Get a Grip!

Pull up grip positions and overall grip strength was the topic of several conversations I had this week, so I felt compelled to share a few thoughts.

It was about a month ago that I had the opportunity to watch a (otherwise average looking ) guy tear thick phone books in half, bend thick nails by hand and pick up heavy plates by pinching the center with unreal hand strength. The "grip guy" is what we called him and he was anything but average when it comes to the strength of his claws. So just how does one develop this ability and why would you want to?

From the simple desire to command a bone crushing hand shake or master that next rock wall climb to just about any sport, a stronger grip is going to help improve athletic performance. While hand grip is important in sports, it can easily be overlooked since it is often only a secondary function. There are some sports however, that have made grip strength the focus; think Worlds Strongest Men Competitions.

To work your grip and forearm, there are many traditional exercises one could do including the classic Farmers Walk and deadlifts. Personally, I like thick bar pull-ups and for a real test, the towel pull up. Towel pull ups are really cool and like all pull ups, you don't need special equipment; just a good bar, your body and in this case, a gym towel or two.

While there a many variations of towel pull ups, I personally favor the version that uses two towels draped over the bar. You grab the ends of the towel in each hand and pull your body up using only the towel. The bulkier the towel, the more challenge the grip will be. You can alter this by working one arm at a time or stick with the standard version, using both hands and two towels. The further down the towel closer to the end, the harder the task and the more work involved. As you begin, there may not be much success getting full, deep pull ups. Maintaining a "hang" and/or doing negatives will also help develop the muscles until you have conquered the full motion.

check out this link to a demo of some one towel variations from CrossFit:
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_TowelPullupVariations.mov

You WILL feel these pull ups and your forearms will be the beneficiary with improved strength in response to the increased work and the difficulty in mastering the grip.

So to become the next "grip guy", don't throw in the towel, throw it over a bar instead and pull.