How to Increase Grip Strength

Grip strength is the ability to apply force with one’s hand, and it is critical to many types of athletic performance, fitness, and everyday life.

From carrying groceries to performing physical activities, grip strength is an essential component of performing various tasks.

While grip strength is often overlooked, improving it can significantly impact overall health and well-being.

Benefits of Improved Grip Strength

Improving grip strength offers numerous health and athletic benefits.

Research indicates that grip strength is a primary predictor of all-cause mortality, with weaker grip strength linked to higher mortality risk.

It’s also a key metric for identifying older adults at risk of poor health, as better grip strength often correlates with increased physical activity, better physical function, and fewer chronic diseases.

In sports, strong grip strength enhances performance in activities like rock climbing, wrestling, gymnastics, golf, basketball, football, hockey, and baseball.

Moreover, it helps reduce the risk of common injuries by providing better control and stability, thus preventing slips and injuries to the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Lastly, improved grip strength makes it easier to perform everyday tasks such as carrying groceries, opening jars, and turning doorknobs, which is especially important for older adults, who often experience a decline in grip strength as they age.

Best Grip Strengthener Tools

Using specialized tools is one of the most direct and quickest ways to improve your grip strength.

Fat Gripz

Fat Gripz are a popular training tool designed to improve grip strength by increasing the diameter of standard barbells, dumbbells, and other exercise equipment, making them thicker and more challenging to hold.

This added difficulty forces the hands and forearms to work harder, enhancing grip strength and overall physical performance.

Using Fat Gripz during exercises like bicep curls and bench presses activates the grip muscles more intensely, stimulating greater muscle growth and strength in the hands, forearms, and upper body.

They also help improve grip endurance, allowing for a strong grip over extended periods.

Training with Fat Gripz can prevent injuries related to grip strength, such as hand and wrist strain, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Lastly, they are useful for rehabilitation, helping individuals with conditions like arthritis improve grip strength, reduce pain, and increase mobility.

Hand Grippers

Hand grippers are a popular tool for improving grip strength, favored by athletes, weightlifters, and fitness enthusiasts.

These handheld devices target the muscles in the hands, fingers, and forearms, providing effective resistance training.

The resistance can be adjusted to suit individual strength levels, making them versatile for all users.

Hand grippers are convenient and portable, allowing for grip training anywhere.

Their small, lightweight design makes them easy to carry in a gym bag or pocket for quick sessions throughout the day.

To use hand grippers, select the appropriate resistance level.

Hold the device in one hand, squeeze the handles together using hand and forearm muscles, hold for a few seconds, and then release.

Repeat for several sets of 10-15 repetitions, gradually increasing resistance as strength improves.

Best Grip Strength Exercises

Whether you are an athlete or just looking to improve your overall health and fitness, these exercises will help you achieve a stronger grip and enhance your physical performance.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a compound exercise targeting multiple muscle groups, including the back, legs, and grip muscles.

They significantly enhance grip strength specifically because they require a firm grip on the barbell throughout the exercise.

The grip muscles work harder as the weight increases, stimulating greater strength and endurance.

The double overhand grip is the most challenging variation, demanding a firm grip with both hands.

The mixed grip, with one hand overhand and the other underhand, allows for lifting heavier weights but may cause muscular imbalances.

Farmer’s Walks

Farmer’s walks are a simple yet effective exercise that improves grip strength, endurance, and overall physical performance.

This exercise involves picking up heavy objects in each hand and walking for a set distance or time while maintaining a firm grip.

The primary benefit is the significant demand placed on the grip muscles, which enhances strength and endurance.

Additionally, farmer’s walks engage multiple muscle groups, including the back, core, legs, and forearms, providing a full-body workout.

Variations include using dumbbells or kettlebells for greater range of motion and challenge or a trap bar for a more natural grip position.

To perform the exercise, squat down to grab the weights with an overhand grip, stand up, and walk forward, keeping a stable posture and the weights close to the body.

Wrist Curls

Wrist curls are a popular exercise to develop grip strength and forearm size, performed with a barbell, dumbbells, or resistance bands.

The movement involves holding a weight with an overhand grip and curling the wrists upward, targeting the wrist flexors.

Wrist curls are easy to perform, require minimal equipment, and can be done anywhere with varying weights, making them accessible to all fitness levels.

Adjusting the weight, repetitions, and sets allows for customization.

Pull-ups, Chin-ups, and Inverted Rows

Pull-ups, chin-ups, and inverted rows are all effective exercises for improving grip strength.

These exercises work the muscles in the hands, forearms, and upper back, which are important for developing a strong grip and maintaining good posture.

By gripping the bar tightly during the exercise, the muscles in the hands and forearms are forced to work harder, which can help improve grip strength over time.

When performed correctly, pull-ups, chin-ups, and inverted rows can help improve grip strength and overall upper body strength.