Anyone here do any kind of grip training?

On 7/14/2017 at 8:01 AM, Michel Hendrickson said:

@Andy Desak 36466

I don't really have a goal like grippers or tearing cards, or rolling frying pans, haha. It's just that my grip is the weakest part of my body so I'd like to improve it (and grip endurance) to become stronger overall. When I do deadlifts or hanging leg raises for example, it is always my grip that gives out before any of the other muscle groups do. I actually got my golfers elbow from doing additional grip exercises at the end of the workout. Now I can't do any exercises that involve gripping something and pulling or holding because it hurts.

At this point I"m wondering what to do when my injury is healed. Stop doing deadlifts and work on specific grip exercises? Or get straps for my deadlifting? Other solution possibly?

 

Well, for starters definitely lay off of the grip work until the golfers elbow is completely healed or you are going to do more damage. Once you are up and running then this is really up to you. Like some coaches here and others have mentioned they are content with the grip strength they get from doing gymnastics and that's great. I got into various grip training many years before I started any bodyweight training... like early-mid 90's... so its just something that I like to do occasionally. Do I think being able to tear a deck of cards is going to help me with my front lever or any other GST? Nope.. but I think its cool as F to be able to do and most people will never be able to do it. If you don't have a personal interest in a lot of the stuff I mentioned then you don't really need to do it. All of the hanging exercises are going to help you and deadlifts will help big time... some heavy farmers walks are a great exercise as well. I would never recommend straps for deadlifting as you are losing all the grip gaining benefits... unless you are an elite deadlifter pulling 800+ pounds then forget straps.

I don't know how bad your injury is but I had golfers elbow a little while back from serious overuse and loaded exercises. It was to the point where simple pullups couldn't be done without pain... I finally had to bite the bullet and didn't do a pull up for about 3 months... lots of massage and stretching then into light exercises until I was finally able to get back into the real exercises without pain.

So listen to your body and get yourself fixed up before you hit it too hard. Once your healed your grip will come. Just be patient.

So just eliminate the exercises that are causing you pain... search youtube for golfers elbow rehab exercises and experiment and do what feels right.

@Andy Desak 36466 @michael hendrickson, one great way to prerehab/rehab tennis elbow and maintain elbow health is bicep curls. One method used by Japanese physiotherapists is high rep light negative bicep curls. Gymnasticbodies chin hangs as well as false grip lock offs will do amazing things for the normal human beings grip strength as well as elbow longevity.

@Andy Desak 36466

Okay that explains how you do it. You've been doing grip training before you did any other training.

I started training in April 2016, I was basically a couch potato before that point, weighing 103 kg at 1.82 m (227 lb at 6 ft). I just started vigorously working out my whole body. Lost weight until 78 kg (172 lb) and got a bit stronger. Grip strength had always been my weakness and my abs and biceps are relatively strong. So stuff like hanging leg raises and chin ups are basically grip exercises for me. I looked for ways to improve my grip, saw the grip training people did, so I tried adding grip training at the end of the workout until I got my golfers elbow.

103kg to 78kg? Respect!

I lost 10kg when I had a shoulder operation, but that was mostly muscle atrophy!

23 hours ago, Luke Searra said:

@Andy Desak 36466 @michael hendrickson, one great way to prerehab/rehab tennis elbow and maintain elbow health is bicep curls. One method used by Japanese physiotherapists is high rep light negative bicep curls. Gymnasticbodies chin hangs as well as false grip lock offs will do amazing things for the normal human beings grip strength as well as elbow longevity.

Well, I do incorporate curls in my training occasionally. Never really would have thought of it as a pre-hab for golfers elbow but it sounds logical. I have a couple pre-loaded fat bars and if I tried doing any kind of curl with them when I was injured was an insane amount of pain! Thanks for the info.

 

On 7/23/2017 at 7:04 PM, Luke Searra said:

false grip lock offs

How do you do those, please? 

8 hours ago, Suzanna McGee said:

How do you do those, please? 

I think he means like a one arm assisted false grip hang on the rings.... but not a dead hang... a flexed position hang.

Hi Suzanna, 

The false grip locks off is part of the Rings 1 course.

I've had my share of elbow problems as I tried to keep my grip strength in line with my lifting strength. My favorite "prehab" is to make sure I'm rolling out forearms, biceps, and triceps after a grip-intensive workout, and at least forearms and my "bad" bicep once or twice a week regardless of workout routine.

I like to lie on the floor and leverage a barbell on the bicep, rolling with the end. It's such lovely discomfort. I can use a foot to put pressure on it to deepen the release.

@Andy Desak 36466 @Darin Phoenix thank you! Rings 1 are far far far away for me… but I did find a good video on YouTube, as I was curious what the lock off means. Coach is quite entertaining, putting the lock off student on a display   :-)  https://youtu.be/QAH-FZ-QeBk  I watched it many times and giggled.