Various ways to improve your grip

Having an iron grip is very important for sculpting an athletic body, so if your hands fail, your strength gains will never reach their full potential… well, perhaps you have never trained your grip…

It all comes down to being able to lift as much as you can hold, so it is essential that you develop your grip and forearm strength in order to progress.

A weak grip limits the number of repetitions and the total weight you can lift with exercises such as deadlifts, rows, and pull-ups, among others, whether using free weights or even machines.

This is especially detrimental if you want to build a wide, muscular back, since it is impossible to develop those muscles during your workouts if you cannot complete all your repetitions due to a lack of grip strength.

On the other hand, strong forearms and hands complete the kinetic chain that transfers power to a barbell or dumbbells for pushing exercises; consequently, these pushing movements become much easier to perform.

Besides alternating grips, which can strengthen your arms, there are a few other things you could do.

Do more pulling than pushing exercises

Your grip strength often remains weak simply because the muscles involved in pulling and lifting are not trained as much as the pushing muscles.

• Normally, muscle imbalances, dominance issues, and weakness in the posterior chain simply require more pulling work or pull-ups to restore upper-body strength and balance.

To train your back and strengthen this fundamental aspect of training, you should prioritize pull-ups, rows, and especially deadlifts.

Do more repetitions for a better grip

Forearm muscles and grip strength are geared more toward muscular endurance than explosive power, so performing sets of 6 rows or pull-ups, for example, will not take advantage of muscular endurance at all.

Instead, you should train your forearm muscles and back with a higher number of repetitions (such as 12 to 15) to see real gains in muscle development and performance.

Walk with heavy loads—how?

Another excellent way to do this is simply to carry heavy loads.

• The best-known and most famous exercise is called the “farmer’s walk,” in which you should walk as far as possible, taking long strides while carrying the heaviest dumbbells or weights you can manage.
• While walking, you should maintain good posture with your torso upright, shoulders down and back, and your back and abs tight.

This exercise also improves shoulder and trapezius muscle strength and endurance, while increasing your grip or exceptionally stimulating your metabolism, burning more body fat than other exercises.

 

Don’t use straps when lifting weights

Many people resort to straps to avoid developing calluses on their hands or simply to lift more weight.

• This neglects the muscles that contribute to grip strength and becomes an addictive habit, which is why straps will disappoint you when you have to take them off and train without them.
• At this point, you will realize that your abilities or strength have declined because you have allowed the straps to hold the bar instead of your muscles for too long.

Avoid the mixed grip sometimes

It is understandable to use a mixed grip to lift more weight, but it is not advisable to do so during every workout.

• On the one hand, you are creating potential muscle imbalances by constantly rotating one arm inward and the other outward.
• But you are also reducing the holding strength of the muscles supporting the bar.

It is preferable to use an overhand or underhand grip for as long as possible before having to adopt the mixed grip to lift a heavier load.