A strong hand grip is the best exercise. Grip strength: ways to develop and train

Usually, only arm wrestlers actively pump their forearm muscles in the gym. This is their specialized muscle group and there is nothing to do in this sport without strong forearms. But a strong grip, in addition to martial arts, is needed in many other disciplines: boxing, wrestling, rock climbing, golf and, of course, bodybuilding.

In all strength sports, the strength and endurance of the forearms muscles is very important, because as they say: “the strength of a chain is determined by the strength of its weakest link.” Without strong forearms, it’s not just that you can’t pump up muscles, you can’t open a jar of cucumbers.

Forearm pumping is serious

If you still approach training your forearms like poor Cinderella, giving them only crumbs of your attention, I strongly advise you to reconsider your view on their development. Because pumping up your forearms by pumping them up according to the residual principle definitely won’t work. Yes, just like biceps and triceps, you also need to spend time and effort on them, and you also need to select a set of exercises to pump up your forearms. But who said that to become the owner powerful hands- it's simple?

Why pump up your forearms?

BACK TRAINING| These small but “stubborn” muscles take an active part in everything. The amount of weight used in lat exercises directly depends on the endurance of the forearms. Insufficient grip strength is one of the reasons for chronic back muscle development.

Of course, when you shake your back, you can and even need to use wrist straps, but strong forearms, coupled with this attribute strength training– this is a double guarantee that the back muscles will receive sufficient load for growth.

arm exercise video:

While performing a barbell lift reverse grip, in addition to the forearms themselves, the biceps is included in the work, as well as the older brother of the brachioradialis muscle - the brachialis. And although it occupies only 7% of the arm’s volume, lying under the biceps, the brachialis “pushes” it out, adding power and muscularity to the arms.

Therefore, lifting a barbell with a reverse grip is not only a basic exercise for the forearms, but also for all the muscles of the arm. For the technique of performing a barbell curl with a reverse grip, see the following story.

forearm training video:

In the absence of a barbell, reverse grip raises can be performed with dumbbells. This way you can pump up your forearms at home. You can use any heavy object as a weight, from a weight to a bucket of sand or a suitcase.

Barbell curls with a reverse grip are often performed while sitting on a Scott bench. In this case, from basic exercise for the arms it turns into an isolated one, aimed mainly at the development of the brachialis and lower biceps.

What about the other exercises for the forearms, is it necessary to do them? It is possible and even necessary, only of special height muscle mass You shouldn’t expect anything from them, since they load only small parts of the forearms. Muscle endurance increases, but cardinal hypertrophy does not occur.

If we talk about specific exercises for the muscles of the forearms, I advise you to pay attention to twisting movements. This load actively involves small rotator muscles, adding relief and visual volume to the forearms.

The simplest one is to stand up straight, take heavy dumbbells in each hand and rotate your hands from side to side. And again, a short story where the great inventor Julian Smith demonstrates the TOP 10 exercises for the forearms.

exercise for forearms video:

Conclusion: The brachioradialis muscle is the basis of the large forearms. Bicep curls, performed in a power style, help pump up your forearms in a short time.

Forearm workout. What is its feature?

In fact, there is nothing extraordinary about training your forearms. , and forearms. These muscles are classified as “stubborn”, “heavy” and “poor growing”. And they behave badly because they are pumped incorrectly.

IN Everyday life these “kids” take an active part. During the day, the muscles of the forearms bend, extend and rotate thousands of times. MULTIPLE REPETITION TRAINING IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THEM. You won’t surprise them by working with light weights.

You need to pump your forearms in a style opposite to their normal load. In order for these and other “stubborn people” to grow quickly, exercises for them need to be performed in a strength style with a small (6-9) number of repetitions. But besides this simple truth of doing forearm exercises, there are three more important nuances:

Adaptation| The brachioradialis muscle, like the rest of the muscles of the forearms, is very durable and consists mainly of fast-twitch fibers. It quickly adapts to the load. To make it grow constantly, the style of doing exercises must be constantly changed. Drop sets, slow repetitions, forced repetitions, all these techniques give an excellent effect when training the muscles of the forearms.
Wrist straps| The most effective arm exercise is the reverse grip lift. The volume and strength of this muscle group directly depends on the amount of weight that is used in it. Feel free to pump your forearms with wrist straps. This will allow you to work with a much heavier barbell.
Training frequency| The muscles of the forearms are small, in addition, they assist in all exercises for the back and biceps. There is no point in pumping your forearms hard every time you visit the gym, because they can be easily injured. One forearm workout per week, for example, after biceps, is enough to steadily increase their volume.

Conclusion: you need to pump your forearms, just like other difficult-to-grow muscles, in a power mode using intensification methods training process. This way they respond better to the load.

Grip Strength

My story about building forearms would not be complete if I did not touch on the question of how to train grip strength. And although training the forearms and hand grip strength are very closely related, there is one significant difference between the growth of muscle mass and the development of strength indicators.

Dynamic load is The best way muscle hypertrophy. Static load – perfect way strength development. By performing exercises on the forearms, we increase their size, but the grip strength does not increase in direct proportion. Hand grip strength naturally increases, but its targeted development does not depend on the size of the muscles, but on the endurance of the joints, ligaments and tendons. To make them stronger, you need to train the ligamentous apparatus using static weight support.

The easiest way is to hold the barbell with a reverse grip for a long time. Develops good grip strength while hanging on the horizontal bar. In this case, our own body acts as a weighting agent. And if this exercise seems boring to you, use the time-tested classic - the Apollo row. It is also called the Apollo axel thrust or the Apollo axis.

It's clean strength exercise, which consists in lifting a specially designed barbell from the floor. It has a thick neck (50 mm in diameter), which also does not rotate. No better exercise for grip strength than the Apollo row. The record for this exercise belongs to Mike Bourque and is 237.5 kg. Can you imagine what kind of handshake he has?

Of course, you won’t find such a barbell in any gym. The solution will be bar overlays (bar extenders), which can be used for any barbell or dumbbells. The principle of their operation is the same: since the hands are not squeezed into a “lock”, the load on the grasping muscles increases many times over.

Conclusion: holding the weight motionless for a long time - best view loads to develop grip strength.

I hope my story about training your forearms and developing grip strength will help you get bigger and stronger hands, and your handshake will begin to resemble a “steel trap.” May the force be with you. And the mass!

Thanks to a strong grip, you can protect yourself from various injuries, get beautiful muscles forearms and acquire a powerful handshake. Such training is necessary for people involved in mountaineering, arm wrestling, basketball, kiting, bodybuilding and weightlifting.

There is a common belief that grip strength is entirely dependent on the size of the forearms. This statement is only partly true, and a number of specific training methods are used to develop grip, which will be discussed in detail below.

How does grip strength increase?

The biceps are practically not involved in the grip. Its strength increases as a result of active training of the forearms and hands.

Many professionals claim that they were able to develop a strong grip by doing pull-ups on a thick horizontal bar and using a bar with an increased diameter.

To increase your 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 principle of super compensation, too rare workouts have the same negative impact on increasing grip strength as too frequent exercise. In case of loss of super compensation, the strength parameters of the hand return to pre-training values.

To increase such strength, it is important for the body to maintain a balance of serotonin, dopamine and testosterone. Excessive amounts of cortisol (female hormone) greatly inhibit muscle growth. Overeating significantly reduces the production of growth hormone, so you should be very careful about the task of creating your own diet.

Grip strength training

It is recommended to perform exercises aimed at strengthening your grip at an average pace without haste. There is no need to do long intervals. Best results can be achieved by combining exercises to develop plucking strength, holding strength and compressive ability into a single complex. Before you begin performing such exercises, you need to properly stretch the tendons, ligaments and muscles of the forearm. It is best to forget about wrist belts forever, and in the gym you should pay more attention to free weights than to block exercise machines.

Powerful compressive ability

A striking example of a strong squeezing ability is the handshake, which is called the “iron” handshake. The simplest and in an accessible way develop this power are considered hand expanders and special rings made of rubber. First, it is best to take an expander or ring that allows you to perform no more than 7-10 compressions in one approach. You should switch to a harder expander after 3-4 weeks of regular exercise.

Compressive force also includes chopping wood with an axe. The constant change in the position of the center of gravity, the presence of acceleration and the moment of impact contact with a strong tree give the muscles of the forearm and hand a significant load.

There is another noteworthy way to develop compressive ability, which is to lift weights using ordinary forceps. John Brookfield describes it in one of his books, and it looks something like this:

A durable metal bucket is filled with a weighting agent at the athlete's discretion (wet sand, nails, stones or any other filler).
The handle of the bucket is wrapped with a rope or strap. IN otherwise The weight may slip out of the tongs and cause injury.
It is necessary to lift the bucket using tongs so that they are in a vertical position.

Everyone should calculate the weight of the weighting material, the number of approaches and repetitions for themselves experimentally. The main thing is not to overdo it with weight. initial stage training, however, training with too light an apparatus will also not bring positive results. This exercise is more suitable for athletes living in own homes, and not in apartments. City dwellers can be advised to use the following alternative: taking an ordinary broom by the very tip of its handle, you need to lift it from the floor with one hand. When the exercise seems too easy, you should 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 powerful compressive ability, so they must be developed synchronously. To train holding power, it is recommended to use thick dumbbell handles and a bar, 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 The Farmer's Walk is considered to develop holding strength. It is performed in a very simple way: taking heavy dumbbells in your hands, you just need to walk around with them. It is necessary to walk until a slight burning sensation appears in the forearms.

It is preferable to do the exercise at intervals of 5-6 days.

Another interesting idea is hanging on a horizontal bar, during which the weight is held using four fingers (the thumb does not take part in this exercise). Some athletes wrap a towel around the barbell or dumbbell to develop holding strength. Such tactics have a certain effectiveness, but are traumatic. Today, there are special attachments on the neck designed to expand its diameter.

Pinch force

Even in the case of pumping powerful compressive ability and holding power, it is necessary to develop the fingers, especially the thumb, which is practically not used during execution. standard exercises. You can load it well by holding the smooth discs away from the bar. It is best to start with pancakes weighing 5-10 kg. To improve pinch strength, you should also pay attention to the following effective exercises:

All fingers are threaded through a piece of thick elastic, after which you need to try to straighten them completely. Having reached the point of maximum tension, you need to hold on to it for as long as possible, without letting your fingers close.
I advise you to do this exercise every day. The result will not keep you waiting long.
A rigid expander with metal or wooden handles must be fully squeezed and held in this position for 20-30 seconds using the efforts of your fingers. Performed in 3-4 sets with a single repetition.
A Yawara, Kubotan, or a regular wooden stick is great for everyday warm-up. For example: resting one end of the projectile on thumb, you need to alternately and with maximum effort press the pads of your other fingers on the opposite end, holding the static tension for 8-10 seconds. Instead of a stick, you can use a ball made of thick rubber.

Sports tricks such as tearing a book or a deck of cards into two parts, as well as straightening nails, tire irons and horseshoes are based on the strength of the hand. An effective exercise for developing this strength is the wrist curl, only the weight used is not dumbbells or a bar, but a disc. There is an option this exercise with a similar grip, only in a standing position. Throughout the entire approach, the hands should remain motionless.

To increase the strength of your hands, exercises that involve holding a rope and winding a cable with weights around a handle are good.

Rotation training

The bulk of Powerball projectiles on the market are made of plastic, but there are metal models designed for advanced athletes.

Powerball represents wrist trainer, working on the gyroscopic principle. That is, the more you spin it, the huge pressure will lie on the hand and forearm muscles. There are “balls” with backlight, a spin counter, a speedometer showing the current speed and other useful functions. This projectile allows you to strengthen your fingers, hands and forearms. Another very effective method Similar training is dumbbell rotation. To perform the exercise, take a heavy dumbbell in each hand, after which you perform the exercises from a standing position. rotational movements wrists back and forth counterclockwise and in the opposite direction.

Benefits of a strong grip

A strong grip is an indicator of good health, and it is not for nothing that during a medical examination in hospitals they still use a dynamometer to this day, which must be pressed using the strength of your hands. It is precisely because of an insufficiently strong grip that many bodybuilders with developed muscles turn out to be weaker than lightweight powerlifters.

The hands have a close connection with the brain, and their development has a beneficial effect on the functioning of neural networks. Its importance 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 problems.

Conclusion

You need to work carefully to strengthen your grip, making training aimed at its development as hard and persistent as possible. However, there is a nuance here that you should not forget about, 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 three-finger pull-ups.

Be sure to read about it

As a rule, most people, especially beginners strength sports, concentrate their attention on the development of certain muscle groups, for example: biceps, chest, back. What they think is important looks beautiful and attracts the attention of others. At the same time, devoting much less time to the development of other equally important muscle groups. This article will focus on forearm muscles and grip strength.

Why is grip strength so important?

Grip strength is a critical factor when it comes to performing exercises such as pull-ups, deadlift, lunges and other exercises that involve the muscles of the forearm. Especially when these exercises are performed with a fairly serious load. If your forearms are underdeveloped, they will give out before you work the main muscle group. For example, if you pull up with extra weight and have weak forearm muscles, you will not have time to properly load the muscles of your back and arms. When performing lunges with dumbbells in your hands, with insufficient grip strength, you will finish the exercise before the leg muscles receive sufficient load. You can of course use auxiliary equipment such as hooks, belts, straps, etc. The question arises. Why then play sports? It is necessary to develop and strengthen all muscle groups, because our body is a single system.

Types of grips used in strength exercises

There are several types of grip when performing various exercises.

Here are the most basic of them:

— Closed grip. When you grip the bar of a dumbbell in your hand.

When you hold an object with your fingertips.

— Open grip. For example, with a thick bar or crossbar.

— Finger grip (support). For example, when carrying dumbbells, the bar is held on the fingers.

Exercises to strengthen your grip

Wrist expander press

One of the best exercises for developing a strong grip. There are many various types expanders with varying stiffness. You need to choose it based on your physical training. Start with 2 - 4 sets of 8 - 10 repetitions at an average pace. As you master it, make the task more difficult by increasing sets and repetitions or changing the expander to a harder one.

If you are studying in gym, then to strengthen your grip you can use a regular barbell. Take the bar with an overhand grip shoulder-width apart, straighten up (lifting technique as when performing a deadlift). The goal of this exercise is to hold a barbell for a certain amount of time. For beginners, you can start by holding for 5–10 seconds in 3–5 approaches.

Typically performed with 2 dumbbells or kettlebells. The point of the exercise is to pass while holding extra weight, a certain distance or for a certain period of time. In this case, not only your forearms will be loaded, but also the muscles of your shoulders and legs. Try starting with a 20-minute walk and progress to, say, 40 minutes with heavier weights.

Hanging on ropes or towels

If you have the opportunity, perform this exercise using ropes. If your gym or training area does not have a rope, you can use towels instead. Pick up a couple of regular towels, throw them over the bar and hang. In this case, you can not only hang, but also do pull-ups. This exercise will seem difficult at first, but your grip will become stronger by leaps and bounds.

Pinch grip hold

To perform this exercise, you must use flat weights, such as dumbbells. Start by holding 2 0.5 kg weight plates for 30 seconds. When it becomes too easy, use heavier pancakes.

Using grips

Grips are one of the best pieces of equipment that can be used with any standard barbell, dumbbells, or pull-up bar. Using grips does not allow you to close your fingers around the bar or bar, thereby making the exercise more difficult and strengthening your grip strength. Use them when performing deadlifts or pull-ups once or twice a month.

Hex Dumbbell Hold

If you have hex dumbbells at your gym or home, this is another way to put your forearm muscles to the test. To begin, perform holds in 2 sets of 30 seconds.

It is performed using an elastic band, by squeezing it using the force of your fingers. Another option for performing the exercise is to use a bucket of sand. Insert your hand with closed fingers into the sand, and then simply open the sand with your fingers.

Be sure to include exercises to strengthen your grip and forearm muscles in your training program. Remember that you are only as strong as your weakest link. If it's the grip, then why not fix it!

The size of the hands and their strength, oddly enough, are completely unrelated. You can have large weak arms and small strong hands. True strength lies not in the size of the muscles, but in the tendons. To strengthen your hands, you need to strengthen the ligaments and tendons, not build muscle. The Olympic eventing record holder, Paul Anderson, had very small hands - with a grip of steel.

Strongmen of the past sometimes demonstrated incredible strength in fingers and hands. Charles Van Sittart, for example, was a legendary athlete - he easily bent horseshoes as if they were made of clay. From thick iron rods, Van Sittart bent the curly initials of people from the audience. He tore apart bars, iron shackles, chains, and tore tennis balls in half (by the way, no one has repeated this since then). He broke the coins with his fingers. He placed 4 tubes between the fingers of one hand and easily broke them, slightly clenching his fist.

Other strongmen Bill Pearl and Chuck Sipes became famous in the fifties. On stage they tore metal car license plates in half. Of course, we don’t assure that after our advice you will be able to repeat all this, but your handshake will definitely become stronger and more confident!

Types of grips used in strength exercises

Closed grip. This is how you squeeze, for example, dumbbells.
Pinch grip. Used when, for example, you hold an object with your fingertips.
Open grip. This is how we hold a very thick bar or bar.
Finger grip. For example, when carrying dumbbells.

Exercises to strengthen the muscles of the palm

Stand 1 m from the wall and lean your palms against it. Start doing push-ups on your hands, pushing strongly away from the wall.
Put your hands down. Rotate and rotate the hand with a weight.
Place your forearm on a table or other fixed horizontal support. Perform forearm curls with a stacked dumbbell in your hand.
The forearms lie on a table or other surface so that the hands hang down. We hold the barbell in our hands with a “grip”. In this position, we raise and lower the barbell.
The same exercise, but with a different grip - “overgrip”.
Exercise with an expander (resistance force 36 kg or, to start, one that you can squeeze up to 10 times), squeeze a rubber ball. If you read a newspaper, take it with your whole palm and crush it into a tiny ball.
Wind a rope with a suspended weight around a stick.
Take the pancake by the edge and hold it with your fingers. Start with a ten-kilogram pancake, then gradually increase the weight.
Climb the rope without using your legs - only using the strength of your arms. Then start climbing the rope using only one arm (this exercise cannot be done until you learn how to do one-arm pull-ups).
Hanging on the bar. Pull-ups greatly improve your grip strength. To develop strength in your hands, pull yourself up on a thick bar or with 2-3 fingers.
To train and strengthen strength in the hands, there is Sotsky’s “bison” simulator (pictured).

Perform all these exercises in 2-3 series, each with 6-8 approaches, with weights. You can strengthen your grip, hand, and fist strength.

Exercises with tennis balls

Tennis balls are one of the most useful grip strength trainers.

Use the palms of both hands to squeeze the ball very firmly.
Press the ball with four fingers
Press the ball with one thumb(this strengthens the pinch grip).

As a result of such completely home training, the strength of your forearms and palms will increase, and this will be very useful both in fitness and especially in life.

A lot of men dream of a powerful grip. However, for some it is a privilege, and for others it is an important necessity, without which it is impossible to build a career or achieve success in sports. Every athlete who attends Gym and made a clear decision to move forward in this matter day by day, week by week, year by year, it is important to know how to increase your grip strength. Now you will understand why this is needed and what exercises will turn your hands into a vice.

Why do you need a strong grip?

The answer to this question is obvious to anyone who has given himself at least once in his life high load in the gym, understands perfectly how important it is to be confident in the strength of your forearms. Working with big scales, and other exercises require the athlete to have power in his arms, otherwise it will not be possible to load the core muscles. It just won't hold the weight.

When the projectile slips out of your hands it:

Unpleasant to say the least
Violates the technique of performing the exercise
Does not allow you to properly load the muscle
May cause injury to the athlete

In addition, there are people who simply need a powerful grip. This includes wrestlers, judokas, karatekas, arm wrestlers and so on. But if the latter build their training mainly with an emphasis on developing a strong grip, then for everyone else this method is various reasons doesn't fit. And besides, they don’t need to have such powerful and swinging arms. It is enough to simply strengthen the muscles and ligaments without reaching such volumes, and the following exercises will help you with this.

Exercises to develop an iron grip

There is a set of simple, but at the same time effective exercises that, when combined correctly, will help develop the power of your hands.

Stretching a belt or rope- Very interesting exercise, which sailors and soldiers used back in the tsarist army. IN hand-to-hand combat all means are good, and in the turbulent pre-Soviet times, clashes occurred quite often. Times have passed, but the effectiveness of the method remains. You must take a strong belt or thick rope, and then begin to stretch it, trying to break it. Systematize this exercise to achieve better effect do 20-25 stretches in 3-4 sets. It may seem simple, but in reality, not everyone can do 15 repetitions.

Start stretching the rope, trying to break it. To achieve the best effect, do 20-25 stretches in 3-4 sets

Pull-ups and hanging from 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 at the same time.

Rope climbing with corner – complex exercise, which will strengthen not only your grip, but also load your abs along with latissimus muscles backs. Climb until your hands can hardly be clenched into a fist, and since this exercise is new, this effect will not take long to appear.

Rope climbing will not only strengthen your grip, but also load your abs along with your latissimus dorsi muscles.

Climbing on the monkey bars is also a great and simple method to strengthen your grip. The exercise must be performed until complete failure. This means that when you can no longer progress through the pipes, dismount, rest and start again. The point is to load your arms to such an extent that even the first “step” is difficult for you.

Hanging on the bar- the simplest and most common exercise that is familiar to many school lessons physical education. You need to perform it all the way, continue to hang on your fingers and fight for every second, because this is what will determine the power of squeezing your hand in the future. Once you can hang without much difficulty for 5-10 minutes, you can add weights to continue progressing.

Squeezing the expander- also a familiar exercise that is best combined with any other. The main advantage of working with an expander is the ability to pump up the relief or, conversely, load the forearms.

When squeezing the expander, you load your forearms

Conclusion

Proper 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 them with various methods strengthening the grip. It is unlikely that you will be able to achieve it right away good performance, 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 vice.