Book

abuse book

Uva's Basic Grip Book Publisher: Focal Press | ISBN: 0240804856 | edition 2001 | PDF | 240 pages | 1,5 mb While the technology of filmmaking has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, the basics of effective studio gripping are the same-a thorough knowledge of equipment, safety, and tools remains the foundation for success. A heavily illustrated reference and learning tool, Uva's Basic Grip Book provides grounding in basic grip equipment, techniques, and safety issues. It distills the most beginnerfriendly information offered in Uva's original Grip Book into a handy reference and guide prepared

especially for the beginning professional. Download (sponsor link) Download from BookShelf Related books

The Grip Book The Grip Master's Manual Five Machado Brothers Camp 2008 Hook flips with and without the gi will also be discussed. Home Studio Setup: Everything You Need to Know from Equipment to Acoustics Burn With Kearns - Grappling Specific Conditioning Practical Cinematography, Second Edition by Paul Wheeler This DVD demonstrates the benefits of dynamic and static contractions. Kali Knife Fighting Beginning Visual Basic 2010

Captains of Crush Grippers

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Captains of Crush Grippers (commonly nicknamed CoC) are a brand of torsion-spring grippers (a torsion spring fitted with two handles) designed, manufactured and sold by IronMind Enterprises, Inc., based in Nevada City, California. They are the official grippers of the Arnold Sports Festival, the GNC Grip Gauntlet, United States Arm Wrestling and the Worlds Strongest Man contest.[1] Hundreds of videos have been posted online[2] and numerous blogs[3][4] have been written documenting efforts to close the grippers. IronMind founder and president Randall J. Strossen wrote a book in 2003, Captains of Crush Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them, to address some of the myths and questions surrounding CoC Grippers. This book was revised, and the second edition published, in 2009. The grippers have also been featured in publications such as Stanford magazine, The Sacramento Bee, and BusinessWeeks BW SmallBiz magazine. In 2005, Trevor Laing composed a song about Captains of Crush Grippers.[5] Through IronMinds certification program for people who have officially closed any of the three toughest models, Captains of Crush Grippers have become an internationally recognized measure of strength.[6]
File:123

123

Contents
[hide]

1 History 2 Design 3 Models 4 Calibration 5 Poundage Ratings 6 Certification o 6.1 Certification Controversy 7 Jesse Marunde and Philanthropy 8 Training 9 Related Products 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links

[edit] History
Torsion-spring grippers date back at least as far as the beginning of the 20th century, and are used for both testing and building grip strength. Historically, torsion-spring grippers were not considered serious training tools because, among other things, they were not very difficult to close.[7] In 1964, Iron Man magazine advertised a new line of grippers called the "Super Heavy Iron Man Grip Developer."[8] These grippers had steel handles and thick springs and an arguably somewhat primitive design,[9] but what distinguished them from torsion-spring grippers of the past was how difficult the Iron Man grippers were to close.[10] The Iron Man ad billed the grippers as the "worlds strongest grip[pers] of this type."[11] Iron Man magazine had stopped advertising its grippers in 1977 due to lack of sales,[12] but the grippers had some followers, one of whom was IronMind founder Randall J. Strossen. In 1990, Strossen contacted Warren Tetting, who had made the Iron Man Grippers, and asked if he would be interested in making grippers for IronMind.[10] The design of the original Iron Man Grippers varied in such features as the diameter of their handles, whether or not the handles were knurled, and whether the grippers had keepers on the springs.[11][13] IronMind sought to refine these nutcracker-style grippers, first by improving their consistency and standardizing their features. The company introduced its grippers in the summer of 1990 in three different strengths (#1, #2 and #3) and with standardized features such as knurled handles.[14]

In subsequent models, IronMind continued improving the accuracy, durability and appearance of the grippers.[15] At the end of 1990, IronMind introduced the Silver Crush Gripper, which had chrome-plated handles and springs, a uniform knurling pattern, and the same three models of increasing difficulty as the first group: the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. Leading grip-strength figures as Richard Sorin and John Brookfield were early users.[16]

[edit] Design
By 1992, IronMind had moved all design and production of its grippers in-house.[17] The next generation of the Silver Crush Grippers, released in 1993, marked the next major step in gripper evolution; their stainless-steel handles replaced the previous chrome-plated mild steel handles, and a new assembly technique eliminated the drift pin central to the design of the older grippers.[18] IronMind briefly offered a model with a right-hand wind spring, although that design was soon shelved in order to concentrate on the more popular left-hand wind spring. The new design also featured a clear band at the midpoint of each handle, an element of trade dress for IronMinds grippers ever since.[19] In 1993, IronMind began stamping the bottoms of its gripper handles to indicate the difficulty level of each individual gripper (e.g. T, 1, 2, or 3), a move that eliminated errors about exactly which gripper was being closed.[20] In 1995 IronMind released the Captains of Crush Grippers, which pioneered the use of knurled, aircraft-grade aluminum handles,[21] which made the grippers lighter and provided a more secure grip.[22] Over the years, IronMind has advanced the precision, durability, and appearance of the grippers, but their basic design has remained consistent since 1995, with milestones including the introduction of its proprietary GR8 springs in CoC Grippers in 2005.[23]

[edit] Models
IronMinds original grippers, introduced in 1990, came in three levels of increasing difficulty: No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, with the No. 3 being the most difficult to close. They continue to define the core of the Captains of Crush product line. In 1992, IronMind introduced the Trainer, a gripper somewhat easier to close than the No. 1. In 1994, IronMind released its most difficult gripper, the No. 4, a gripper that to date only five people have closed under official conditions. (See: Certification) IronMind introduced two new models in 2004 that were easier to close than the Trainer: the Guide and the Sport. The company released three bridge grippers in 2006 No. 1.5, No. 2.5 and No 3.5 bringing the total number of gripper models it sells to 10.[24] All 10 models share the same basic features and are made in the USA.

[edit] Calibration

The concept of calibration entered the gripper world when IronMind compared the variation among grippers to the variations in "uncalibrated barbell plates", using the analogy of uncalibrated barbell plates to explain why there may be slight variations from one gripper to another.[25][26] Most barbell plates are uncalibrated, which means that they rarely weigh precisely the same as their face value, but a calibrated barbell plate must meet established criteria.[27] In the gripper world, Strossen writes, some people mistakenly call a gripper calibrated when it has merely been rated for its level of difficulty.[28] Ironically, while IronMind introduced the idea of gripper calibration and discussed its limitations, Captains of Crush Grippers especially the No. 3 Gripper became the de facto standard by which other grippers were measured.[29] In 2004, IronMind made some adjustments to its benchmark No. 3 Gripper to ensure that it conformed to its historical standards,[23] making it a truly calibrated gripper.

[edit] Poundage Ratings

IronMind developed an approximate poundage-rating system for its grippers in 1993, outlined in Captains of Crush Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them, that provided a quick way to define the relative difficulty of closing one model of CoC Gripper compared to another. IronMind has pointed out that even under the best circumstances such numbers can be misleading and are easily abused, and stresses that all gripper poundage ratings including its own should be taken with a grain of salt.[30] The following chart, originally published by IronMind,[31] lists each CoC model with its approximate poundage rating:
Poundage Rating (approx) 60 lb. 80 lb. 100 lb. 120 lb. 140 lb. 167.5 lb.* In Kilograms 27 kg. 36.3 kg. 45.4 kg. 54.5 kg. 63.5 kg. 75.7 kg.

Gripper

Guide Sport Trainer No 0.5 No. 1 No 1.5

No. 2 No. 2.5 No. 3 No. 3.5 No. 4

195 lb. 237.5 lb.* 280 lb. 322.5 lb.* 365 lb.

88.5 kg. 107.7 kg. 127 kg. 146 kg. 165.5 kg.

(* These grippers are designed to help bridge the gap between the benchmark-level grippers, and are rated halfway between the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 CoC Grippers, respectively; thus, these are their interpolated poundage ratings.)

[edit] Certification
In 1991, IronMind created a certification program to recognize people who closed the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper under official conditions. This certification has become the universal benchmark of world-class grip strength.[32] Richard Sorin was the first person certified when he closed the No. 3 in 1991.[33] John Brookfield was the second person IronMind certified when he closed the No. 3 in 1992. Since then, more than 150 people around the world have been officially certified as closing the No. 3.[34] IronMind released the Captains of Crush No. 4 Gripper in 1994, but no one was officially able to close it until Joe Kinney was certified in 1998.[23][35] Only four other people have officially closed the No. 4 since then: Nathan Holle and David Morton (2003) and Tommy Heslep and 1998 Worlds Strongest Man winner Magnus Samuelsson (2004).[36] A YouTube clip of Samuelsson closing the No. 4 Captains of Crush Gripper has been viewed over a million times.[37] In 2008, IronMind expanded its certification program to include the No. 3.5 Gripper. Tex Henderson became the first person to officially close the No. 3.5 when he accomplished the feat on August 5, 2008.[38] Two additional people - Gabriel Sum and Rich Williams - have since officially closed the No. 3.5 Captains of Crush Gripper.[39]
[edit] Certification Controversy

Some gripper enthusiasts have criticized[40] IronMind for changing its rules for certifying people who close its Captains of Crush No. 3, No. 3.5 and No. 4 Gripper. Specifically, when IronMind required that a legal starting position be demonstrated by sliding the width of a credit card in between the handles of the gripper before it was closed, some people protested saying their hands were too small to do this and thus the new requirement was unfair.

IronMind has published the details of the history of this rule and explained the reasons for its inception and maintains that if someone cannot close a Captains of Crush No. 3, No. 3.5 or No. 4 Gripper with the required starting position, but can close an easier Captains of Crush Gripper, the cause is a lack of strength, not a lack of hand size.[41]

[edit] Jesse Marunde and Philanthropy

In 1998, 18-year-old Jesse Marunde became the first teenager to officially close the Captains of Crush No. 3 Gripper. The first teenage Captain of Crush[42] went on to become a popular professional strongman competitor, but died on July 25, 2007 from a genetic heart defect. In Marundes memory, IronMind has pledged to donate $500 to the educational trust fund set up for his children every time a teenager is certified on the Captains of Crush No. 3, No. 3.5 or No. 4 grippers.[32] IronMind also donates all the proceeds from CD sales of Trevor Laings "Captains of Crush Song" to Doctors Without Borders.[23]

[edit] Training
IronMind has advocated effective gripper training, pushing for an end to the tradition of what the company calls mindlessly clicking out reps,[43] a by-product of the days when the only grippers to be found were easy to close. Instead, IronMind recommends that gripper training should be based on the same principles that apply to other forms of strength training including the idea of warm-up sets, work sets and a focus on high effort concentrated on low reps.[44] IronMind publishes books and online articles on the subject of grip training, including the wellknown book, The Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield.

[edit] Related Products

In 2007, IronMind introduced several products specifically designed to complement Captains of Crush Grippers, including the IMTUG (a two-fingered gripper) and the CoC Key (a tool for measuring the gap between the handles of a nearly closed Captains of Crush Gripper).

[edit] References
Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (July 2010)

1. ^ IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 2009. Catalog. Vol. 18, p. 21. 2. ^ "List of CoC YouTube videos". Retrieved 2009-01-26. 3. ^ "Gripper strength blog". Retrieved 2009-01-25.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44.

^ "My life blog". Retrieved 2009-01-26. ^ "Laing Productions". Retrieved 2009-01-26. ^ "SFUK Reviews". Retrieved 2009-01-20. ^ Strossen, Randall J., J.B. Kinney, and Nathan Holle. 2003. Captains of Crush Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them. P. 30. Nevada City: IronMind Enterprises, Inc. ^ Iron Man. OctoberNovember-December 1964. Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 58 ^ Strossen, p. 5 ^ a b Strossen, p. 3 ^ a b Iron Man, p. 58 ^ "The Iron Man Hand Gripper". The Roark Report. April 1990. Retrieved 2009-01-25. ^ Iron Man. September 1966. Vol. 25, No. 6, p. 57 ^ Iron Man. September 1990. Vol. 49, No. 9, p. 96 ^ IronMind Enterprises, Inc. Catalog. 1991. Vol. 1, No 1, p. 6 ^ Strossen, p. 4 ^ Strossen, p. 6 ^ Strossen, p. 7 ^ Ibid. ^ Ibid. ^ Scheet, Tim (2008). "Killer Grip". Muscle and Fitness (November 2008). Retrieved 2009-01-18. ^ Strossen, p. 8 ^ a b c d "Captains of Crush Grip Highlights". Retrieved 2009-01-20. ^ Ibid. ^ IronMind Enterprises. Catalog. 19992000. Vol. 9, p. 38 ^ Strossen, p. 14 ^ "International Weightlifting Federation Rules for Calibration". Retrieved 2009-01-27. ^ Strossen, p. 15 ^ Strossen, p. 25 ^ "Captains of Crush Grippers Home Page". Retrieved 2009-01-15. ^ "IronMind Captains of Crush Grippers poundage-rating chart". Retrieved 2009-01-28. ^ a b "Captains of Crush Grippers: Rules for Closing and Certification". Retrieved 2009-01-24. ^ "Captains of Crush Grippers: Who's New". Retrieved 2009-01-24. ^ "Captains of Crush Grippers: Who's Who No. 3". Retrieved 2009-01-24. ^ Sexton, Heath. "Closing Big Grippers". Retrieved 2009-01-20. ^ "Captains of Crush Grippers: Who's Who No. 4". Retrieved 2009-01-24. ^ "Worlds Strongest Arms". Retrieved 2009-01-24. ^ "Tex Henderson: First Man in the World to Certify on the Captains of Crush No. 3.5 Gripper". IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2008-08-06. ^ "Captains of Crush Grippers: Who's Who No. 3.5". Retrieved 2009-05-11. ^ "Credit Card Sets - A Recent Trend". Gripper Strength. Retrieved 2008-10-11. ^ "Certification on Captains of Crush Grippers: 'Credit Card Sets,' 'Old Rules' and 'New Rules'". IronMind News. Retrieved 2008-10-11. ^ MILO. September 1998. Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 39 - 40 ^ "Captains of Crush Grippers: Training with Hand Grippers and Other Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2009-01-24. ^ Strossen, p.35

[edit] Further reading

Brookfield, John. 2008. Mastery of Hand Strength, Revised Edition. Nevada City: IronMind Enterprises, Inc. (ISBN 978-0926888-81-4) Brookfield, John. 2002. The Grip Master's Manual. Nevada City: IronMind Enterprises, Inc. (ISBN 0-926888-11-0) Strossen, Randall J., J.B. Kinney, and Nathan Holle. 2009. Captains of Crush Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them, Second Edition. Nevada City: IronMind Enterprises, Inc. (ISBN 9780926888-84-5)

[edit] External links

"Ironmind Captains of Crush: A Lesson In Clever Marketing" from BusinessWeek "He built his company on a very firm handshake" from The Sacramento Bee The Strongman (from Stanford Magazine) IronMind News Captains of Crush Grippers Strong and Healthy Hands

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Grip strength
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search

Grip strength measurement in the beetle Bolitotherus cornutus.

Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength. Optimum-sized objects permit the hand to wrap around a cylindrical shape with a diameter from one to three inches. Stair rails are an example of where shape and diameter are critical for proper grip in case of a fall. Other grip strengths that have been studied are the hammer and other hand tools. In applications of grip strength, the wrist must be in a neutral position to avoid developing cumulative trauma disorders (CTD's). Grip strength is a general term also used by strength athletes, referring to the muscular power and force that they can generate with their hands. In athletics, it is critical for rock climbers and in competitions such as the World's Strongest Man. Grip strength training is also a major feature in martial arts, and can be useful in various professions where people must work with their hands.

Contents

[hide]

1 Types of grip o 1.1 Normative Data o 1.2 In medicine o 1.3 In sports o 1.4 As a separate discipline o 1.5 Feats of Strength 2 Training methods o 2.1 For closing grip o 2.2 For opening grip o 2.3 For stabilization 3 Noted grip strength athletes 4 Notes 5 References 6 See also

[edit] Types of grip

The human hand can be used to grip objects in several different positions. These different positions require different types of grip strength which are typically quantified based on the way the hand is being used. The crush grip is what is most commonly thought of as "grip". It involves a handshake-type grip, where the object being gripped rests firmly against the palm and all fingers. A strong crush grip is useful in bone-crushing handshakes or for breaking objects with pressure. In some applications, a type of roar may be emitted in an attempt to raise the chi and enhance the strength of the grip. In a pinch grip, the fingers are on one side of an object, and the thumb is on the other. Typically, an object lifted in a pinch grip does not touch the palm. This is generally considered a weaker grip position. The pinch grip is used when grabbing something like a weight plate or lifting a sheet of plywood by the top edge. Care must be taken to avoid cramping the muscles in the hand. A support grip typically involves holding something, such as the handle of a bucket, for a long time. This type of strength is epitomized by the "Farmer's walk", where the bucket is filled with sand or water, and carried over a long distance. A great deal of muscular endurance is necessary to have a good carrying grip.
[edit] Normative Data

There has been extensive medical and ergonomic research looking at grip strength. This has led to the generation of normative data. Average values exist for both men and women.[1] Averages also exist for different types of grip in different positions.[2]

We find that grip strength either increases or decreases depending on the arm position at which the grip strength is being measured. A person's grip strength usually results in having the strongest grip strength when their arm is extended at 90 before their body, as opposed to the other extreme arm positions, rested at one's side or held straight up above one's head. Grip strength is not optimal if one's arm is extended backwards beyond the resting position at the body's sides. We can conclude that grip strength is affected via the different arm muscles and their ability to contract.
[edit] In medicine

Grip strength is often used in medicine as a specific type of hand strength. The purpose of this testing is diverse, including to diagnose diseases, to evaluate and compare treatments, to document progression of muscle strength, and to provide feedback during the rehabilitation process as a measure indicating the level of hand function. For example, it is used to indicate changes in hand strength after hand surgery or after a rehabilitation program. By asking subjects to maintain a maximum contraction for longer periods, it can be used as a measure of fatigue. It is also able to predict a decline in function in old age.[3] Since the above-mentioned grips involve the action of a large number of different joints and muscle groups, grip strength is not always very sensitive to measure individual muscle groups in medicine. For this purpose, dynamometers have been developed that provide more specific information on individual muscles in the hand such as the Rotterdam Intrinsic Hand Myometer (RIHM).[4][5]
[edit] In sports

Hand grip is an important, though often overlooked, component of strength in sports. However, the grip strength is most often a secondary or auxiliary function of the sport. Sports in which grip strength are included within the secondary focus include the following: movement-based climbing, gymnastics, horse racing, powerlifting or professional arm-wrestling; ball-based baseball, gridiron football, rugby, badminton or tennis; and combat sports such as brazilian jiujitsu, boxing, fencing, judo or wrestling.
[edit] As a separate discipline

From their beginnings as odd performances at fairs and circuses, grip feats have recently gained acceptance as a sport in their own right, with competitions being held with increasing regularity. Events include one-arm deadlift, nail bending, the closing of torsion spring hand grippers, v-bar (vertical bar) lifting, and standardized pinch apparatuses. Other common events may include Rolling Thunder lifts, thickbar deadlifts, and "Blob" lifting. The major contests are:

World's Strongest Hands Champion of Champions European Grip Championships Mighty Mitts Britain's Strongest Hands

British Grip Championships Mnsterland Grip Challenge Global Grip Challenge Loddekopinge Grip Challenge Australian Grip Championships German Grip Championships Backyard Bastard Bash Metroflex Mayhem at Metroflex

Top 3 results back to 1955

[edit] Feats of Strength

Although grip strength lends itself to impromptu performances that might feature a unique implement or cater to a particular individual or a small group, performances on standardized, widely available tests carry more weight. One such feat involving world class grip strength is officially closing a No. 3 Captains of Crush Gripper, first accomplished by Richard Sorin in 1991.[6] Card tearing is a traditional feat of grip and lower arm strength that has a rich history,[7] and top performances include John Brookfield tearing three decks of cards at once [8] and tearing 50 decks of cards in less than a minute.[9] Brookfield has explained the technique for tearing cards in both his MILO article on the topic,[10] and in his book The Grip Master's Manual[11]

[edit] Training methods

Wrist straps allow lifting heavier without having the grip strength required otherwise.

Grip strength training requires a different type of training regimen than other muscular training. The reasons are primarily based on the interplay of the tendons and muscles and the lack of "down time" or rest that most people's hands get.

It is generally considered that all aspects of the hand must be exercised to produce a healthy and strong hand. Only working on closing grip will cause an imbalance between closing and opening (antagonist) muscles, and can lead to problems such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
[edit] For closing grip

Thick bar and Thick Grip[12] work on a two-inch or thicker barsuch as deadlifts, pullups, and the farmers walktrains the support grip. Grippers train the crushing grip. Plate pinches grabbing plates smooth side out and pinching them. Sledgehammer lever levering a sledgehammer using the wrists to train fingers and wrists. Plate curls/wrist curls grabbing a plate and doing wrist curls or regular curls with them with the fingers on the bottom and thumb on top, trains the wrists and fingers and thumb for pinch grip. Blockweights cut off ends of hex dumbbells that are grasped in a pinch grip fashion from different sides of the blockweight with one end grasped by fingers and other by thumb; trained with either singles, timed holds, or tosses from hand to hand.

[edit] For opening grip

Extensors; these are the muscles that oppose the flexors of the hands and should be trained to achieve a good balance between opposing muscle groups; extensor muscles are key in grip because they must contract aggressively to support finger flexion. Shoving your hand in something like rice and extending it, or placing something such as rocks in a coffee can, putting your hand in there, and extending it to pick up the coffee can, are ways of training your hand extensors. Some grip companies, such as IronMind Enterprises Inc., sell high-resistance rubber bands which work the extensor grip. Another option, is a weight based machine like "The Gripper" offered by Fitness Specialties U.S.A.. This type of plate loaded machine will not only strengthen your grip but also your forearm strength. As finger flexor/extensors serve a function as wrist flexor/extensors, doing wrist extension exercises (sometimes called "reverse wrist curls") would also stimulate the finger extensor fibers. Doing fist pushups on the backside of the first fingerbone would increasingly put pressure on the extensor muscles as weight was shifted from knuckle-end to the further joint. When in a tight first, the flat of the fingernails can dig into the palm and push the skin down to create a bridge to stabilize the first structure and prevent hyperflexion of the knuckle joints (which can be observed by doing pushups with the entire backside of the fingers flat on the ground, fingers pointing towards the opposite hand).

[edit] For stabilization

Fingertip pushups would utilize both opening and closing grip muscles to keep the finger from sliding, as well as more focused bone density in the hand, though they are very strenuous and dangerous unless approached progressively.

Hand stands free from a wall with fingers pointing behind would use gripping stretching to stabilize the hand to prevent the body from falling towards the front, and extensor muscles to prevent the body from falling towards the back. Metal-rod exercises strengthen the grip indirectly but very effectively through strength training using a metal rod or pole.

[edit] Noted grip strength athletes

Louis Apollon Uni Thomas Inch Magnus Samuelsson

[edit] Notes
1. ^ Mathiowetz V, Kashman N, Volland G, Weber K, Dowe M, Rogers S (February 1985). "Grip and pinch strength: normative data for adults". Arch Phys Med Rehabil 66 (2): 6974. PMID 3970660. 2. ^ Effects of interface factors on the handgrip and pinchgrip force exertion capabilities, muscular contraction speed and endurance Winson W.S. LO, Alan H.S. CHAN, Michael K.H. LEUNG [1] 3. ^ Rantanen T, Guralnik JM, Foley D, et al (February 1999). "Midlife hand grip strength as a predictor of old age disability". JAMA 281 (6): 55860. doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.558. PMID 10022113. 4. ^ RIHM 5. ^ Geere J, Chester R, Kale S, Jerosch-Herold C (2007). "Power grip, pinch grip, manual muscle testing or thenar atrophy which should be assessed as a motor outcome after carpal tunnel decompression? A systematic review". BMC Musculoskelet Disord 8: 114. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-8-114. PMC 2213649. PMID 18028538. 6. ^ http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Main/captainsofcrush3.html 7. ^ Willoughby, David P. The Super Athletes. A.S. Barnes and Company: 1970 8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBxSLCOBHk 9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oeFLUAPpns 10. ^ Brookfield, John. Card Tearing. "MILO: A Journal For Serious Strength Athletes," Volume 1, Number 4 (January 1994), pp. 25-26. IronMind Enterprises, Inc.: Nevada City, California 11. ^ Brookfield, John. The Grip Master's Manual. IronMind Enterprises, Inc.: Nevada City, California: 2002 12. ^ http://www.ironbullstrength.com

[edit] References

John Brookfield (2008). Mastery of Hand Strength, Revised Edition. Ironmind Enterprises. ISBN 978-0-926888-81-4. John Brookfield (2002). The Grip Master's Manual. Ironmind Enterprises. ISBN 0-926888-11-0.

[edit] See also

List of basic exercise topics

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http://www.ironmind. com/ironmind/openc ms/GripTips/ John Brookfield Mastery of Hand Strength