goergen1
08-01-2007, 06:45 PM
Squeeze Play
Crush – Do we need it?
The question has been posed to me many times… What is the most important type of grip strength? There are three basic categories of grip strength: Crushing, Pinching and Supporting. They all play their part, but which one do we really need to be concerned with?
The hand itself was designed by nature to be highly adjustable, with a fair amount of endurance at basically low levels of intensity. We can conclude from this that the hand was not designed to be a “brute extension” to the magic machine we call the human body. We however, have trained this appendage to be proficient in our daily work, heavy tasks, and sports. Since it is generally accepted that ideal training mimics the task or sport that we wish to excel at, it does provide direction as to the needs of training.
The nutcracker (spring) type grippers, of which I have intimate knowledge, and have been so popular, really provide an effective and highly portable method of training. However, lets for a moment review the end result goals for the all over grip training. In all sports, the crushing of an object is never required, but the securing of an object in preparation to move or accelerate is paramount. In almost all of the strength related tasks where the hand is used, the thumb is recruited. Conversely, in the conventional crushing type training the thumb is largely neglected. I feel the recent surge in use of equipment such as thick handled bars and dumbbells, the pinching of plate and “Blob” type implements, is a well-founded change in modern grip training and is more suited to “real world” applications. The real test that an athlete or a lifter endures usually depends on how long a static hold can be accomplished along with the maximum amount of resistance that can be overcome. It does seem odd that many of us have trained for years to be prepared for that one moment that we are required to crush an evil opponents hand in a death lock hand shake or to be without a can opener and have to crush open a beer can!
My training for grip has been purposely varied with the three basic components that make up grip strength, but I must say that my training is and always will be sports and task specific. So please, before we devote all of our waking hours to developing one component of grip strength, or neglecting being an overall strong man for vanities sake, look at the real issues and choose your methods accordingly.
Grip Gem
To have a progressive “Poor Mans Blob” one can take a compact car tire, bolt a 14”x14” plywood square to the tread area to hold it in an upright position. Then, on the opposite side of the tire from the plywood insert a 4.5” block of wood inside the tread and secure it thru each sidewall with screws. Now we have a self-standing, upright tire with stiffening in the area that is to be pinched gripped like a blob. We also have a lower cradle area that can be micro loaded with rocks, plates and etc. to progressively train. A pair of those can be used in farmers walk or any pinch supported training.
Grip On,
Richard Sorin
Crush – Do we need it?
The question has been posed to me many times… What is the most important type of grip strength? There are three basic categories of grip strength: Crushing, Pinching and Supporting. They all play their part, but which one do we really need to be concerned with?
The hand itself was designed by nature to be highly adjustable, with a fair amount of endurance at basically low levels of intensity. We can conclude from this that the hand was not designed to be a “brute extension” to the magic machine we call the human body. We however, have trained this appendage to be proficient in our daily work, heavy tasks, and sports. Since it is generally accepted that ideal training mimics the task or sport that we wish to excel at, it does provide direction as to the needs of training.
The nutcracker (spring) type grippers, of which I have intimate knowledge, and have been so popular, really provide an effective and highly portable method of training. However, lets for a moment review the end result goals for the all over grip training. In all sports, the crushing of an object is never required, but the securing of an object in preparation to move or accelerate is paramount. In almost all of the strength related tasks where the hand is used, the thumb is recruited. Conversely, in the conventional crushing type training the thumb is largely neglected. I feel the recent surge in use of equipment such as thick handled bars and dumbbells, the pinching of plate and “Blob” type implements, is a well-founded change in modern grip training and is more suited to “real world” applications. The real test that an athlete or a lifter endures usually depends on how long a static hold can be accomplished along with the maximum amount of resistance that can be overcome. It does seem odd that many of us have trained for years to be prepared for that one moment that we are required to crush an evil opponents hand in a death lock hand shake or to be without a can opener and have to crush open a beer can!
My training for grip has been purposely varied with the three basic components that make up grip strength, but I must say that my training is and always will be sports and task specific. So please, before we devote all of our waking hours to developing one component of grip strength, or neglecting being an overall strong man for vanities sake, look at the real issues and choose your methods accordingly.
Grip Gem
To have a progressive “Poor Mans Blob” one can take a compact car tire, bolt a 14”x14” plywood square to the tread area to hold it in an upright position. Then, on the opposite side of the tire from the plywood insert a 4.5” block of wood inside the tread and secure it thru each sidewall with screws. Now we have a self-standing, upright tire with stiffening in the area that is to be pinched gripped like a blob. We also have a lower cradle area that can be micro loaded with rocks, plates and etc. to progressively train. A pair of those can be used in farmers walk or any pinch supported training.
Grip On,
Richard Sorin