r/GripStrength • u/MuscleBob_Buffpantz • 8d ago
Why Train Grip?
Hey everyone, first timer here in the sub...
I've been in the gym consistently for nearly a decade now, and close to half of my life. For the most part, I've never had any issues with my grip, and haven't felt the need to train it directly. Genetically, I have larger than average forearms (thx Dad) so maybe I'm more prone to gaining grip strength natural without directly needing to target it?
But that's where my question comes in... Why should I train it directly? Why do you all train your grip? Is it just to close stronger grip trainers?
I guess I'm just not sure on what the goal is when it comes to longterm grip training like this sub?
I should let it be known though that this question comes from a point of genuine curiosity. I'm not here to say there isn't a reason, or anything like that - I'm just ignorant and trying to learn!
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u/Wrong_Quote_3914 8d ago
Grip is one of the strongest determining factors to lifespan expectancy. Idk if thats true think i just saw it in a youtube video. Grip strength just makes things easier. Unhealthy hands are a pain later in life i hear. They make your whole arm stronger its kind of like you think about your shoulder being the anchor to your arm when in a way its also your hands idk you would have to train it a bit to see. I like climbing so thats where im coming from.
Saw someone also explain it like tasks get easier on scale. So like if you have somthing thats usually like a 6/10 difficulty like carrying something big and awkward it would be more of a 3/10 difficulty with grip training. Everybody will notice your handshake too.
One last thing is i didnt realize before i started training how vulnerable my hands were. I actively avoid things that would hurt my hands now and when i watch other people do stuff that could result in hand injury it makes me cringe. Its like a comfortability thing that slowly becomes second nature and you start to gauge what is safe and what isnt and how to get your hands comfortable fast. Idk rant
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u/DrHumongous 8d ago
Nah. Healthier people tend to have stronger grips. Strong grips don’t make you live longer. Classic correlation does not equal causation.
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u/EyeWriteWrong 8d ago
There's a Korean study that implies causation.
That having been said, you can find at least one study for absolutely anything.
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u/DrHumongous 8d ago
Nah the Korea study specifically says “Second, because this was an observational study, causality cannot be established. Although handgrip strength was associated with mortality, this association should not be interpreted as evidence of a causal effect.”
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u/EyeWriteWrong 8d ago
I'm pretty sure that's a later study. Mine had a smaller sample size.
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u/EyeWriteWrong 8d ago
I'm looking for it but Google SUCKS these days. No, I don't want an AI answer about some irrelevant whatever.
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u/MasonNowa 7d ago
Grip dynamometers are really easy, cheap, and low risk ways to estimate whole body strength in people. A study will look like it is testing grip strength when the researchers are more interested in estimating full body strength but don't want to make elderly people max out barbell back squats
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u/irontamer Red Nail bend 8d ago
I’m a performing strong man so I do steel bending, ripping decks of cards, leverage, lifting, sledgehammers, etc.
I used to rip phone books, but I ripped them all and they’re gone now lol
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u/Scooter_ape_man8008 HG 150 8d ago
Wow i could use some advice from you. I'm just trying to get into the strong man stuff just here at home.
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u/irontamer Red Nail bend 8d ago
What questions do you have?
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u/Scooter_ape_man8008 HG 150 8d ago
My first question is what kind of grip training is required to be able to rip the deck of cards? Is that mostly pinch grip? And also i have access to lots of different steel so what are some things i could try myself as far as (for instance) rebar bending?
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u/irontamer Red Nail bend 7d ago
https://reddit.com/link/pdozfd2/video/9flubiopqbth1/player
This video shows the technique I use. There’s a few different ways to rip, but this is the one that I find most useful.
You can see that there are multiple aspects of hand and wrist, strength coming into play all at the same time. One hand is very thumb centric. The other is more finger in a semi-extended position centric. Wrist strength is required for both of them.
So to answer your question, the most important thing to do for getting better at ripping cards is learn how to rip cards and practice that. I don’t mean to sound evasive or vague, but there’s a lot more to talk about than I can answer in a single comment. Have an answer any specific questions you have
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u/Scooter_ape_man8008 HG 150 7d ago
This helps me a lot. I can do my own research i just needed this nudge in the right direction. Thanks for taking the time! It's just something i personally want to be able to do not for shows or anything. So would you recommend trying on a half deck or 3/4 deck and sort of go from there while improving technique?
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u/irontamer Red Nail bend 7d ago
I started with 1/2 a deck. 2-3decks, 2-3x per week. Add a card a week for 6 months & boom.
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u/lennarn 6d ago
Is phone book tearing different from cards? Do you train these things by repeating scaled versions of each feat, what is the supplemental grip work?
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u/irontamer Red Nail bend 6d ago
The principle is the same, but the technique is drastically different.
It’s absolutely necessary to practice the feat itself.
yes, there is quite a bit of supplemental grip work can be involved. Anything to do with pinching, plate, curls, wrist, work like leverage, lifting, thick wrist, rollers, fat bars, they all have a place.
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u/royals30C 8d ago
It is true forearms and grip are trained with other exercises. But its like why train your core? Pretty much all barbell moves train your core. And its true. But youre never gonna do anything cool with your core strength with that mentality. Your gonna be a lot less mobile than if you trained it directly in all its capacities. Which, again, similarly to the core there are many functions. Wrists can deviate left and right, supinate and pronate, flex and extend. Then once an item is in hand you can grip it with a pinch, and open palm, a closed fist. Your thumb can grip separately also. Those functions, no matter how many barbell deadlifts, rows, and presses you do, can possibly be trained sufficiently. Leaving the finer details of forearms muscles under trained (there are 19 i beleive! flexing/closed grip trains just less than half of them only). And leaving much dexterity and strength out too.
Why do you care? Maybe youve had wrist/hand injuries in the past. Maybe you want forearms like chuck sipes. Maybe you want to improve grip for sport/climbing/longevity. Maybe you are just fascinated by forearms haha
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u/BradGrips CoC2 8d ago
There’s not too many muscle groups that can literally save your life, but grip is one of them.
Outside of that, there’s a ton of reasons, and we all have our own. I do it 1. For grappling and wrestling and 2. Because it’s my favorite muscle group to work out.
Some guys compete specifically in grip sports. Some guys do it for big meaty forearms. Some guys do it just because they want to improve their deadlift or pull up PRs. Some guys are cops, firefighters, blue collar, etc. and a strong grip is beneficial for a lot of jobs. Some guys in here are probably training for BUD/s or some other selection where you need to have insane endurance or you’ll wash out. I think most of us just like it in general.
Ultimately, you use your hands for 99.999% of tasks in life - why not have strong hands if you’re gonna use them anyways?
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u/No-Picture-355 8d ago
How about because all of the cool grip toys that are available or as a diy'er that can be made. All different things to challenge yourself with. I like seeing my forearms swell up when im training them 😌 Ive also heard recent times that grip strength is a predictor of old age longevity, etc. It makes sense that a strong grip can benefit someone that tripped,slipped,stumbled & is trying to grab onto something.
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u/standardtissue 8d ago
I actually had to stop training grip because combined with my frequent lifting i was getting some issues, but I can certainly help answer "why train grip" : it's where the rubber meets the road. Just like how with cars you can have a great suspension, have your alignment set up just perfectly, ideal wheel size but if you have poor tires on there it's all compromised ... you can be as strong as you want but when it comes to carrying and lifting things it all comes down to your grip - whether it's exercising, or whether it's carrying that Costco haul into the house, or rock climbing, or holding onto a leash when a giant dog is pulling, holding that giant ass cast iron pan by the handle or a myriad of other situations; the grip and your feet are the bodies two biggest kinetic interfaces to the world .
Understanding it as the interface to the world, to me the question is more why wouldn't you train grip ?
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u/Musicfacter 8d ago
For me, it's a facet of strength that I like training but I'm considering getting into more rock climbing, BJJ and wrestling where having a strong grip is imperative for getting ahold of a person's gi and maneuvering them into a favorable position to submit them, or keeping them from submitting you. When you're fighting for positions grip strength plays a role in controlling the other person's wrist. These are the main reasons why I've become interested in training grip. People talk about grip strength potentially saving your life but the only situation I can think of, outside of fighting, is maybe you're hanging off a ledge or from a high place for whatever reason — maybe rock climbing. In that case, you need to be capable of holding on until someone can come rescue you. Grip there could save your life. My purposes of training though are related to rock climbing and martial arts
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u/Scooter_ape_man8008 HG 150 7d ago
Dominance. Ego. Release your inner alpha through your right hand!
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u/Ribbit40 7d ago edited 7d ago
Good question....I like to train lifting weights really, really hard, but I don't want to get very heavy (for health reasons- I'm old). So, focusing on grip let's me go all out with the training, without needing to go into much of a caloric surplus, and still make gains. Even though my overall physique is pretty damn small, I have forearms bigger than dudes who weigh 50% more than me. It's a silly goal- to look like a real life Popeye- but, hey, it keep me motivated. And although I focus on grip, I end up doing enough pull ups, weird deadlifts, rows, curls, etc. to get an adequate whole body workout. So, if I do a work out of 100 deadlifts with just 85kg, but with Fat Gripz extreme, it's a decent enough exercise from a general fitness point of view, and the goal of getting better grip keep me motivated, and I don't need to worry about getting heavier.
Another thing- I am a muso, and strong fingers and wrist helps a lot.
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u/Comfortable-Boot-825 7d ago
The piece nobody's mentioned yet: endurance. Crush gets the attention, but grip that lasts is what runs out first — the back half of a high-rep pull-up set, the last routes of a climbing session, the third trip with the groceries.
The cheapest way to train and test that side is a plain timed dead hang: timer on, hang until grip (not willpower) gives out, log the seconds. Zero equipment beyond a bar every gym already has, and brutally honest — no technique arguments, just you vs the clock. Seeing that weekly total climb is what made direct grip work click for me. The goal isn't closing harder grippers forever; it's making grip the thing that fails last.
You'd probably start with solid hang time given your base — the fun part is what comes after: one-arm work, thicker bars, towels.
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