One thing I have noticed since I started working with the general public is that most people's grip strength is horrendous. Not even terrible. It's absolutely, positively awful. So, if you are suffering from this condition, consider making these simple changes in your training routine:
Get rid of the wrist straps
I explain why in this video
Do more pulling exercises
People do too many pressing exercises as is, but in addition to the benefits of strengthening your back and improving your posture, adding in additional pulling exercises is a great way to build grip strength, especially if you are using thicker handles or bars.
No more ab straps
Instead of using ab straps and hanging from your elbows to do hanging knee raises or other suspended ab exercises, get rid of the ab straps and hold on to the bar with your hands. For an additional challenge, wrap a towel around the bar and hang on to the towel.
Pause before you rack
Before you rack the weight after a set of rows or lat pull-downs, hold on to the bar for an additional twenty to thirty seconds.
Throw some kettlebells into your training
High-quality kettlebells have a thick handle and, if your are performing the exercises properly, you should be squeezing that hard enough so the bell doesn't swing and the horn doesn't rotate in your hand. This will set your forearms on fire if performed correctly.
There are some very simple modifications you can make to what you are already doing in your daily training in order to increase your grip strength.
Get big or die tryin'.
Charlie Cates
Self Made, Owner
Charlie Cates is a human performance specialist and the owner of Self Made (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist through NASM and has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.
This article may be reproduced with biographical information intact.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
This Past Week (2/27-3/5)
This past week was the start of SMS^2.3. Sunday I had box squat, Monday I benched, Wednesday I had conventional deadlifts, and Friday I had my circuits. Tuesday and Thursday I did plyos, with SMF on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday as well.
I made the decision to drop all of my working maxes to 90% of what they were during SMS^2.2. My reason was that I had hit a plateau and had been on there for a while now. While my assistance lifts were getting heavier, I didn't feel that my core lifts were getting any stronger. I also didn't like that I was using near-maximal weight every time I was in the gym. This was more mentally exhausting than physically, because I knew that everything about each rep had to be perfect otherwise I could mess myself up pretty bad. So I dropped my working maxes by 10%. I am by no means playing around with these weights, but I don't feel like I will severely injure my spine or shoulders three days a week.
Aside from that, not much else happened this past week. The weight gain has been going well thanks to my raw milk and grass-fed beef. I have put on about 8 pounds since the start of 2011, which I am really happy about. I want to try to put on another seven over the next two to two-and-a-half months.
That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Breaking Plateaus
Have you hit a plateau in your strength training? Regardless of how "plateau-proof" a program may seem, eventually a plateau is inevitable. One thing that I have found to really help me break through these moments is to drop my working max for all of my core lifts, or at least the ones I feel like I am stagnant in, by 10%. Doing this allows me to work with weights that are well within my strength capabilities while still feeling taxed during the training session. Using this number as my working max, I bump my working maxes up by 5 to ten pounds after I finish each phase, allowing me to slowly work back to where I was when I plateaued. While this may seem like I taking steps backwards, the mental and physical relief of not having to work with maximum weights every day allows me to start making progress again and come back to my original working maxes stronger than before.
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