How to achieve a stronger grip and its importance?
Several people neglect their hands but invest in other areas during strength training. This is a massive mistake, as building a solid grip can go a long way to help people achieve their fitness goals.
Many hand grip exercisers and workouts are targeted at strengthening the grip, and enabling people to lift weights easily. But before delving into what these are, it is critical to understand why grip strength is so important.
Why it matters
Robust hand strength is an indispensable part of achieving a more muscular body and overall fitness. Without it, you cannot correctly or comfortably exercise with weights, do push-ups, and invest in other vital exercises that help build muscle.
Moreover, working consistently to improve grip strength can help people with arthritis deal with pain and develop stronger muscles. This is critically important as arthritis causes inflammation in the hand, affecting the thumbs, joints, and overall functioning. It is a disability that can also lead to disfigurement in severe cases.
Having good hand strength can help people even in everyday life, enabling them to hold onto things securely and lift heavy objects with ease.
Ways to strengthen hand grip
A study suggests that the ideal grip strength differs between men and women. As per the study, age, illness (if any), and Body Mass Index (BMI) were additional factors that influenced their grip strength.
That being said, experts agree that regardless of the difference, both genders must invest in strength training of their hands for a firmer and more reliable grip.
Here are a few ways to effectively help you make your hand grip stronger.
Workouts that target the hands
There are simple yet effective exercises that you can do to achieve a more powerful grip. These include towel or rope pull-ups, where you need to drape a good-quality towel over a pull-up bar and perform your regular set of pull-ups using it. This may be challenging at first, but you will notice your grip improve by massive leaps with time. You can also try fingertip push-ups, plate pinches, and a dead hang.
Grip exercisers
You can choose from a wide range of hand grip exercisers that contribute to a robust grip. The most popular types include coil strengtheners that come with a single metal coil between two firm handles. These help athletes and other fitness enthusiasts improve their crush strength. An alternative is the adjustable spring strengthener, made mostly of plastic, enabling people to train on different resistance levels.
If you wish to make the grip task more challenging, try investing in wrist exercisers that strengthen more than just the grip. However, you should remember that these are used primarily by professionals and carry a potential risk of injuries for amateurs.
Devices that ease pressure on the grip
Rubbing some liquid chalk on your hands before lifting weights can help you enjoy a firmer grip, reducing the chances of slips. Liquid chalk is better because it does not make a mess, unlike regular chalk. Even people with arthritis use it to open air-tight containers and tough door knobs. You can also try wearing rubber gloves during workouts, especially if your hands tend to sweat.
Based on the key points above, it can be concluded that hand strengthening is a crucial component of overall fitness. It has immense benefits and empowers people to perform complex tasks such as climbing and lifting heavy weights with considerable ease.