Top 5 Hand Grip Exercises [The Best Guide]
Hand grip exercises are considered as one of the most underrated workouts by fitness trainers. Most people either completely avoid doing it or perform it the wrong way. They forget to focus on basics like form, keeping count of the repetitions.
Also, it is important to make hand grip exercises a part of the workout routine. The hand gripper one of the most popular equipment for wrist exercises. Along with that, there are many other exercises that can help you strengthen the muscles and soft tissue in your hand.
Top 5 Hand Grip Exercises
1. Hand Gripper
Hand gripping exercise can be performed anyplace and anytime. You don’t need a special warm up or a blood pump to perform it. The basic concept behind this exercise is to strengthen your arms by squeezing the handles of a gripper.
As you perform this exercise, you will notice that your grip strength has increased. This will help you lift more weights and perform hanging exercises with ease.
Someone who has never performed hand gripping exercise should start with 8 sets(4-5 reps in each set). You can increase the number of repetitions as you get better at training with a hand gripper.
2. Farmer's Walk
Farmer’s walk is one of my personal favorite exercises of all time. Actually, it is not a hand gripping exercise but more of a strength and endurance routine. But it can also help strengthen the muscles in your hand and improve your ability to grip.
To perform farmer’s walk, all you have to do is pick a dumbbell in one hand, stand straight, and walk to and fro. Walk for about 3-4 minutes. Take 10-20 seconds break and repeat the same with the other hand.
Keep in mind that the other hand is kept free to help you stabilize your core and also avoid injuries. Some people also perform farmer’s walk with dumbbells in both hands. For beginners, it is best to start with a single dumbbell.
3. Static Barbell Hold
The next hand gripper exercise on my list is the Static Barbell Hold. To perform this exercise you need a barbell and squat rack. You can perform a barbell hold with a squat rack but a rack will provide more balance and stability.
Lift the barbell with hands apart at a shoulder with and stand straight. Stand for about 10 seconds and keep the barbell down. 4-5 sets should be more than enough to activate your hand muscles. Although this is a simple and straightforward exercise, don’t forget to check your form from time to time.
4. Pull-Up Bar Hang
A lot of people struggle with pull-ups and other calisthenics exercises requiring grip strength. To strengthen your hand grip, you have to focus on your weak areas first. Pull-ups or chin-ups will test your hand grip strength and expose your weakness to you.
But, for beginners who can’t perform regular pull-ups or chin-ups, a pull-up bar hand is an excellent alternative. To perform this exercise you only need a pull-up bar. Stand straight and hold the bar with palms facing forward. Then life both your feet off the ground and hold still for about 60 seconds. Perform 6-8 sets every day.
5. Dumbbell Rotations
Dumbbell rotation is the final handgrip exercise on my list. This exercise involves several parts of the arm like the forearms, wrists, and biceps. It is the most difficult exercise in this list and requires you to take extra precautions from injuries. It is best to start with a pair of light-weight dumbbells.
To perform this exercise, begin with some basic warm-up routine involving wrist, elbow and shoulder rotations. Next, lift both the dumbbells at your chest height with both elbows tucked in. Then rotate your wrists inwards and outwards in a rhythmic manner. Finally, make sure you are not swinging your wrists.
Conclusion
Along with strengthening your forearms, handgrip exercises can also help you recover from injuries incurred during performing other workout routines. Moreover, the strength in your arms determines how much weight you can lift.
You could have a strong core and a great lower body but without powerful arms, you will fail to lift more than the average person lifts. So, perform these exercises at least twice a week and notice the improvement in your workout.
Also Read- 10 Health Benefits of Apple Juice-2019