If you Started Powerlifting or try to attempt your PR but you failed to lift that. Guess what? I think one of the main reason behind it is a lack of grip strength unless you don't use straps for lifting.
Building A grip strength is very important not only for powerlifter but for all. It helps you to crush your personal records. And this training is most overlooked in the fitness industry.
The better your grip strength, the less you'll have to worry about your power(Kidding, it is more important) and the more you can focus on technique.
There are mainly three types of grips Strength
1. Crushing Strength2. Pinching Strength
3. Supportive Strength
So, let's talk about it a little bit.
Crushing Strength: first of all, how it sounds? like you have to crush a thing with one hand or two hands. This type of strength is useful for crush or destroy something with your palms and finger strength.
Pinching Strength: Agin How it sounds? you probably thought that this strength helps us to grip a thing with our fingers and thumb. Although this doesn't have too many real-world uses, training should not be overlooked.
Last and Most Important one is a Supportive grip. This is most important grip strength among three grip strength. As most of the time, we use this type of grip strength while lifting.
Training for grip strength should focus on all three of the above, just because one may have few real-world uses, you don't want a weakness.
Exercises for different Grip Strength:
For Crushing Strength:1. Grab a tennis ball, and squeeze it as hard as you can, hold for two seconds, release and repeat for a minute at a time.
2. Hand Grippers: You can also buy a pair of hand grippers, these work well, just make sure you get a strong pair, supermarket ones tend to be far too weak for any real strength gains.
How to perform:
Hold a hand gripper in your hand with your upper arm straight by your side and your elbow bent about 90 degrees so that your forearm is parallel with the floor and out in front of you.
Start with the gripper fully open and squeeze it closed as explosively as possible. Try to get the bottom of the handles to touch in the closed position. Hold this closed position for 1-2 seconds and then slowly open. Once you have completed all reps with one hand repeat with the other hand.
For Pinching Strength:
1. Weight Plate Pinches: This is the best exercise for building your finger and thumb strength.
How to perform:
Take two equal-sized weight plates and place them together on their sides with the smooth sides out by your left foot. Hold them together with your left-hand fingertips, placing your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other.
Pick up the plates and hold them at the side of your left thigh, similar to a unilateral deadlift. Hold the plates in this position for several seconds and then return the plates to the floor without letting go until you have performed as many reps as desired. Repeat with the right hand.
2. Gorilla Hang(One arm hang on Bar): This exercise same as pull-ups only you have to hand with one hand only until failure and repeat it for 3 to 5 times for both hands.
For Supportive strength:
1. Farmer walk: This is the simplest exercise for you if you are a beginner and use lift weight. Just lift dumbbells and walk back and forth across the room till failure and your forearms are screaming no more! and repeat it for 3 to 5 times.
2. Finger pull-ups: This is the hardest version of all grip exercise. just get on the bar with your finger and try to pull-ups, not with your palm strength.
If you found those all exercise easy even with the moderate weight you can use additional handles in the dumbbells or barbells which makes it harder.
Make sure don't perform grip exercise when you have back a day or do dead lifts. keep 72 hours time difference between both exercises This keeps the hands fresh for both activities and allows you to maximise strength gains.
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