Training with hand grippers

[AutumnPolitics]

Hello.

I've been using hand-grippers like these to train wrist/forearm strength.

I have never seen anyone explain exactly how you should use them correctly, so I have been improvising, and I want to check if I'm doing it properly. Here is how I use them:

1. Concentrate on using little finger only, with minimal assistance from the other fingers.

2. Use ring and middle fingers together, no assistance from other fingers.

3. Use thumb and index fingers together, with minimal assistance from middle finger.

Is this the correct, safest way to use hand grippers? Or is there a better way?

Cheers.

 

[dswithers]

Check out Iron Mind's web site. They have books and hand grippers of various strengths.

 

[KatCH]

I don't mean to piggy back, but I've been wondering if these would help strengthen my weak wrists. I can't do pushups and can't hold myself up in yoga/pilates positions for very long due to the weakness I feel in my wrists. My right one in particular has been giving me some discomfort for a few months.

 

[AutumnPolitics]

I don't mean to piggy back, but I've been wondering if these would help strengthen my weak wrists. I can't do pushups and can't hold myself up in yoga/pilates positions for very long due to the weakness I feel in my wrists. My right one in particular has been giving me some discomfort for a few months.

Yes I believe these are a good option if your wrists are weak. They seem to have far less potential for injury than using a barbell or dumbell, which is what I first used when I started trying to strengthen my wrists. However, I would suggest you take it slowly. The wrists are a very fragile part of the anatomy, and my experience has been that going 'all out' will only lead to injury. Give it time.

Hand grippers is all I have been using and my forearms and wrists are much stronger, they are no longer a weak link in my power output or functional strength.

Also, I am not sure if it is solely due to my individual hand anatomy, but I found simply squeezing the hand grippers caused muscle imbalances which led to a forearm injury (and subsequent vacation from training), and no significant improvement in functional strength. After that, I started concentrating on using individual fingers to squeeze the gripper and this has been far more effective.