The 5 best exercises to build your grip strength

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If you plan on having any success in Jiu Jitsu, Judo or MMA then you BETTER improve your grip strength.  It’s not just for opening jars of mayo, moving heavy tables, or carrying 8 bags of groceries in from the car. Grip strength can make it or break it for you and if you don’t put in the time needed, you may end up losing your grip and the match at the same time. While standard resistance training can help build strength in the fingers, wrists and forearms, it won’t always challenge the muscles enough to adapt and be able to sustain the heavier works loads you’ll experience in competition. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Exercises such as deadlifts, seated cable rows and regular pull-ups will help build some degree of grip strength, but if you are seriously seeking the gold, you will need some extra stimulus to turn your hands into mini vises. Try your hand (see what I did there?) at these five moves, which will get you crushing it in no time. I recommend selecting 1-2 exercises from the list below to perform after your normal workout is completed.

• False-Grip Pull-Up/Pull-Down

How to: Grasp a pull-up/pull-down bar with a palms-down, shoulder-width grip, but leave your thumb out. Perform pull-ups/pull-downs as normal.

Sets: 3, Reps: AMRAP (as many reps as possible), Rest: As needed

 

• Weight Plate Pinch

How to: Pinch a plate in each hand between your fingers without holding on to the handle or lip of it. Hold them at your side for as long as you can. Keep track of the time so that once you can do more than 60 seconds straight, you know it’s time to increase the weight. If this is still too easy, try pinching two plates together.

Sets: 3, Reps: To failure, Rest: As needed

 

• Towel/Gi Belt Pull-Up

How to: Loop a regular workout towel or the belt from your Gi around a pull-up bar. Hold an end in each hand and perform pull-ups as normal. Just make sure to move your head to either side as you get closer to the pull-up bar!

Sets: 3, Reps: AMRAP, Rest: As needed

 

• Kettlebell Farmer’s Walk

How to: Grasp a pair of heavy kettlebells with a thumbs-over false grip. Keeping the core engaged, walk from one end of the gym to the other until you can no longer hold onto the weights.

Sets: 3, Reps: To failure, Rest: As needed

 

• Push-Up

How to: Lie face-down on the floor, hands at shoulder-width palms on the ground, toes driving into the floor. Think about trying to grab a handful of the ground, as this will fire up the muscles in your forearms important for grip strength. Push yourself up, so your hands are under your shoulders, and your body is a straight line from the back of your head down to your heels. Slowly lower yourself down so your chest touches the floor.

Sets: 3, Reps: AMRAP, Rest: As needed

 

Integrate these exercises into your workouts and within a couple weeks you can look forward to your grip strength changing from being a liability, into an asset.

 

Originally posted 2014-12-16 06:50:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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by Jason Parsons via The Fight Mechanic – Jason Parsons