If you never gave much importance to your grip, then you need to rethink it. You can excel in the sport in which you have interest with the help of good control and strength in your grip. In most training sessions, grip strengthening is one of the most neglected areas. A strong grip not only gives you a strong handshake and a grip to open jars, but also strengthens your sport to a great extent. Sportspeople who are in the initial stages of their training or career will realise that a strong grip will improve their sports like weightlifting, football, etc. to another level.
Having a strong body without strong hands makes an incomplete ensemble. Engaging in a good workout session that involves grip training exercises will aid in the
However, there are several grip strengthening exercises that can help to overcome the problem of a poor grip and improve your sport. Before understanding the dynamics of such exercises, let us read the benefits attached with a strong grip:
- A strong grip results in increased physical power, performance, and endurance. It helps in the quicker accomplishment of everyday activities.
- Grip training is directly associated with lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Over a period of time, grip strengthening can help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality.
- Needless to say, a strong grip can impact your sport in a positive way and uplift your performance by lowering the risk of injury.
Let’s read the top grip strengthening exercises that are easy to perform and some of these can be easily done at the comfort of your home without using any expensive tools or equipment:
Newspaper crumble
Yes, you heard it right, it is performed with the help of a newspaper. Hold the newspaper from one of its corners and start crumbling it up using your fingers until it takes the shape of the ball. Then squeeze the ball-shaped newspaper a couple of times. Though you may feel that it is extremely simple in the beginning, you will feel a burning sensation in your forearm and fingers after a few repetitions. Keep switching the ball between both the hands and repeat a couple of times.
Wrist rotation holding an iron pan
Are you surprised to understand the multiple uses of your kitchen utensil? It is again a simple exercise that will help you go a long way in strengthening your grip. All that you need to do is grab your cast iron pan with its handle and form a 90-degree angle with your arm and your body and hold your elbow close to your body. Now, rotate the pan in an external direction such that the pan is parallel to the floor. Again, bring the pan back to the original position and rotate it internally. Repeat it 8-10 times.
Barbell Holds
For this workout, you have to stand erect and hold the bar with a double overhand grip having shoulder width. The aim to perform this exercise is to hold the bar for some time, maybe 5-10 seconds. Repeat this workout 3-5 times to strengthen the grip.
Farmer’s Carries
You need to have 2 dumbbells or kettlebells to perform this exercise. Stand with weights and walk a few steps. The exercise will aid in strengthening your forearms, core, shoulders, and of course your grip. Try to walk 20 steps and keep increasing as you feel comfortable.
Rope/Towel Pull-Ups
Grab your towel and roll/drape it over a bar in the gym. It is important to have a tight grip of the t0wel on the bar. Now, perform your regular set of pull-ups. You may feel that it is a challenging one in the beginning but as your progress, comfort will replace the feeling of discomfort.
Bucket Walks
To perform this interesting exercise, you need 2 buckets filled halfway with sand. Hold the buckets and start walking until you feel that your grip is unable to hold them further. Again, add more sand and repeat the steps. Do it unless you fill the buckets with sand to the top. If you want, you can wrap towels around the handles of the bucket to give you more strength. For an intense workout, you can also add rocks to the sand. This exercise is similar to Framer’s Carries or Farmer’s Walk, as it is popularly called.
Dead Hang
So, what is a Dead Hang?
It is a simple exercise that requires hanging from a strong overhead bar. Such bars are easily spotted in parks, exercise training fields, and gyms. Adding some Dead hangs to your workout session will help you strengthen your grip. You can use one hand and then keep switching or use both hands to perform the exercise.
A word of advice: Invest in grip strengtheners:
Take a grip trainer like Squegg, the smart hand grip straightener that can be easily configured with your mobile to train your grip and experience excellent results.
Final Thoughts
A strong grip will not only improve the quality of sports performance but your living too. Your daily activities will become easier to accomplish. With the help of a few simple exercises, you can go a long way and enhance your body performance.
