Why is grip strength important?
Rimon delivering a Personal Training session to a female client
Considering its significant impact on daily life, it's surprising how often grip strength training is neglected. Every day, your grip is either challenged or at least utilised.
In this article, we'll explore the importance of grip strength and how to incorporate it into your workout routine.
Why is Grip Strength Important?
Benefits of Improved Grip Strength
Whether your goal is strength or aesthetics, grip strength can be a limiting factor. If your grip is weak, it might fail during exercises involving weight holding before the target muscle group is fully worked. This applies to most pulling exercises like pull-ups, rows, deadlifts, and more.
For example, in a Romanian Deadlift, if your grip fails before your hamstrings and glutes are adequately stimulated, you might not achieve your hypertrophy goals.
A weak grip can also impact your daily life. Many everyday tasks, such as carrying shopping bags, lifting a suitcase, or opening jars, require grip strength. These issues become more critical as we age and strive to maintain independence.
Athletic performance can also benefit from improved grip strength. A stronger grip enhances performance in sports involving a racket or bat by allowing you to withstand more force when striking the ball. Activities like rock climbing require significant grip strength for prolonged climbing and grasping smaller surfaces effectively.
What is Hand Strength?
Grip or hand strength is divided into three categories: crush grip, support grip, and pinch grip. The forearms, biceps, hands, and fingers all contribute to developing a better grip.
Crush Grip: The ability to squeeze something between your fingers and palm, like shaking hands or holding a cricket bat.
Support Grip: The ability to hold onto or hang from an object for an extended period, such as carrying a suitcase or hanging from a pull-up bar.
Pinch Grip: The strength between the tips of your fingers and thumb, crucial for activities like rock climbing, throwing, and opening jar lids.
Can You Improve Grip Strength?
You can improve grip strength just like any other area, following the principles of specificity and progressive overload.
Start with establishing a foundational level of grip strength, then focus on muscular endurance (holding a load for a certain length of time) and maximal strength (holding a maximal weight for a shorter period). Your goals will dictate the emphasis: endurance for rock climbing and daily functionality, and maximal strength for boosting your deadlift.
Grip Strength Exercises
To train different elements of your grip, different exercises are needed.
Crush Grip
Hand Clench: Use a tennis or stress ball, clench with your four fingers, release, and repeat. Aim for high reps, starting with 50 and working up to 100.
Towel Wring: Soak a towel in water, twist to wring out the water, repeat in both directions for three sets.
Support Grip
Dead Hang: Hang from a pull-up bar using a double overhand grip for as long as possible.
Farmer’s Carry: Hold weights in each hand at your sides, walk forward a set distance, turn, and walk back. Keep your core braced and shoulders back.
Pinch Grip
Plate Pinch: Stand a weight plate on its side, squat down, grab with fingertips, hold as long as possible, and repeat until fatigued.
What Does a Grip Strength Workout Look Like?
While these exercises are grip-specific, many trainees may not need extensive direct grip work. Your grip is challenged in exercises like deadlifts, rows, and pull-ups. Avoid using training aids like straps for every exercise to ensure your grip is sufficiently challenged to stimulate strength gains.
Save straps for when absolutely necessary, as too much direct grip work can lead to premature grip fatigue, affecting your overall training. Unless you have a sport-specific reason, extensive direct grip training might not be required.
Got questions about grip strength? Feel free to contact us!
