Why You Should Increase Grip Strength
There is not much worse than having the physical ability to move a certain amount of resistance only to be let down because your hands can not keep up. Of course you could reach for wrist wraps and the like, but moving it on your own is so much better. When you are unable.. It is all about grip strength.
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What Is Grip Strength
Grip strength, mostly boiled down to forearm/hand strength, is your ability to hold and control various forms of resistance. Your quality of grip strength will determine how much you can throw around. No matter how strong your targeted muscle groups are.. If your hands can not keep up?? No rep.
All pulling movements call for a baseline of forearm strength. Deadlifts, shrugs, bicep curls, many cable movements, several other Olympic lifts, etc.. If you’re holding it you need forearm strength.
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What Are Forearms
Your forearms are considered those muscles between your elbow and wrist. Their responsibilities are vast, yet we’re concerned with twisting of the wrist (pronation and supination), closing a fist or curling the wrist like shooting a basketball (flexion), as well as fist opening or hand retraction as if to say stop ✋(extension).
You’ll notice many athletes wear wrist, hand, and bar wraps. Sometimes for injuries, but often to compensate and move more weight than their grip alone can call for. At a certain point it is necessary, look at powerlifters, but we can push that point off by enhancing unassisted strength.
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Image from makeameme.org/meme/grip-strength-grip
Exercises For Grip Strength
An array of ways to work grip exist and we have to hit every function.
Statically fireman carries or dead hangs would be a good go to
For flexion barbell wrist curls are great
Extension? Reverse barbell wrist curls
Pronation and supination can be tackled with dumbbell twists
You can even work with a hand gripper for fingers and palm strength
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So, It’s About That Time
You have an aim, but your eyes can be locked on the target and you will still miss if you neglect procedure. Every muscle matters in the grand scheme. Enhance your hand/forearm strength to grab hold of your goals. Do what it takes to get a grip and Be Great.