5 Strategies For Developing Massive Grip Strength
5 Strategies For Developing Massive Grip Strength.Grip strength is often overlooked in the gym, but it’s an important part of every training plan. Whether you’re trying to improve your deadlift or you’re just looking to reduce your propensity for injuries, it pays to work grip strength into your workouts.
There are a few ways to get started. Start with simple home exercises and slowly build up to more advanced training methods.
- Incorporate Thick Barbells Into Your Pull Training
Thick bar training is a popular way to build massive grip strength. It’s a simple method that involves using barbells, dumbbells or pull-up bars with a thicker handle.
If you have ever picked up a thick bar you will know how different it feels. A standard barbell, dumbbell or pull-up bar usually has a handle that is 1 inch in diameter and a thick bar is typically more like 2.5 inches.
When training with a thick bar, your grip, hand and forearm muscles work harder to control the weight and it increases the stimulation to your muscle and nerve fibers which is called neural drive. This stimulates the muscle to produce more contractions, resulting in strength and endurance gains.
- Actively Squeeze The Bar
Squeezing your hands together while gripping the bar is a great way to strengthen your palm muscles and stop the bar from sliding out of your palms. This also helps your hands remain firm and stable while doing heavy Barbell Rows, which makes the movement much easier to do.
When squeezing your hands, all the muscles in your forearms will contract. The muscles in your hand, wrists, elbows and shoulders will all tense up as well.
The muscles in your chest, back and abdominals will also tense up, bracing you as you pull. This helps you stay stable and avoid injury.
- Incorporate Ropes Or Towels Into Your Pull Exercises
If you’re looking to test your grip strength on a regular basis, ropes or towels can be an awesome tool. Ropes are ideal for adding a twist to pull-ups, while towels work well for weight-specific training.
In addition to adding a twist, ropes are a great way to train the upper back and shoulder blades. They also allow you to increase your reps and load if you’re not used to pulling heavy weight.
Towel rows are an underutilized tool in strength training and can be a perfect finishing move after a long day on the barbells. You can perform these with only one hand or wrap a towel around the barbell for an inverted row variation.
- Spend Some Time Lifting Heavy
Grip strength is one of the most important aspects of training, especially for compound lifts such as deadlifts and pull-ups. Without strong hands, you’re simply not going to be able to get the most out of these workouts.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to build massive grip strength. Try a simple test to see if you need to improve your grip:
5 Strategies For Developing Massive Grip Strength.Use the straight-arm hang test, where you grip a pull-up bar and hold on for as long as you can with your arms fully extended.
Depending on your goals, you may also want to incorporate simple home exercises into your routine to add additional grip strength. These can be performed with books and/or heavy objects at home or in the office. These can be a great way to build up your strength before you begin adding heavier loads in the gym.
- Incorporate Simple Home Exercises
Simple home exercises are an excellent way to add strength and muscle to your routine. They are often easy to perform and require little equipment, which can help keep your training sessions manageable if you have kids at home.
One of the best home exercises for boosting strength and muscle is the deadlift. It activates a large variety of muscles, including those in your back and legs and even your core. To do this exercise properly, start by positioning your feet slightly less than shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed out.
