Grip strength manifests itself in the muscle from the elbow down to the fingertips. There are several ways to increase grip strength. One of them is hand exerciser. Good grip strength is fundamental for carrying heavy loads such as your opponent around with ease. Good grip strength will keep your muscles strong and healthy. Other methods of improving grip strength include doing hand exercises with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells and physical exercises like pull-ups, push-ups and bar hang, doing these exercises will significantly improve your grip strength. In this article, I will share how to improve grip strength that will help in your wrestling match.
How to improve grip strength
Below are some of the ways on how you can improve your grip strength without a lot of investment but not detrimental to your well being.
Hand exerciser
Train your hands to crush grip objects, an exercise that will build your hand strength and your fingers. You can also build the strength of your hands in the forearm and wrist. Hand exerciser will enable you to train each finger at a time and train the whole hand at once as well. When selecting your hand exercisers go for something that will be comfortable in your hands. You will have to start with a smaller weight and gradually increase resistance with time as your grip strength increases.
Squeeze your hand exerciser as you keep your arms straight, as you do this exercise leaves your legs at ease or do this while sited on the with your legs spread straight on the floor. It will be helpful if you do this in front of a mirror so that you ensure the correct form.
Another means of how to improve grip strength using the same hand exerciser is to squeeze the hand exerciser with your hand. Do this by performing warm-up sets first, 2-3 sets and 4-6 times per hand. Start with a lower amount of resistance and increase gradually with a 1-2 minute rest in between the sets. As your grip strength increases, add more weight at a time and keep up the exercises 2-3 times a week. I promise you, in the end, your grip strength will improve significantly.
If you have yet to get a hand exerciser, check out my favorite one.
Support
Support is similar to crush in a way but instead of testing the ability to close, it tests the ability to hold. Place a crossbar between the walls or poles or just find an existing crossbar within your reach, as long as they are above your head and within your reach when you stretch up, now hold on to the crossbar with both of your hands for you to hang on for about 5-10 minutes, repeat the same process severally and your grip shall improve significantly.
Weight lifting exercises
Start this exercise using a dumbbell and a bar plate, stand with your legs at ease and arms at your sides, grip the dumbbell at the hexagon head and then lift it above the ground for 30 seconds. Repeat the same on each hand with 2-3 sets.
The next step requires you to have two dumbbells or kettlebells, and then stand up with the weights in both hands and walk for around 20 feet while carrying the weights. Walk for another 40 feet in front and make sure you repeat the same work out in at least 1-2 sets.
Next, use weight plates weighing 1.1 kg each. Place them on each other on the ground and raise them to stand on the rounded edges, pinch them together and lift in your front or your sides for around 30 seconds. Repeat on both hands for 2-3 sets, add another plate your hands are large and pinch them together and repeat the process.
Bottom ups with a kettlebell
To start on this exercise, stand on your feet a hip-distance apart and hold the kettlebell with a hand on the heavy part above the back of your hand and tightly grip the top of the bell with fingers. Now raise your elbow to shoulder height as you hold the kettlebell in place, ensure your upper arm is 90 degrees from your torso. Then lift it as high as possible 1-2 seconds above your head, repeat the exercise 2-3 sets on each hand. This exercise will improve your grip strength and control. After several trials, the exercise will be easy for you, do it while walking as you hold the kettlebell high up.
Deadlift holds with a barbell
The first thing is to place your hand’s shoulder apart on the barbell crossbar, hold the barbell with your hands over the bar, place your legs hip-width apart and bent your knees slightly. For 5-10 seconds hold the barbell off the ground, repeat 3-5 sets of this to improve your grip strength. Increase more weight on the barbell over time starting small and work your way up over 1-2 weeks.
Extension
We have been made to believe that every action has an equal and opposite reaction by the physicians, it should, without doubt, be the same with our hands. Our hands have been made and adapted to hold on to objects and not the other way round. So, these reactions muscles are not as strong as such. Use a strong rubber band around your fingertips to form a round shape form, the exercise by stretching your fingers to bloat the rubber band outwards, repeat the exercise, on the other hand, the exercise will work out the opposite muscles in your grip strength.
After completing the previous exercises successfully, don’t relent, keep on practicing grip strength regularly. Start all your exercises by warming up before by jumping jacks, short distance sprinting or running for around 10 minutes to keep you up to speed every time you want to begin your routine. Your central focus should be to increase your grip strength by gradually increasing weight resistance over a while. It is a safety measure to have a strong grip against intentional and unintentional harm and injury.
Stand out of the crowd by sticking to the routines that best work for you, if you cannot manage all of them and edge yourself out of those who say I used to have a strong grip.
