Sensei
07-30-2006, 10:32 PM
Like many people bitten hard by the iron bug, I went through a "grip-mania" phase in which I spent more money than I'd like to admit on grippers and other grip tools. After about a year of meager gains in the grip department and even more paltry gains in overall body strength from neglecting the basics in the gym, my grip tools went into storage.
Fast forward four years and here we are. Over the past two months, I've had carpal-tunnel-syndrome-like symptoms and after some time of lessened computer use and upper body work, as well as judicious ice and heat, it has gotten to the point of being tolerable and trainable.
In an effort to shut the door on this problem, I've been doing light grip work again. I dragged out my Captain-of-Crush grippers and was horrified to realize that closing the "trainer" with my good hand was now a challenge and even a single rep was impossible for my weaker hand - forget about the #1 I used to close for more than a dozen reps, or the #2 which I had bought in the hopes of one day closing!
Humiliated, I decided to start my grip training by doing farmer's walks using my "Husky-Handle Dumbells" with four 25lb olympic-sized plates. I used to have no problem carrying the 55 or so pound dumbells for great distances when I was using them regularly. In fact, four or five years ago, I would often challenge the high school football players to farmer's walk for distance with them and, just to make sure I won, would use 75 or 85lbs per dumbell. This time around however, 55lbs is more than enough and walking much more than 10 yards is a challenge.
Here's is what happens when I use the dumbells now; not only are my hands and forearms screaming from years of undertraining, but as I do farmer's walks with the DBs the rest of my body is trying to make up for the "power leakage" that I have because of my weak grip. My shoulders, biceps, triceps, traps, and even my glutes are trying to make up for my weakened grip.
So, what's the point? Well, as we all search for that one special exercise or the Holy Grail of training systems that will propel our numbers from the masses of "people who lift weights" to the realm of "freaking monster!", it pays to step back and look at our general conditioning and those seemingly small links in the chain that can hamper our forward progress. The PTs and S&C coaches have all embraced "core" training as all-important, but not everyone includes "extremity" training, such as grip and plantar flexion, as integral parts of building a proper foundation for continued gains.
If you are like me, and being really strong is one of your goals, don't neglect your grip. No, you don't necessarily have to do specialized exercises for it, but it needs to be challenged - whether it's by doing the monkey rings or the latest grip gadget offered by Ironmind, make sure you get a grip!
Fast forward four years and here we are. Over the past two months, I've had carpal-tunnel-syndrome-like symptoms and after some time of lessened computer use and upper body work, as well as judicious ice and heat, it has gotten to the point of being tolerable and trainable.
In an effort to shut the door on this problem, I've been doing light grip work again. I dragged out my Captain-of-Crush grippers and was horrified to realize that closing the "trainer" with my good hand was now a challenge and even a single rep was impossible for my weaker hand - forget about the #1 I used to close for more than a dozen reps, or the #2 which I had bought in the hopes of one day closing!
Humiliated, I decided to start my grip training by doing farmer's walks using my "Husky-Handle Dumbells" with four 25lb olympic-sized plates. I used to have no problem carrying the 55 or so pound dumbells for great distances when I was using them regularly. In fact, four or five years ago, I would often challenge the high school football players to farmer's walk for distance with them and, just to make sure I won, would use 75 or 85lbs per dumbell. This time around however, 55lbs is more than enough and walking much more than 10 yards is a challenge.
Here's is what happens when I use the dumbells now; not only are my hands and forearms screaming from years of undertraining, but as I do farmer's walks with the DBs the rest of my body is trying to make up for the "power leakage" that I have because of my weak grip. My shoulders, biceps, triceps, traps, and even my glutes are trying to make up for my weakened grip.
So, what's the point? Well, as we all search for that one special exercise or the Holy Grail of training systems that will propel our numbers from the masses of "people who lift weights" to the realm of "freaking monster!", it pays to step back and look at our general conditioning and those seemingly small links in the chain that can hamper our forward progress. The PTs and S&C coaches have all embraced "core" training as all-important, but not everyone includes "extremity" training, such as grip and plantar flexion, as integral parts of building a proper foundation for continued gains.
If you are like me, and being really strong is one of your goals, don't neglect your grip. No, you don't necessarily have to do specialized exercises for it, but it needs to be challenged - whether it's by doing the monkey rings or the latest grip gadget offered by Ironmind, make sure you get a grip!