Grip strength training interfering with HS progression

Hi there,

After 2 years of training Foundation and the Stretch Series programs, combined with doing the Thrive Nutritional Protocol (Where the bloody hell is Thrive 2 JEFF??!!), I figured it was about time to go inverted. I've spent enough time in this life dillidallying around on my feet, about time to put my big-boy pants on and go inverted up on my hands!

I must add that in addition to doing GB I'm very fond of trying my toes into other diciplines, so I do some triathlons, some olympic lifting, bike racing, yoga, climbing, and other calistehics/movement stuff (Of course far inferior to GB).

I feel that Pavel Tsatsoulines take on "Greasing the groove" is good way to get some extra gains in specific neural patterns like for instance grip and hang-ups. So I have been using my Captains of Crush grippers (Embarissngly low #1 type) to build up some extra grip strength. It's helped both my F1 row-progressions and my climbing, so it seems effective to me. But I have a question related to this in relation to handstanding (If that's a verb). If I build my grip strength up to ridicolous levels with my grippers, will that reduce my underarm flexibility so as to slow my HS progression? Anyone has any experience/thoughts on that? 
 

HI CHristian , if I have learned something from student to coach it is that the strength it is SPECIFIC and its manifestation responds to the situation. "your brain has no eyes"..interesting words from my strength coach. In order to develop a specific strength, you need to train it in the same situation. training grip strength while suspending yourself like in the climbing has less to do with the grip strength when you are supporting. one of the biggest difference, for example, it is that the climbing grip it is made with a very poor wrist extension, this means that the forearms muscles are not stretched out when the muscles are squeezed. on the other side when working on the handstand on the floor there is at least a 90° extension of the wrists, this means that you work with forearms muscle while they are stretched out. it makes a substantial difference.

Christian,

I doubt that increasing your grip strength will negatively affect your handstand. I have done very heavy deadlifts without wrist straps and very heavy rowing so I developed a strong grip and my forearms never got so tight that they were problematic while doing handstands. Shoulder flexibility on the other hand is an issue for many, myself included. Balancing and developing a straight line will be your biggest obstacles in that order if you want to develop a good handstand. Probably a good idea to purchase the handstand course if you haven’t already. There are exercises in there designed to get your forearms and wrists prepared.

2 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI CHristian , if I have learned something from student to coach it is that the strength it is SPECIFIC and its manifestation responds to the situation. "your brain has no eyes"..interesting words from my strength coach. In order to develop a specific strength, you need to train it in the same situation. training grip strength while suspending yourself like in the climbing has less to do with the grip strength when you are supporting. one of the biggest difference, for example, it is that the climbing grip it is made with a very poor wrist extension, this means that the forearms muscles are not stretched out when the muscles are squeezed. on the other side when working on the handstand on the floor there is at least a 90° extension of the wrists, this means that you work with forearms muscle while they are stretched out. it makes a substantial difference.

Just to add on, false grip trains wrist flexion  

@Christian Glans, I too was obsessively focused on improving my grip strength because I started to do pole. I was squeezing the grippers and all. I also noticed that all the stall bar progression in Foundation (and HS) helped to improve my grip strength. I also do the Handstand (that's why I started the Gymnastic Bodies and then added everything else). In the HS program, you do the stretching of the wrists regularly, and overtime, you will improve your wrists, and shoulders… so just go for it, start doing the handstand program, still work your grips, and if you feel you are tight, you just do some extra stretching for the wrist extension. Cheers, enjoy being upside down!!! 

Thank you so much for your insightful comments guys!

From what I've experimented with so far Frank's comments on shoulder flexibility hits the nail on the head. Shoulders seems to be a much bigger hinderrance than underarm flexibility. But obviously I'll be diciplined with the wrist prehab during this training as well.