High Rep Grip Training

 In my last post, I wrote about the pros and cons to High Rep Training. That was more on the lines of Bodyweight Training but it still goes along with weights and other things. What about Grip Work? Just like with anything else, it's important to look at what could be useful and what could be harmful.

When it comes down to it, High Rep Grip Work can go either way and depending on your fitness levels, previous injuries or if you've ever suffered from Elbow Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel, Wrist Problems or whatever, be mindful about what you're getting into and how to handle stress with Hand and Finger Exercises. Certain things aren't meant for some people because of old injuries and what have you but if you can adapt and learn certain protocols, it's possible to be able to train the hands efficiently.

I first got into grip work when I was bending steel, tearing phonebooks and levering sledgehammers because in order to perform these things, my hands needed to not just be strong, but also supple and flexible along with making sure the tendons and ligaments were healthy. I did some high rep training for them and also just in general because back in high school I did have problems in my elbows and hands from throwing shot put & discus and didn't take care of them the way I should have. If I knew then what I know now or even in my 20's, I probably could've gone further with the throws. 

When people talk about high rep training, most would say to train doing lots of reps in a single set and continuing for a period of time. My style really is by the totals, not always single set numbers. Yes I can do certain things at 100 reps or more in a row but some exercises or numbers become mind numbing and wondering if it it's really doing anything? Stimulating the muscles or smaller muscles is more important than just an arbitrary number and most numbers I go after these days are really no more than 25-50 depending on the exercise. 

For my grip training, I focus on health and doing enough to really tackle things. One of my favorite courses I do for my hands is what's called Finger Gymnastics by Garin Bader. I've written about this in previous years but for someone who's new to the understanding, I'll do my best to give you an idea....

Finger Gymnastics is based on the principles and simplicity of Garin's training system that kept him in good shape for the things he does. He's a magician that also performs incredible stunts along with playing several instruments including the Piano which he is famous in his field for. The way he performs with his hands is a sight to see and his grip strength is awesome. I've felt it myself when he trained me for a time back in 2010 when I visited him at his Vegas home. He takes simple finger and hand exercises and utilizes implements and mental techniques to create a style that gives a person the strength, suppleness, flexibility, durability and other attributes to do things in everyday life or even as an entertainer such as a musician, performer in cirque du soleil, dancing and other things. It's a great course that everybody should have in their arsenal and I don't say that for a lot of things.

Totaling in high numbers has its perks but can also have its drawbacks if you're not careful and overwhelm the muscles and the things holding you together. I recently got this Hand Training system called Alpha Gripz where it has three levels of Doughnut shaped hand grippers and Finger Bands to work the Extensor muscles or the back of the Forearm. Already done workouts where I did up to 400+ reps in a single session going back and forth with the grippers and extensors. Kept it to about 25-50 reps and they're not too difficult but they're not easy either. Working more on the lines of building greater dexterity in my right hand because for nearly 40 years of my life, I've had nerve damage due to the meningitis, so it's a continuation of that long journey. I can't open my hand on my right hand fully with even the Level 1 Extensors because of the 4th and 5th fingers having no dexterity. I can't move most of my fingers in that hand individually so I have to adjust. 

If all you do is open and close for countless reps without having any stimulation, there's not a whole lot you're getting out of it, sure it's better than nothing but in order for the hands to be effectively strong and supple, there's more digging than you normally go towards. With certain focus, you can build strong hands that not only can have a crushing grip, but also have a greater delicate feel to them. Think of a Barber who uses scissors like they're electric, build that up over a period of time, that man has some insanely strong and supple fingers. How about a farmer that carries buckets or milks the cow, all that holding, tugging and pulling builds incredibly powerful hands. 

Use exercises that give you great benefit and build up a total, not just how many you can do in one shot. Strong hands have built foundations, supple fingers have written masterpieces, thrown 100 mph fastballs, played guitars with such accuracy and precision, bent steel, lifted heavy weights and can be so powerful, a fighter can have trouble getting out of a hold. The hands are the tools that have created, destroyed, fought, made peace and strengthened societies since the dawn of man. Don't just be a handful, be mindful as well. 

Be amazingly awesome and keep your hands healthy everyone.   

Forearms Built For Popeye

 Well, in a sense. No, my forearms are no where near The Sailor Man but over a period of YEARS, I've developed some pretty decent lower arms that have arm wrestled three generation of a logger family, swung heavy sledgehammers as heavy as 75 lbs, bent tough steel (short and shaped long pieces as well), tore through phonebooks with ease and lots of rows and pulls using Fat Gripz. Alas, I'm not done or haven't peaked yet.

The lower arms aren't just merely little muscles in the forearms, there's bone and tendon strength there too that gives you a different outlet of strength over purely weights and bodyweight style. The grip strength that came with these thick puppies wasn't made overnight or just a pump after a workout. Believe it or not, I never really specialized in them, just worked them hard like anything else and focused into the muscles as I trained them. Some of it is genetics but the reality is, I busted my ass to make them strong yet supple, flexible and durable. 

Sure I've trained with wrist rollers and done wrist curls and all that but nothing builds the forearms IMO than working with Sledgehammers, Isometric Training, Thick Handle Work. Working the fingers as well is part of the package deal when you're building grip strength and/or muscle building. Very little Isolated movements are done, like with the whole body, everything should be working together regardless of what you specialize in. When you're training with sledgehammers, it's a feeling you don't get with a lot of other stuff; the swing, the just right amount of grip strength to tighten up on the handle to move the hammer effectively (can't grip it too tight but you can't have a weak and loose grip either). When you've done hundreds or over 1000 reps in training, it's not just a pump you feel, it's that surge of power coursing through your veins and feeling like a warrior who was victorious in battle. 

Having a powerful grip is also one of two things; a life saving entity and a make or break formality in sports. For the life saving aspect, the ability to grab somebody to save them from a burning building or pulling them out of a rapid riverbend puts a whole new meaning to the term "real life strength." In sports, hitting the ball far, throwing it down the field, working a submission in MMA or the strength to toss your opponent like a rag doll in Amateur Wrestling all have ties to a strong grip. Granted not all who have a strong grip have huge muscles, some 165 lb stick figure of a man can have incredible grip strength either from farming, labor work or other things. One of the greatest figures in wrestling history had a grip that to this day still baffles people; the legendary Danny Hodge was able to crush apples, break pliers and make men fall to their knees with his handshake. 

If you were to specialize in building incredible gripping power, focus mainly on the tendons and ligaments...This could go with high rep work, isometrics, thick bars or attaching Fat Gripz to your barbells and dumbbells, fingertip push-ups and plenty of pulling and pushing while focusing on the grip itself. There are far better experts out there than me that make my grip strength seem like I have the strength of Twiggy; guys like Dennis Rogers, Brooks Kubik, Edward Aston, Mac Batchelor and others are some of the true masters of grip strength. As you work exercises that flex or squeeze the muscles, be sure to work the opposite doing extensor work as well. A great book to look into is Molding A Mighty Grip by George Jowett. 

Don't just go for strength either, condition the lower arms as much as you can because having strong, durable and conditioned hands goes a long way than just maxing out for a short period of time. Moving furniture is a hell of a way to find out what your grip is or some good old fashioned arm wrestling or tug of war. Having strong and conditioned hands can also indicate how healthy you are as well. Be strong, build some mighty mitts and keep being amazingly awesome.