3 Benefits of Grip Strength Training
#1 – Bigger lifts
When you have a strong grip, you’re able to move a lot more weight in the gym. The big compound movements like deadlifts, bent over rows, bench press, and weighted pull-ups all go up when you’re grip strength improves. More strength equals more muscle.Not to mention you can hang onto the bar for longer and get more reps.
#2 – Better endurance
The stronger your hands, fingers and forearms the better your endurances becomes. Have you ever lost a deadlift becomes your grip gave? Have you ever had to let go of the pull up bar because your grip went before exhausting your back muscles? Have you ever had to put the kettlebell down before you completed all the reps? Have you ever had to put the dumbbells down in a farmer walk before you were really fatigued? If so, your grip is the limiting factor. By bringing your grip up, you’ll be able to move more loads over longer period of time. When your hands are strong, you can perform more reps and sustain under a load longer than someone who has a weaker grip meaning more PR’s and more strength gains.
#3 – Better quality of life (in your later years)
Studies show that those who have a strong grip later in life provides an indicator for a better quality of life as they age. In a study done in 1999 this was revealed: “Among healthy 45- to 68-year-old men, hand grip strength was highly predictive of functional limitations and disability 25 years later. Good muscle strength in midlife may protect people from old age disability by providing a greater safety margin above the threshold of disability.”
So how can you build this up ? There are a number of exercises that you can do to build a better grip. Doing exercises with dumbbells is a great way to add in grip strength. You need to hold onto the dumbbells which requires your forarms to work. As you perform your reps your grip is the factor that controls the movement on the eccentric and concentric phase.
You can also do barbell holds. Simply forcing your body to hold onto the bar for an extended period of time will help strengthen your grip on multiple exercises.
Finally, the farmer carry. The farmer’s walk is deceptively potent. If you’ve built a baseline of grip strength and you can load a heavy carry, then farmer’s walks are a must for grip strength and overall physical capacity. It will work every part of your body – from your brain to your toes while every corner will feel the load of the farmer’s walk.
Grip training will build your fingers, hands and forearms. But that’s only the beginning. By giving your grip the attention it deserves, your pushing and pulling movements will improve. And when that happens, your own your way to building punishing power housed by a brick-house physique.