We often forget about grip strength, but it’s vital for day-to-day things and any kind of sport. From weight lifting to opening jars, and playing sports, the hands and forearms play a major role. Good news: Grip strength can be fun and easy to improve. Let’s dive into some simple yet effective exercises that will make your hands stronger than ever.
Why Grip Strength Matters
Before doing all these exercises, let’s briefly understand why gripping strength is vital. A solid grip can benefit you in almost every activity be it lifting a weight, climbing a rock, or playing an instrument, and more strong grip muscles help you keep up good posture to avoid injury from straining your lower back.
Now, to get those hands working, check out these great exercises that can help you to improve your grip.
1. Farmer’s Walk
This one sounds simple but is very effective. Take a couple of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells (the heavier the better choose what feels good to start). Stand up tall with shoulders pushed back and hold the weights in each hand. Walk for a set distance or time without dropping weights.
Why it works: The farmer’s walk works on your forearms and hand muscles as you maintain a firm grip. As you walk, your grip gets tested, and you’ll be surprised by how much this helps improve your hand strength.
2. Dead Hangs
This one’s for the challenge lovers. Find a pull-up bar or any horizontal, sturdy surface that you can hang from. Hold the bar with both hands and let your body hang down. Your arms should be straight, and you must engage your shoulders to avoid straining your wrists.
Why it works: Dead hangs build both grip strength and endurance. It challenges your forearms and fingers to hold your body weight, which will increase grip endurance over time.
3. Wrist Curls
Wrist curls are a classic exercise for strengthening your forearms and improving grip strength. You’ll need a barbell or a dumbbell for this one. Sit on a bench with your forearms supported on your thighs, and your wrists extending over the edge. Hold the weight in your hands with your palms facing up. Gently bend your wrists upwards, then gradually return them to their original position.
Why it works: This works on the flexors of your forearm, also known as gripping muscles. After strengthening these muscles, the grip will be stronger than before in terms of everyday functionality.
4. Reverse Wrist Curls
It is similar to curling the wrists, but using the opposite side of your forearm. Hold your barbell or dumbbell with your palm facing downward, rest your forearms on your thigh, and curl upward using your wrist then slowly return to the bottom position.
Why it works: The reverse wrist curl targets the extensor muscles in your forearms, which helps balance the strength between your flexors and extensors. A balance of strength is important for both grip strength and to avoid injury.
5. Pinch Grips
Take two weight plates, or you can use something that has a flat edge, for example, a thick book or a couple of hardcover books. Put your fingers on them and pinch them together as tightly as you can, hold them as long as you can. You can use one plate if you want, it’s less demanding.
Why it works: Pinch grips strengthen your ability to hold objects with just your fingertips, which is great for lifting heavy things or for sports like rock climbing. Plus, it’s a great forearm workout.
6. Finger Curls
This is awesome for building finger strength. Hold the barbell or dumbbells in both hands with palms facing upwards, allowing the weight to roll down to the tips of the fingers and curl them back up. You can do it slowly, focusing more on feeling the stretch and contraction in the fingers and forearms.
Why it works: Finger curls work particularly on finger strength, which forms the core of a good grip. The harder you can stretch your fingers to be challenged, the better your overall grip strength becomes.
7. Squeeze a Tennis Ball
A great at-home option is to squeeze a tennis ball (or whatever small, squeezable ball you might have) until you can compress it as far as you can. Hold the squeeze for some seconds, and then release it. Repeat through several sets.
Why it works: This exercise isolates your hand and finger muscles, which helps both grip strength and endurance. It is also very easy to do while watching TV or relaxing, so it can be added easily to your daily routine.
8. Thumb Curls
For this one, you’ll need a resistance band or a small hand gripper. Place the band around your thumb and the opposite hand’s fingers, or use the gripper and squeeze with just your thumb. Squeeze and hold for a few moments, then let go.
Why it works: Thumb curls work on the often-overlooked thumb muscles, which are crucial in giving you grip strength. The stronger your thumbs, the stronger your overall grip will be!
9. Grip Trainers
Grip trainers (the squeeze-your-hands kind) are easy to carry in your bag. They have differing levels of resistance, so you can increase as you get stronger.
Why it works: Grip trainers are an easy and efficient way to build up strength and endurance in your hands. They are portable and easy to use anywhere, making them perfect for on-the-go training.
Final Thoughts
It is not just about building up the muscles but also increasing functionality and endurance in your hands and forearms. These are simple, effective exercises, including using a grip trainer, that can give you the grip strength needed for everything from lifting to opening that stubborn jar of pickles. So start small, be consistent, and watch your grip strength soar!
