Building grip strength is easy.
Use these five easy techniques and you will be ripping phone books in half in no time.
1.
Use thicker bars when lifting weights A normal Olympic barbell is a little over an inch thick.
Using a thicker 2" bar makes it much harder on your hands, fingers, and wrists.
Do your normal workout with a thick bar and your hands will be exhausted within a few minutes, especially if you're doing curls or any exercise where you're lifting the bar.
This is a great way to build hand and forearm strength.
If you don't have a thick bar, wrap a towel around the bar and use that.
2.
Use hand grips in your spare time.
You can buy hand grips at any sporting goods store for about ten bucks.
Take them to work and squeeze away while you're sitting at your computer or on the phone.
3.
Build your pinch strength with weights Take three ten pound barbell plates, pinch them together and lift them off the ground.
Do this repetitively to build your "pinch strength", or thumb and hand strength.
Try it with four ten pound plates, then two twenty fives, then thirty fives, etc.
4.
Do pull-ups or hangs with just your fingertips Try hanging from a pull-up bar by just your finger tips until you have to let go.
Repeat as necessary.
If you normally do pull-ups, do your set while hanging on with just your fingertips.
5.
Wrist Curls Use either a barbell or dumbbells.
Curl the weight up (like a normal bicep curl) but use only your wrists.
Do sets of ten to twenty.
This will really work your forearms and wrists.
Why? Increasing your grip strength will allow you to lift heavier weights in your workouts, which will help you gain muscle and strength faster.
In some exercises (lat pulls with heavy weight for example) it is common for your grip to give out before you have a chance to really work the muscle you're after.
With a nice strong grip, this won't be a problem.
Grip strength is also extremely important for martial arts, grappling, and just about anything that requires arm strength.