Grip Strength/Grippers

Celtic67

Hi,
I want to improve forearm size and grip strength generally & also to help with guitar playing.
I know excercises like Deadlifts will aid grip strength but I was wondering if Grippers would be useful. Has anyone used one, how should they be used, as part of a weights routine or additonal to a weights routine e.g. use when sitting watching TV?

Any tips appreciated.

Naos

Look into buying a powerball, http://www.powerballs.com/ ?

BossArky

Celtic67 wrote: »

Hi,
I want to improve forearm size and grip strength generally & also to help with guitar playing.
I know excercises like Deadlifts will aid grip strength

Imagine you went to a guitar teacher and they said "Right, lesson 1 - Off to the gym and deadlift 100kg"!

I've been playing guitar for 12 years, long before ever going near a deadlift. What you need to do is work on chromatic exercises up and down the fretboard if you want to have some decent strength in your fingers and thus grip (for guitar).

Chromatic exercises like the following should help:

low E: 1-2-3-4-3-2-1

A: 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 .... etc across the fretboard.

or

low E: 1-3-5-7, 2-4-6-8, 3-5-7-9, etc...up the neck then switch to A and repeat, all across the neck.

PM me if you want further info or take a look on the Music >> Instruments >> Technique forum

Celtic67

BossArky wrote: »

Imagine you went to a guitar teacher and they said "Right, lesson 1 - Off to the gym and deadlift 100kg"!

I've been playing guitar for 12 years, long before ever going near a deadlift. What you need to do is work on chromatic exercises up and down the fretboard if you want to have some decent strength in your fingers and thus grip (for guitar).

Chromatic exercises like the following should help:

low E: 1-2-3-4-3-2-1

A: 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 .... etc across the fretboard.

or

low E: 1-3-5-7, 2-4-6-8, 3-5-7-9, etc...up the neck then switch to A and repeat, all across the neck.

PM me if you want further info or take a look on the Music >> Instruments >> Technique forum

Cheers for the reply but I was really only using the guitar as an example where improved grip would benefit me day to day.
I am currently doing a weights programme involving Deads. Forearm size & grip strength are areas I need to improve and was wondering would the use of grippers be beneficial to me and if so how should I best inorporate them into a routine.

Cheers

HammerHeadGym

I heartily recommend the captains of crush grippers from Iron mind

Mick Keogh will sell you some and deliver them right to your door. And wait until you do a set of ten, with your weak hand.

Seriously though, check them out. Just remember to balance the flexion out with some extension exercises too.

Also check out John Brookfields Grip tips. This guy seriously knows his grip training and the majority of exercises rarely need expensive (if any) equipment.

dudara

HammerHeadGym wrote: »

I heartily recommend the captains of crush grippers from Iron mind

+1. OH has two of these. Well recommended.

g'em

meh, all these costly new fandangled yokeymabobs - picking up heavy sh!t ftw!!!

Seriously, train your grip by gripping things. Load sacks with sand, fashion a handle by cutting a hole, pick up and walk away - the poor man's DB farmer's walk.

rubadub

I have 2x 6inch lengths of 40mm diameter PVC pipe on my chinning bar, covered with bike inner tube for grip. They can my moved into place or aside on the bar, really helps work your grip. Throw a towel or thick rope over the bar and do pullups too.

Some more ideas here

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Grunt/Grip_1.html
http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Grunt/Grip_2.html

FunkZ

BossArky wrote: »

Imagine you went to a guitar teacher and they said "Right, lesson 1 - Off to the gym and deadlift 100kg"!

I've been playing guitar for 12 years, long before ever going near a deadlift. What you need to do is work on chromatic exercises up and down the fretboard if you want to have some decent strength in your fingers and thus grip (for guitar).

Chromatic exercises like the following should help:

low E: 1-2-3-4-3-2-1

A: 1-2-3-4-3-2-1 .... etc across the fretboard.

or

low E: 1-3-5-7, 2-4-6-8, 3-5-7-9, etc...up the neck then switch to A and repeat, all across the neck.

PM me if you want further info or take a look on the Music >> Instruments >> Technique forum

That was great reading that BossArky!

This helped my friend build up forearm strenght and improved his legato playing a lot.

Benburb Dog

Read this article about forearm strength and grippers:

http://www.t-nation.com/article/bodybuilding/keep_your_chin_up

Malteaser!

HammerHeadGym wrote: »

I heartily recommend the captains of crush grippers from Iron mind

+1 to these also...

You could also put two plates together with the smooth side on the outside and try to hold them together with one hand for around twenty seconds or so...much harder than it sounds...

Benburb Dog

Does anyone know where to get the CoC grippers from in Ireland, or the UK via web?

Thanks

rubadub

Benburb Dog wrote: »

Does anyone know where to get the CoC grippers from in Ireland, or the UK via web?

Thanks

www.irish-lifting.com

I got these ones. http://www.heavygrips.com/

with the weak dollar they might be cheaper than getting here. But they are weaker than COC ones. e.g. a 200lb COC might be equal to a 300lb HG, I am not sure of the exact figures, just made those up.

Malteaser!

Another thing I like doing for grip are timed weighted barbell holds, which is basically a rack pull from just above the knee but instead of doing it for reps just holding it for 10 seconds. Increase the weight until you can't hold it for 10 seconds any more.