Grip strength has become an important biometric for health as people age. Many athletes find that their lower body strength increases faster than their grip strength can keep up.
This results in forearms hitting failure during RDLs and deadlifts well before your glutes and hamstrings do.
And yes, we can use lifting straps to support our grip. But we shouldn’t stop striving for a stronger grip.
That’s why today’s blog is dedicated to training your grip strength.
Take a break during your workday and do one or two of these as a keyboard break.
Bored in the holding room? Build a mini grip-strength “workout.”
It doesn’t take much to improve your grip strength, even one or two minutes spent on this per day could make a huge difference!
7 Moves For Improving Grip Strength
This list of moves for improving grip strength seems incredibly simple. But, don’t be fooled, you’ll feel a cute little burn in your forearm if you double up any of these exercises together!
Take a break and do one of these exercises, or, build yourself a grip strength workout by combining any 4-5 of these exercises
Finger to Thumb Taps (30s/hand)
Set a timer for thirty seconds and tap each of your fingers on the pad of your thumb. Start with your forefinger and go all the way to your pinky. Then reverse. Continue this for 30 seconds, then, switch hands.
Flicks (30s/hand)
Imagine you have water on your hands and you’re trying to flick water on someone. Start by holding your fingers behind your thumb. Press against the thumb until your fingers flick out from behind the thumb.
Do as many flicks as possible in 30 seconds, then, switch hands.
Scrunch (30s/hand)
This, in my opinion, is one of the hardest of our moves for improving grip strength.
Hold your hand up as if you’re telling someone to stop.
Then, keeping your hand open, scrunch your fingers as if you are only trying to bend your first knuckle on each finger.
Hold each scrunch for a moment, then, release.
Perform as many scrunches as possible in 30 seconds, then, switch hands.
Up/Down (30s/hand)
Hold your hand in a blade position. Then, flap your hand down from the wrist as far as you can. Next, flip your hand up as high as you can.
Alternate, waving your hand up and down for 30 seconds, then, switch hands.
Side to Side A.K.A. Hello Puppet! (30s/hand)
Keep your hand in the blade position and bend at the wrist so your hand is parallel to the floor and making a 90-degree angle with your wrist. It’ll feel like you’re making a sock puppet!
Rotate your hand from the wrist so your fingers are pointing toward your face. (Say hello to the sock puppet!)
Now, rotate your wrist the opposite way so your fingers point away from you. (Goodbye puppet!)
Repeat this rotation for 30 seconds, then, switch hands.
Squeeze Release (5x/ hand)
Alright, this is our last “bodyweight” move for improving grip strength.
Squeeze your hand into a fist as hard as you can. Hold this squeeze for a full inhale and exhale.
Then, release completely.
Repeat this five times, then, switch hands.
Stress Ball squeezes (30s/hand or 10 squeezes)
If you’re looking for something you can do mindlessly to improve grip strength anywhere, using a stress ball (or other squishy handheld object) is a great option.
Hold the ball in your hand and squeeze it as hard as you can, then, release.
Perform as many squeezes as possible in 30 seconds or, if you don’t have a timer, perform 10 squeezes.
Repeat on the other hand.
You may be reading this list and thinking that these seem too simple. But I promise, if you commit to practicing any of these exercises consistently, you will see improvements.
So, which one will you be trying first?
Want more fitness tips like these? Check out some of our clients’ favorites: 8 Surprising Exercises for Dancers and How They Affect Your Technique, On a Roll: Self-Myofascial Release, the Key to Recovery?, 6 Moves for Improving Shoulder Instability
