Do not forget about the benefits of grip in everyday life. Because a big bench press, for example, is practically not needed in everyday life. And strong fingers will definitely come in handy. A powerful handshake will also not be superfluous - it will make you respect and envy.
So, let's take a look at the top ten exercises for increasing grip strength.
1. Tennis balls to strengthen the hands
With the help of tennis balls, you can train your hands, grip and fingers. The following exercises can be distinguished:
- Statics with all fingers (squeeze and wait until the hand “falls off”). This exercise is especially useful for armwrestlers.
- Pushing with four fingers.
- Thumb pressing. The exercise pumps the thumb for a pinch grip.
- Squeezing the ball with the palms of both hands. If the ball breaks during this exercise, then you are a strong guy.
2. Rope to strengthen the grip
Rope climbing is one of the best grip exercises. It is desirable that it is not a school one - 3 cm in diameter, but a professional one - 6 cm in diameter. You need to climb a rope without legs. The highest class is rope climbing with one hand. But for this, of course, you first need to learn how to pull yourself up on one arm.
If you don’t know how to pull up at all, learn according to the instructions in the following video:
3. Carpal expanders
Undeniably, wrist bands are a wonderful thing for developing the hands, and strong hands start with strong hands. Are expanders different? How to choose the right one? Buy one that you can squeeze all the way 5-10 times.
4. Holding pancakes
Take the pancake by the edge with your fingers, and try to hold the maximum amount of time. Start with 5-10 kg, and increase the load as needed. This exercise develops the finger grip.
5. Reverse exit with a kettlebell
Reverse exits with a kettlebell are useful in that they strengthen not only the hands and forearms, but also the fingers. This exercise is performed in almost the same way as regular kettlebell lifts above your head, but only with the bottom up.
For more interesting and wrestling exercises with a kettlebell, see the following video:
6. Hang on the horizontal bar
Hanging on the horizontal bar strengthens the grip. The more you pull up, the more the brushes get stronger. To strengthen the hands and grip, it is advisable to do pull-ups on a thick bar or holding on with 2-3 fingers.
Thanks to a strong grip, you can protect yourself from various injuries, get beautiful forearm muscles and get a powerful handshake. Such training is necessary for people involved in mountaineering, arm wrestling, basketball, kiting, bodybuilding and weightlifting.
There is a widespread belief that grip strength depends entirely on the size of the forearms. This statement is only partly true, and a number of specific training methods are used to develop the grip, which will be discussed in detail below.
Biceps practically do not take part in the capture. Its strength is increased as a result of the active study of the forearms and hands.
Many professionals claim that they managed to develop a strong grip due to the work of pull-ups on a thick horizontal bar and the use of a neck with an increased diameter.
To increase grip strength, you must adhere to:
- The principle of progressive loads, which involves a smooth increase in working weights with each workout. To increase strength parameters and muscle growth, it is important to increase the number of repetitions and approaches.
- The principle of periodization allows you to avoid overtraining, which entails a stop in development. Therefore, it is recommended to perform exercises to increase grip strength no more than once every 7-10 days.
- According to the Super Compensation Principle, exercising too infrequently has the same negative effect on grip strength as exercising too often. In case of loss of super compensation, the power parameters of the hand return to pre-training indicators.
To increase such strength, it is important for the body to maintain a balance of serotonin, dopamine and testosterone. Excessive amounts of cortisol (a female hormone) greatly inhibit muscle growth. From overeating, the production of growth hormone is significantly reduced, so you should be very careful about the task of compiling your own diet.
Grip strength training
It is recommended to perform exercises aimed at strengthening the grip at an average pace without haste. You don't have to make big intervals. The best results can be achieved by combining exercises for developing pinching strength, holding strength and squeezing ability into a single complex. Before you begin to perform such exercises, it is necessary to properly stretch the tendons, ligaments and muscles of the forearm. It is best to forget about hand straps forever, and in the gym you should pay more attention to free weights than to block simulators.
Powerful crushing ability
A striking example of a strong squeezing ability is the handshake, which is called "iron". Carpal expanders and special rings are considered the easiest and most affordable way to develop this strength. made of rubber. First, it is best to take an expander or a ring that allows you to perform no more than 7-10 compressions in one set. It is worth switching to a harder expander after 3-4 weeks of regular classes.
Chopping firewood with an ax can also be attributed to the squeezing force. The constant change in the position of the center of gravity, the presence of acceleration and the moment of impact contact with a solid tree give the muscles of the forearm and hand a significant load.
There is another noteworthy way to develop squeezing ability, which is to lift weights with ordinary forceps. It is described in one of his books by John Brookfield, and it looks something like this:
- A durable metal bucket is filled with a weighting agent at the discretion of the athlete (wet sand, nails, stones or any other filler).
- The handle of the bucket is wrapped with a rope or strap. Otherwise, the weight may slip out of the forceps and cause injury.
- It is necessary to lift the bucket with tongs so that they are in a vertical position.
The weight of the weighting agent, the number of approaches and repetitions, each must calculate for himself empirically. The main thing is not to overdo it with weight at the initial stage of training, however, classes with too light a projectile will also not bring positive results. Such an exercise is more suitable for athletes living in their own homes, and not in apartments. City residents can be advised this alternative: taking an ordinary broom by the very tip of its handle, you need to pick it up from the floor with one hand. When the exercise seems too easy, add a weighting agent in the form of a brick to the opposite end of the tool.
holding force
The holding force has the closest relationship with the powerful squeezing ability, so they need to be developed synchronously. For holding strength training, it is recommended to use thick dumbbell handles and a neck, which will complicate the work, but will allow you to work your forearms much more effectively and strengthen your hands. One of the most effective exercises for developing holding strength is the Farmer's Walk. It is performed in a very simple way: picking up heavy dumbbells, you just need to walk along with them. It is necessary to walk up to the appearance of a slight burning sensation in the forearms.
It is preferable to do the exercise with an interval of 5-6 days.
Another interesting idea is hanging on the horizontal bar, during which the weight is held with four fingers (the big one does not participate in this exercise). Some athletes wrap a towel around the barbell or dumbbell bar to develop holding strength. This tactic has a certain effectiveness, but is traumatic. To date, there are special nozzles on the neck for sale, designed to expand its diameter.
Pinch force
Even in the case of pumping a powerful squeezing ability and holding force, it is necessary to develop fingers, especially the big one, which is practically not involved during standard exercises. You can load it well by holding the smooth discs from the bar. It is best to start with pancakes weighing 5-10 kg. To improve the pinch strength indicators, you should also pay attention to the following effective exercises:
- All fingers are threaded into a piece of thick elastic, after which you need to try to completely straighten them. Having reached the point of maximum tension, it is necessary to hold on to it as long as possible, not allowing the fingers to close.
I recommend doing this exercise every day. The result will not make you wait long.
- A rigid expander with metal or wooden handles must be fully compressed and held for 20-30 seconds in this position due to the efforts of the fingers. Performed in 3-4 sets with a single repetition.
- Yawara, kubotan, or a regular wooden stick are great for everyday warm-ups. For example: resting one end of the projectile on the thumb, you need to alternately and with maximum effort press the pads of other fingers on the opposite end, holding the static voltage for 8-10 seconds. Instead of a stick, you can use a ball made of thick rubber.
Such sports tricks as tearing a book or a deck of cards into two parts, as well as straightening nails, mounts and horseshoes are based on the strength of the brush. An effective exercise for developing this strength is the flexion of the wrists, but instead of dumbbells or a barbell, a disc is used as a weight. There is an option to perform this exercise with a similar grip, only in a standing position. Throughout the approach, the brushes should remain motionless.
To increase the strength of the hands, exercises with holding the rope and winding the cable with weights around the handle are well suited.
Rotation training
The bulk of the Powerball shells on the market are made of plastic, but there are metal models designed for advanced athletes.
Powerball is a hand trainer that works on the gyroscopic principle. That is, the more you unwind it, the greater the load will fall on the hand and muscles of the forearm. There are “balls” with backlight, a counter for the number of rotations, a speedometer showing the current speed and other useful features. This projectile allows you to strengthen your fingers, hands and forearms. Another very effective method of such training is the rotation of the dumbbell. To perform the exercise, a heavy dumbbell is taken in each hand, after which, from a standing position, rotational movements of the wrists back and forth counterclockwise and in the opposite direction are carried out.
The benefits of a strong grip
A strong grip is an indicator of good health, and it is not for nothing that a dynamometer is still used during a medical commission in hospitals, which must be pressed with the help of hand strength. It is precisely because of the lack of a strong grip that many bodybuilders with developed muscles turn out to be weaker than lightweight powerlifters.
Hands have a close connection with the brain, and their development favorably affects the functioning of neural networks. Its importance cannot be underestimated in such sports and disciplines as: boxing, hockey, tennis, powerlifting, martial arts, workout and crossfit.
A strong grip is important not only for full-fledged work in the gym, but also for solving various everyday tasks.
Conclusion
It is necessary to work carefully on strengthening the grip, making the training aimed at its development as difficult and persistent as possible. However, there is a nuance here, which should not be forgotten, so as not to cause damage to your own body. If after performing several approaches on the forearms they get tired and “clogged”, then it is important not to overdo it in the load on the hands and fingers, and increase it as smoothly as possible, gradually increasing the weight at each workout. In order to develop a powerful grip, it is also recommended to hang on a thick horizontal bar or perform pull-ups on three fingers.
Be sure to read about it
John Brookfield is a living legend in the world of power. He is known as "Mr. Hands" - the person with the strongest grip. Brookfield is one of several Earthlings who have squeezed the Captain of Crush N 4 wrist expander. He releases his own wrist expanders - JB Grippers. In addition, he created several notes on how to strengthen the grip, where he showed how to learn how to bend steel bars and tear decks of cards.
Here is what Phil Pfister, the strongest man of 2006, says about him: “I know some very strong guys. However, John is one of those rare super guys who is not just one of the strongest in the world, but really head and shoulders above the rest of us... When it comes to developing strength, John breaks all barriers. He knows no bounds…”
How to increase grip strength? Here are some exercises for developing grip strength, John Brookfield suggests in his book Grip Tip:
1. Expander on a rope
Here is an exercise that will significantly increase the strength of your hands. In fact, it is more than just an exercise. It's a goldmine for results and an addictive game that will keep you motivated with its challenging nature. Also, by developing the strength of the hands, the exercise will significantly improve explosive strength and coordinate the eye-hand connection.
The preparation for the exercise is very simple. All you need is to take the expander and hang it on a rope or a thin chain. Tie a rope to something above your head. Sometimes I do this exercise just by holding the rope over my head with my other hand. In general, it does not matter how high the expander is suspended. Adjust the height so that the expander is at the level of the solar plexus, I think this height is optimal.
The goal of the exercise is to squeeze the expander in one quick, explosive movement. Do not try to grab and then squeeze, grab the expander and squeeze it in one continuous movement. Start with your hand at your side, as if you were about to draw a pistol from a holster. Grab the expander as quickly and sharply as possible, immediately squeezing it to the end. This will be really hard to do. You will grasp the expander differently each time, and this is one of the main advantages of the exercise. Every time you squeeze the expander, it works your hand a little differently.
The question arises, which expander to use? Oddly enough, due to the extreme difficulty of this exercise, the average person cannot squeeze even a regular expander sold in the sports goods department in this style. Remember to evenly work out both hands in each workout, just use different expanders. I myself work with Trainer Captains of Crush, about 50 reps per hand.
2. Raising a row of bricks
This valuable exercise develops the functional strength of the entire upper body. When I say "upper body" I don't just mean the chest and back, but also the arms and wrists and fingers.
Start by laying out the bricks on the ground in a row in front of you. They need to be folded tightly to each other, as shown in the photo. The type and weight of bricks does not play a special role. I'll leave that to you to decide. Once you have decided on the number and size of the bricks, bend over, take a row around the edges and, squeezing the bricks together, lift them off the ground.
Raise the bricks up or make them thrust to the stomach. Put them on the ground and start moving again. I prefer to keep the row together and touch the ground with it throughout the set. This constant contraction gives you the opportunity to really give it your all. This exercise will work your chest like never before. I like to do eight to ten reps per set, and I also do all movements very slowly. Remember that you must constantly squeeze the bricks so they don't fall.
If you want to use the exercise to develop pure strength, keep adding bricks by placing them on top of the row. The more bricks you put on top, the harder it will be to lift them. Also, if you put additional bricks in the middle of the column, it will take more force to hold the row, as the bricks on top try to push the bricks out of the row. Remember, it's not the weight of the bricks, but the force with which you squeeze them that makes this exercise so difficult.
3. Double rope pull
I will show you a great way to develop not only arm strength, but the whole body. As many of you know, I am a big fan of working with thick ropes in rows and pull-ups. For this exercise, you need a barbell or steel bar with a weight. Next, you will need an inch thick rope. The rope I'm using in the photo is one and a half inches thick, but you can use different thicknesses of rope depending on how hard you want the exercise to be.
Adjust the length of the rope until you find the one that is comfortable for you. I suggest using two pieces of 60 cm rope. If you want to do a partial deadlift, the rope can be longer.
Wrap the pieces of rope around the neck, take the ends of one piece of rope in your left hand, the ends of the other in your right. Don't forget to wrap the rope around so the bar is balanced. The point is to pull the bar while holding the ends of the ropes in your hands. The stronger your grip, the more weight you can pull.
The double rope pull is fun and a great way to make your arms stronger; if your grip is not very strong, this exercise will be a little painful at first. With the double rope row, you can pull and hold the bar for time, do reps or load the barbell and try your maximum. This exercise will breathe new life into your grip training, something that will bring great results.
4. Fingering on the board
All you need is a pair of boards of the same length. I suggest two sizes 5x10x100 cm. To begin with, stand up, holding the boards aligned with each other in front of you. Hold them above the ground, at chest level, squeezing with your fingertips. Start moving your fingers to the bottom of the boards so that the boards move up. You will immediately notice that the exercise, which is easy at first, will become very difficult when you get your fingers to the bottom end of the boards.
Once you get to the end, try running your fingers in the opposite direction. This will require great finger strength and constant control of the compression of the boards, especially at the bottom of the boards. At first it will seem impossible to keep the boards together while moving them around. Keep practicing and you will get great results.
Be careful not to let the boards slide against each other. As you get stronger, you can use longer boards and even add a third. As you can see, you can get great results from this exercise without ever getting bored.
5. Lifting a chair with weight
Here is another fun and unusual way to develop forearms. I have mentioned many times that it is very important to do interesting and unusual things in training, this is a good support for motivation. I call this exercise "lifting the chair."
Find a stool or small chair. Also a few pancakes of 5 - 10 kg. If you don't have pancakes, use sandbags or bricks. Now take the chair by the leg closest to you and lift the chair vertically up. As soon as you lift the chair off the ground, put a weight on it and hold it for as long as possible.
There are many different ways to do this exercise. Personally, I like to do this: I put a couple of pancakes on a chair and hold until my arm gets tired, then I remove the second pancake and hold for as long as possible, and then I hold an empty chair.
You can lift a chair from the ground, after putting a weight on it. This is great, but you need to make sure that during the lift the weight does not move out and does not fall. Also, the chair can be so heavy that additional weights are not needed. With a little experimentation, you will find the right chair and the extra weight you need.
I urge you to include this exercise in your workout as it will give you very good results. It works on the forearm and deltas. This is a great exercise for armwrestlers and anyone who is trying to develop functional strength, such as bending nails.
6. Working with a long neck
This method can be used in a variety of exercises in a variety of ways. I recall a drawing by Arthur Saxon where he used one of these techniques in his training. I call it "Long Neck Work" and it captures the essence very accurately.
All you need to do is grab a bar longer than a standard dumbbell and get to work. You can even take the bar once you learn how to control it. Now you are wondering what is so special about using a long dumbbell bar or even a barbell? This time we will use them in the exercises for one hand. This is justified by the fact that it is a great method to develop lower arm strength, you will have to work hard to keep the bar in balance. You will have to balance the neck with only one hand strength.
For starters, you can use an old-style barbell that is much shorter than a regular bar. You can also work with a heavy steel bar, fixing the weight in a comfortable position for you, using four locks. Be extremely careful, make sure that the locks firmly fix the weight. As usual, experiment, find the right weight.
There are many exercises in which you can use a long bar. However, let's look at just three moves that are pretty safe. I say safe because you don't have to lift the weight over your head.
1. Lifting for biceps. Lift the weight slowly, trying to keep the bar in balance. This will intensely work the forearm and wrist. Don't push yourself too hard, control the bar. If the bar breaks out of the hand, let it fall to the ground. If the exercise is too hard, use lighter weights or a shorter bar.
2. Lifting the biceps with a reverse grip.
3. Pull with one hand. Bend over holding the bar in front of you and pull it towards your chest.
Use both hands for all exercises. Work with a long bar and you will develop the strongest grip.
7. Finger training
This is one of the best ways to develop hand strength. In fact, it develops not only the strength of the hands, but the coordination and muscles of all fingers. At first, you will work with light pancakes, about 5 kg., to master the technique of movement. When you master the technique, you can take a pancake weighing 10 kg, or, for example, two 5 kg each, folding them with the smooth side out.
Grab the pancake with your thumb and forefinger. Now hold the pancake with your thumb and middle finger, and release your index finger, and so on with all fingers, then in reverse order, until you again hold the pancake with your thumb and forefinger.
Exercise is very important not only for developing finger strength, but also for dexterity. At first, you will slowly move your fingers, one after the other, but after a while, the movement will become quite natural for you. It will also be very difficult to hold the weight with just your thumb and little finger. It will be difficult to keep even a small weight in this way. However, this exercise will develop strength and agility very quickly.
Remember to work both hands equally. In fact, you can do the exercise with both hands. Holding the heavier pancake with the fingers of the same name, repeat the same cycle until you have enough strength.
This exercise will give your fingers a new type of load, find their weak points and quickly strengthen them. It will also teach your fingers to move in previously unusual directions for them.
A lot of men dream of a powerful grip. However, for some this is a privilege, and for some it is an important necessity, without which one cannot build a career or succeed in sports. For every athlete who visits the gym and has made a clear decision to move forward in this business from day to day, from week to week, from year to year, it is important to know how to increase grip strength. Now you will understand why this is necessary and what exercises will turn your hands into a vise.
Why do you need a strong grip?
The answer to this question is obvious, and anyone who at least once in his life gave himself a high load in the gym understands perfectly well how important it is to be confident in the strength of his forearms. Working with heavy weights, and other exercises require the athlete to have power in his hands, otherwise it will not work to load the main muscles. It just won't hold the weight.
When the projectile slips out of your hands it is:
- At least annoying
- Violates the technique of performing the exercise
- Doesn't allow proper muscle loading
- May cause injury to the athlete
In addition, there are people who simply need a powerful grip. This includes wrestlers, judoists, karatekas, arm wrestlers and so on. But if the latter build their workouts mainly with an emphasis on developing a strong grip, then for everyone else this method is not suitable for various reasons. And besides, they do not need to have such powerful and swinging hands. It is enough just to strengthen the muscles and ligaments without reaching such volumes, and the following exercises will help you with this.
Iron Grip Exercises
There is a set of simple, but at the same time effective exercises that, when properly combined, will help develop the power of your hands.
Stretching a belt or rope- a very interesting exercise that was used by sailors and soldiers during the tsarist army. In hand-to-hand combat, all means are good, and in the turbulent pre-Soviet times, skirmishes occurred quite often. Times have passed, but the effectiveness of the method has remained. You must take a strong belt or thick rope, and then begin to stretch it, trying to break it. Systematize the implementation of this exercise to achieve the best effect, do 20-25 stretches in 3-4 sets. It may seem that it is simple, but in fact, not everyone will be able to do 15 repetitions.
Start stretching the rope, trying to break it. For best effect, do 20-25 stretches in 3-4 sets.
Pull-ups and hanging on a belt or rope- the principle is the same as in the first exercise, only the effect is much better. The main thing is not to make loops around the wrist - remember that you are strengthening your grip first, but doing pull-ups along the way.
Rope climbing with a corner- a complex exercise that will strengthen not only the grip, but also load the press along with the latissimus dorsi. Climb until your hands can hardly be clenched into a fist, and since this exercise is new, this effect will not take long.
Rope climbing will strengthen not only the grip, but also load the press along with the latissimus dorsi muscles.
Hand climbing is also a great and easy method to strengthen your grip. The exercise must be performed to complete failure. This means that when you can no longer move through the pipes, get off, rest and start again. The bottom line is to load your hands to such an extent that even the first “step” is difficult for you.
Hanging on the crossbar- the simplest and most common exercise, which is familiar to many from school physical education lessons. You need to perform to the limit, continue to hang on your fingers and fight for every second, because it is from this that the power of squeezing your brush in the future will be determined. When you can hang without too many obstacles for 5-10 minutes, you can add weights to keep progressing.
Compressing the expander- also a familiar exercise, which is best combined with any other. The main advantage of working with an expander is the ability to pump the relief or, on the contrary, load the forearms.
When squeezing the expander, you load the forearms
Conclusion
A competent combination of the above exercises will help you realize your dream and develop powerful forearms. In addition, it would be useful to add a barbell or dumbbells here, as well as combine various grip strengthening methods with them. It is unlikely that you will be able to achieve good results right away, but remember that the body is not built in one day. Try it, and soon you will be able to turn your hands into a steel vise.
Grip strength characterizes every man during a handshake. Weak and soft palm leaves not the best impression. In addition, you need to have strong hands and fingers if you are seriously involved in sports, for example, working with weights or on a horizontal bar. Therefore, fellow athletes, let's train a strong grip!
Grip and big sport
A strong grip is the main characteristic of athletes performing in such a type of weightlifting as armlifting. This is a professional sport that brings world fame to athletes, good prizes and, of course, a sense of pride in the result. In general, there is something to think about - maybe it is you who will be able to achieve great heights in this sport.
Armlifting is not as popular as football or tennis, but thousands of fans still exist.
Super grip is useful not only in itself. The developed muscles of the hands are of great importance in arm wrestling, power triathlon, bodybuilding, workout, the same tennis, hockey. In any sport where you need to hold significant weight with your hands, the grip is of great importance.
Grip and ordinary life
Men's meeting begins with a handshake. His strength is the hallmark of a man. When you greet with a strong grip, it already lets the other man know that he is “strong”.
This is the first reason why there should be a fortress in the palm of your hand.
Men regularly pick up something - at work, at home, while grocery shopping. When you didn't have a car, you carried bags (previously nets) with groceries to your house. Remember how hard it was sometimes? How the fingers unbent themselves under the weight of the package. Now most of you have cars. At most, you carry the same packages to the car. And then from the car to the house. In the "horseless" times, the grip was stronger, that's for sure.
But, for example, an emergency situation when you need to climb a couple of meters up, and this is a matter of life and death. Again, the power of the brushes will solve this situation in the direction you need.
And if your hands are weak, you can lose a lot. This was during earthquakes, falls, landslides, persecution. A good example of this is the movie Cliffhanger starring Sylvester Stallone.
And, of course, we can not leave aside the visual perception of the forearms. After all, training the brush involves the active work of these particular muscles. Massive and powerful forearms immediately emphasize the question: is it worth talking to you carelessly or rudely.
A strong grip (or better yet, a perfect grip) is the key to confidence. Its significance is great, as you have already noticed, not only in sports, but also in everyday life.
Principles of grip training
Grip training is the only way to strengthen your hand muscles. Without this, it is unrealistic to achieve extraordinary results. However, a person's genetic predisposition also plays a role.
The muscle mass of an athlete does not always indicate the strength of his grip. It happens that the thickness of the tendons of the forearm, and not the volume of the muscles, decides the outcome of the competition. Moreover, the girth of the biceps does not affect the force of squeezing the hand in any way - the shoulder flexor is not involved in this movement.
So, the forearm has 19 different muscles. Only 4 of these 19 provide turns. The rest are responsible for flexion and extension.
There are a number of exercises that are good only at the initial stage of training. With prolonged execution, they are able to maintain the current level of muscle development, but they will not be enough for further progress. We're talking about grip strength.
Hang on the horizontal bar
Constant hanging on the horizontal bar strengthens the grip at the initial stage of training. When you can hang for about a minute with your hands on the bar, your progress will stop. Further, you can increase the hang time, but the strength will not increase. Each person has a different habituation time, someone will stop progressing after a 30-second hang.
Of course, in itself such a vis is very useful. In particular, the longer you hang, the more the spine will stretch (this is more often good than bad), and the endurance of the wrist muscles will noticeably grow. Strength is not, progress will stop over time.
Manual expander of one type
Very often, the lack of results from training with a manual expander is associated with an unchanging load on the muscles. There is training, but there is no progression - that is, you just maintain a certain level of strength, but do not grow further. Quite a few people face this.
If you carry a “donut” in your pocket and squeeze it all the time, up to a certain point your strength will grow, and then progress will stop, because the resistance of the simulator is constant.
The muscles require adaptive training: that is, as soon as the muscle has the opportunity to do a little more, you must immediately use this opportunity, forcing the muscles to make more significant efforts.
Exactly the same statement can be made for almost any exercise. The main thing is not to use one weight.
The key to success is a complex load
Developing grip strength is a versatile activity. You should do different exercises, gradually increasing the load.
Although, if you are satisfied with a slightly more powerful grip than your friends, a few round expanders are enough for you. Just remember to periodically give a heavier load to your wrist muscles.
For best results, in addition to the hands, the rest of the body should also be trained. This is a simple truth, not obvious to everyone. Isolated training with just one grip will not give the proper result. The body must work in harmony.
You can engage in any physical activity. You can work out in the gym, play your favorite sport or do exercises in the morning. If you want, just run, it will give you basic stamina. Grip strength training will be more effective if all other muscles are developed.
Cardio, by the way, in addition to developing endurance, has another side - improving blood circulation and saturating body cells with nutrients and oxygen. Thanks to the accelerated metabolism, the muscles will work better.
Exercises
Not all athletes know how to increase grip strength. And not always those who have an impressive figure can boast of success in this area. So what to do, how to strengthen the brushes?
Changing expanders
To get started, go to the nearest sports store and find a "donut" there. Try to work with expanders of different elasticity, decide which one is moderately difficult for you to work with. Take 2 expanders at once - the one that you like and one more, a little harder for compression.
Work with the easier option first. Get to the point where you can do 50 squeezes with each hand. Sometimes you can twist your fists while the expander is compressed - it will be more difficult. You do not need to keep your palm clenched for a long time, a second is enough.
Please note: when you work with a ring expander, the muscles of different fingers tense in different ways. Try to make sure that all of them experience approximately the same amount of load.
When you can do 50 compressions with each hand, move on to a heavier expander. And so, as it progresses, you will need to buy a new one.
One day you will have to abandon the "donut" and buy a V-shaped expander. It has more resistance and will be your next level trainer.
Additionally, you can practice rope climbs and other exercises.
Engaging the extensors
In addition to the flexors of the hand, it will be useful to pay attention to the extensors. Extending the palm with effort does not have any practical application, but in general, complex muscle training will give the best effect.
The simplest thing is to put a strong elastic band on your closed fingers and spread them apart. You can invent some kind of your own way to load the palm during extension, here ingenuity and imagination are welcome.
Tracking progress
If you want to track your progress, you will need a wrist dynamometer. This is a device that allows you to see how much effort your brush develops during compression. The numbers will be your guide.
We train the forearms
Watch what tenses up when the fist is clenched. That's right, the inside of the forearm. Apparently, this muscle also needs to be pumped?
By the way, do not forget about the warm-up. The muscles of the hand are the same muscles as the triceps, biceps. You do not go to bench press the bar immediately from the maximum weight, but approach this weight gradually.
Remember food
Muscles are made up of muscle and connective tissue. It is important that the tendon is firmly attached to the periosteum on one side, and to the muscle body on the other. To do this, you need to eat foods that are rich in protein, vitamins necessary for the connective fibers of unsaturated fatty acids (Omega-3 and 6).
