Buzz
If you don’t have grippers, don’t worry—there are alternatives. But first, let’s break down what grippers do well, and what they aren’t suited for.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that people think a single exercise can strengthen the entire forearm,” explains u/VoteArrows, a moderator from the insightful r/GripTraining subreddit, a treasure trove of grip training knowledge. “People often believe that wrist curls will enhance finger/thumb strength or that grippers will bulk up their entire forearm.”
Grippers and wrist curls are widely misunderstood in terms of their benefits. While helpful, they don’t necessarily target the forearm in the way many assume.
Grippers can effectively showcase your grip strength, but they aren't necessarily the best tool for overall hand strength development. They start off easy but become progressively harder as you bring the two sides together. Furthermore, they only focus on one specific type of hand strength.
Different Types of Grip
Our hands perform a wide range of functions. The muscles in our forearms control the flexion and extension of our fingers (as the fingers themselves lack muscles). Additionally, we have muscles around the palms and thumbs that help us squeeze and manipulate objects in various ways. (If you're interested, here's a quick primer on hand anatomy.)
Focusing solely on grippers limits your hand’s capabilities. Those who train their grip often break it down into distinct types, such as:
Crush grip, where the fingers curl or squeeze against resistance—this is what grippers target.
Pinch grip, where your thumbs and extended fingers press together, just like the name implies.
Support grip, where the fingers are flexed but remain still. This type of grip is essential for tasks like holding a barbell during deadlifts or hanging from a pull-up bar.
Additional hand movements involve the open hand grip, which is crucial when lifting large or wide objects, as well as wrist motions and finger extension. While these may not exactly fit into the category of 'grip' movements, they are essential for strengthening your hands and forearms.
Improving Your Grip with Grippers
Given all that, many people are still intrigued by grippers, so let’s delve into them. If you have a gripper that you can barely close, avoid overstraining it every single day. Treat grip training like any other strength training regimen:
progress gradually
allow for rest days (2-3 sessions per week is sufficient for beginners)
keep the majority of your training below maximum intensity
For more in-depth information, I recommend checking out the r/GripTraining FAQ, where you can dive deep into the best grippers to use and the techniques you'll need to master to become truly proficient with them.
For everyone else, here's a simple exercise you can try: finger curls. All you need is a barbell. When I first started, I think I used an empty 45lb barbell. Most gyms will have a 25lb barbell near the dumbbells (typically used by the bros for bicep curls). That will work just fine too.
Stand tall, holding the bar in front of you, with your arms fully extended downward.
Your palms can face in either direction, but an overhand grip (palms facing toward you) is recommended.
Let your fingers extend, allowing the barbell to slowly roll down your fingers.
Then, squeeze your fingers to lift the bar back up into your hands.
That's all there is to it. Do it for multiple reps. Start with a light weight, and gradually increase it until you can complete about 15-20 reps. Once that becomes too easy, add more weight. Give it a shot, let us know how it goes, and come back next week when we'll explore another type of grip!
