ff5f454fg545g4cscsfddvdvfffbvles (collar bones) are a great example.

Clavicles a
re probably a very, very ancient throwback to a time when vertebrates possessed
exoskeletons. Very few mammals still retain proper clavicles, but one group that
has kept them is primates, including human beings. Why? Because collar bones al
low primates to hang vertically suspended, without straining the shoulders. Many
forward-thinking physical culturists promote the idea that training should be b
ased around natural movements to maximize progress and avoid injuries. Well bud, i
f any movement comes naturally to you or me, it s a hang grip.
Balancing the hands: fingertip pushups
If conventional forearms training methods are like a Crock-Pot when it comes to
building hand and forearm strength, hanging grip work is like a microwave oven.
It produces noticeable results, fast and these results come not just over the shor
t-term, but for long periods. The muscles that control the hands are capable of
ferocious strength, and it can take an entire career to unlock this full potenti
al. Many of the old school strongmen used to claim that hand strength was the las
t thing to go , and I well believe it.
Hanging grip work is so effective at developing strength in the muscles and tend
ons that close the fingers, that there may be a minor risk that these areas beco
me disproportionately strong in comparison to their antagonists the muscles which
keep the fingers open. These extensor muscles are relatively small in comparison
to the muscles which control the grip, but in the interests of balanced strengt
h and hand health, they need to be trained by any athlete who is looking to seri
ously strengthen their hands.
Many animals and insects survive by arboreal locomotion the ability to move throug
h the trees but primates are the only species able to move from branch to branch b
y hanging with the arms. This ability is called brachiation. Modern humans retai
n all the physical characteristics of brachiators, which is why every sensible t
raining routine throughout history has included its share of hanging exercises.
When given the chance, kids head to the monkey bars for a reason, folks.
I only advise one type of training for the finger extensors: fingertip pushups.
Fingertip pushups radically increase strength in the extensor muscles, as well a
s the hands and wrists, because they force you to support your weight on your di
gits. This pressure strengthens not only muscles and tendons in the hands but al
so the cartilage, and even the bones, of the fingers and thumbs. If you can t yet
perform classic fingertip pushups, don t panic. I ll show you how to achieve this ab
ility gradually.
Some athletes resort to training their extensors by wrapping elastic bands on th
e backs of their fingers and then opening them, but this isn t very effective and
it s certainly not functional or convenient. (It s no fun, either!) Fingertip pushup
s are the perfect complement to grip work, because both techniques are isometric
; that is, they don t involve movement of the target muscles. Not only is isometri
c work in tune with the way the hands operate, it also protects the finger joint
s, the vulnerable moving parts of each hand.
There you have it; the basic Convict