Grip Strong – Fight Strong
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| img: Art of Manliness |
When you shake
hands with someone with a strong grip, you know it immediately. They don't even
need to squeeze your hand. You just feel it in the relaxed, yet firm, way their
thick hand cradles yours.
You know it
even more when a strong gripper takes hold of your wrist, gi sleeves or lapel.
In fact, it doesn't matter how much your eyes tell you the fighter in front of
you doesn't look that strong when you're struggling to shake their
grip of you! Of course, the opposite is true too and the grip can be the
weakest link in your grappling chain. Over-reliance on lifting straps in the
gym can mean that you have fantastically strong pulling muscles but can't fully
utilise them in grappling / BJJ because of a weaker grip.
To best train
my grip, I consulted my friend uber-qualified Strength and Conditioning coach* Mr
Dominic Kinsey, and these are
his thoughts on the subject:
“The hands are
incredibly versatile tools and should be treated as such when training your
grip strength. The hand can hold, squeeze and rotate in a variety of angles and
combinations so for a truly functional strength building and injury prevention
routine, your training should be varied enough to address all these needs.”
What are the components of a strong grip?
“An all-round
grip strengthening programme will address all the functions of the hand:
1. Squeeze: Closing
the fist
2. Hang: Hanging
from the grip
3. Hook:
Flexing the hand around the wrist
Naturally, all
grappling actions that involve the hands will place a mixture of demands on all
three functions of the grip. A good spider / lasso guard grip on the sleeves,
for instance, involved a good portion of hanging strength combined with the
ability to rotate the hand so it's palm up. Likewise, finishing the palm
up-palm up cross choke will draw upon all three facets of gripping
simultaneously. If one function of the grip is lacking, the others may
compensate for it which in turn can lead to inefficient technique and,
potentially, injuries to the small features of the hands and wrists.”
Can you share some more details about the functions of the hand?
“1. Squeeze:
This is the first feature of grip strength that comes to mind. The crushing
handshake. The constant squeezing of hand grippers. The hand inside the gi
lapel. These are images we associate immediately with a strong grip.
2. Hang: This
is a more efficient way to stay connected to your opponent's gi in BJJ. You are
basically forming a structural hook and hanging off your opponent's gi with it.
The hand is shaped like a panther fist out of some old kung fu movie and its
structural strength comes from the fingers rather than the fist or the wrist.
3. Hook: The
main reason why the hand has such a fantastic range of motion is the size of the
small bones involved in the joints of the wrist. You can bend the wrist in 2
planes but also rotate the hand relatively freely around the axis of the
forearm.**”
What is the Best Grip Exercise Routine?
“A good
start would be to assess where your grip strength may be lacking (squeeze, hang
vs hook) and / or whether it is strength, endurance or both that you want to
improve. Start with this all-round programme*** and adjust for your needs
progressively.”
Tools and implements:
Resistance:
kettlebells,
dumbells, barbells, pulleys or at least a chin-up bar
Gripping material:
Wide bar
/ foam grip, rope, gi grips, belt or a towel
A good
training programme should include exercise for all 3 types of grip strength
that may be relevant to our sports:
Squeeze:
Starting
with a light barbell (or other suitable resistance) and working your way up
progressively, perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions of finger curls, always aiming
for maximum extension and contraction of the fingers. To work on your
endurance, hold on to a moderate weight (or hang off a thick chin-up bar, gi grips
or a belt) with tightly closed fists for time, starting at 3 sets of 20-30
seconds and building your way up.
Hang:
After
resting the muscles, lower the weight so it’s hanging off your extended grip
(or hang off a narrow chin-up bar or off gi sleeve grips with deadly panther
fists) for time, again starting at 3 sets of 20-30 seconds and building your
way up.
Hook:
Focusing
on the movements at the wrist joint, perform wrist curls against resistance
(barbells are ideal but kettlebells or pulleys will work too), using a moderate
weight for 3 sets of 15 reps of each of palms up and palms down variations.
Example:
|
Exercise
|
weight / duration
|
weight / duration
|
weight / duration
|
|
Finger curls
|
10kg x 15 reps
|
15kg x 15 reps
|
20kg x 15 reps
|
|
Squeeze
|
25kg x 30 sec
|
25kg x 40 sec
|
30kg x 20 sec
|
|
Hang
|
30kg x 30 sec
|
30kg x 40 sec
|
35kg x 20 sec
|
|
Wrist curls
|
15kg x 15 reps
|
20kg x 15 reps
|
25kg x 15 reps
|
DominicKinsey
*Every form of
exercise bears risks and grip training is no exception. To avoid imbalance, or
injury, always consult a qualified coach before starting any exercise regime.
**This action
(supinating and pronating the hand) involves muscles in the upper arm too.
***Always
ensure a proper warm-up of the muscles and joints involved. 20-30 joint
rotations in different directions at the least and ensure your starting weight
is low enough to give you a proper chance to warm the muscles up.
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