7 Tips To Increase Your Grip Strength

Grip strength is important to anyone who wishes to lift heavy weights, yet you rarely see lifters training them in the gym. Think of this: If you struggle to get hold of a loaded bar, how’re you going to lift it up? And if you struggle to lift it up, how’re you going to build muscle?

It might sound like a waste of time to practice it if you’re just an average gym-goer, but firm grips are heavily involved in our daily lives as well! Carrying a bucket, throwing a baseball, or even opening a jar of peanut butter can be a struggle if you do not have a decent grip.

It can also be beneficial for those who regularly play contact sports. Since most of the major muscles in your lower arm are trained as you perform grip strengthening exercises, it will also contribute to better injury resilience, and this can prevent you from being kept out of the game.

There are several ways you can train your grip strength, and the best thing is that you don’t need to invest a lot of money into making it work!

Grab A Thicker Bar

A larger surface are requires you to exert more force using your hands and forearms, and this will make grabbing an Olympic bar much easier after you get used to the size. You can choose to use something as simple as a towel to wrap around the handle, or consider purchasing handling equipment to increase the surface.

Hanging On A Bar

A static hold like this forces your lower arm to support your bodyweight. The longer you hold onto the bar, the stronger your grips are going to get. So hang on to the bar, visualize yourself hanging onto the end of the cliff, and remember not to let go or you’ll fall to your death! (Kidding)

To increase the intensity, you can choose to let one arm go, leaving the other to take care of the duty, or even doing hanging one-arm on a thicker surface!

Gripper

You can either choose to purchase a commercial gripper and squeeze as hard as you can to try getting the handles to touch with each other, or choose to grab a couple of plates and squeeze them together.

No Chalk/Straps

Refrain from using any powder or accessory that helps you to grip the bar harder. You should always focus on developing grip strength, unless you’re looking to break your own personal record.

Plate Curl

Instead of performing a dumbbell bicep curl, replace it with a weight plate. Hold it with your palm and fingers. Keep your wrist strong while doing this exercise.

Rope Training

Use a thick rope instead of a bar while performing pulling exercises such as T-Bar rows and pul-ups. It’s behind the same principle as grabbing a thicker bar, except that you’re using a rope to perform your exercises.

Farmer’s Walk

A common strongman exercise, you’ll be holding heavy weights on each side of your body, and you’ll be walking for a certain distance before letting it go.

This exercise can be done with 2 heavy bars, kettlebells, or anything heavy that you can hold onto. Keep in mind that you should pay attention as to where the weights will be dropped, as you can easily wreck your own toes if you’re not careful!