Do Grip Strengtheners Work?

Do grip strengtheners work, or are they another gimmick to make money?

The short answer is yes; they absolutely do work and increased hand strength can be considered an important component of your strength program going forward!

Having a Tough Mudder in the diary is a great reason to start working on your grip strength. As you read on though you'll see there are plenty of reasons to focus on your hand muscles and many of them crop up in everyday life. So, if you find yourself getting hand cramp often, if you're struggling to lift weights at the gym or grapple with heavy shopping bags and if you find simple tasks like typing or walking the dog are leaving your hands and arms fatigued, then increasing your grip strength should be a priority.

Benefits of Having Good Grip Strength

Funky Monkey, The Gauntlet, Everest, Mudderhorn, Hero Halls, all of these obstacles and plenty of others will demand grip strength from you on the course. But off the course great grip strength is beneficial too. Improving your grip strength will help you to get stronger overall as you'll be able to lift heavier weights at the gym.

Putting training and exercise aside better grip strength will improve your fine motor skills which allow you to do…pretty much everything (think opening jars, throwing, catching. etc). Plus, it will even drop your chances of developing arthritis.

I've outlined two different programs below for grip exercisers, one for strength, the other for endurance.

With either program, as you improve every workout, or every week, gradually increase the and resistance that you are gripping while dropping the reps slightly and using shorter rest periods.

Here you go!

1. Strength Program For Grip Strength (3 X Times A Week)

• Begin with a light warm-up using 25% of your working weight if using the WINS Strength Trainer or with a cheap soft hand gripper before increasing to 50%, then 75% to prepare for the main phase.

• A1 – 5 Sets x 6-8 Reps using WIN Strength Trainer then rest 10 seconds before moving to A2.

• A2 – 5 Sets x 6-8 Reps using the WINS Strength Trainer with the full extension on every Rep then rest 10 seconds before moving to A3.

• A3 – 5 Sets x 6-8 Reps using the Gripmaster then rest 120-180 seconds before repeating the Tri-Set.

Do this routine for 3-4 weeks or if you feel you're still improving then continue longer.

2. Endurance Program For Grip Strength (3-4 X Times A Week)

With this routine, the grip exercises and equipment are the same, but the Repetitions, Rest Periods and Sets are different, the warm-up is also shorter.

• Begin with a light warm-up using 50% of your working weight if using the WINS Strength Trainer or with a cheap soft hand gripper before increasing to 75%, then 90% to prepare for the main phase.

• A1 – 3-4 Sets x 15-20 Reps using WINS Strength Trainer then rest 10 seconds before moving to A2.

• A2 – 3-4 Sets x 15-20 Reps using the WINS Strength Trainer with the full extension on every Rep then rest 10 seconds before moving to A3.

• A3 – 3-4 Sets x 15-20 Reps using the Gripmaster then rest 90-120 seconds before repeating the Tri-Set.

Do this routine for 3-4 weeks or if you feel you're still improving then continue longer. You're keeping the reps high, drop them slightly and up the weight as your strength goes up and if the program begins to feel less challenging!

Conclusion

I hope you see the value in adding a grip training program to your routine, whether it's for general health or sports specific.

Unlike working out the rest of your body, you can do this routine while reading a book, watching television or sitting down to relax. 3-4 times a week for 15 minutes is all it takes to see significant improvements in your strength, tendons and the appearance of your forearms.

You will also have more confidence and feel better too!