Grip trainers come in all shapes and sizes. It can be confusing how to use them effectively and make the most out of them.
We will check out a few of our favorite grip trainers and guide you through how to use them, what the benefits are and the results you should expect.
If you have any questions on a specific grip trainer please don’t hesitate to get in touch and ask us here.
Adjustable Hand Gripper
The first grip trainer we will look at is probably the most popular out there. The go to item for all new starters to grip training. Adjustable grippers provide a great entry level for most people due to their ‘adjustable’ resistance.
How To Use It
We often get asked, what position should the gripper be in, what resistance should I start on, how many repetitions should I perform, how often should I use it and so on..
Hopefully we can answer your questions below..
Adjusting The Resistance
Starting out you will notice the ‘adjustable’ knob on the side of the hand gripper. This is where you are able to increase or decrease the resistance of the gripper. Our adjustable grippers start at 10kg and go all the way up to 60kg resistance.
Positioning
Technically you can’t use the adjustable grip trainer wrong, but there are a few ways which will help progress your strength and recovery better.
Our preferred method of the ‘regular’ close would be:
- Spring facing upwards
- Straight leg in palm
- Fingers wrapped around curved leg
Your aim is to then squeeze the handles together until they touch, hold for a second and then release.
This is one way to perform a regular close of the hand gripper. You can switch this round by placing the curved leg in your palm and fingers wrapped around the straight leg, still spring at the top. This is a very similar motion but we feel you will get a better range of motion with the former positioning, therefore increasing the benefits of the workout.
Repetitions
Most people when they first get their grip trainer can't wait to use it. Getting stuck right in performing 1000’s of reps every day. This is not a recommended way to start your training. Structuring a really simple plan will provide many more benefits and also prevent any injuries or pain.
Starting out try to perform 5 x 10 sets of repetitions on each hand 2 - 3 times a week. This will help build up a good foundation of strength to build up from.
Grip Training Ring
Next up on our recommended grip trainers is the Grip Ring. One of the most popular products in our store. They provide excellent benefits:
- Easy to use
- Use on the move
- Increases strength
- Aids recovery
- Progression (6 Resistances)
How To Use It
These rings are ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in your hand, the flower style ridges provide placement guidelines for your fingers.
Available in 6 different resistances we recommend the lower 3 for recovery and rehabilitation whilst the top 3 are best for building strength and musculature.
Simply place the ring in your hand and crush it. That’s it, the benefits speak for themselves, whilst crushing you will feel the muscles in your forearm engaging and tendons in the wrist expanding.
Repetitions
Depending on your goal you should try to stick to a specific rep range. If you’re looking to recover or rehabilitate from an injury you should keep the repetitions high and resistance of the grip rings low.
An example of this would be:
Recovery & Rehabilitation Reps
- 15 x 30lb Grip Ring
- 15 x 40lb Grip Ring
- 15 x 50lb Grip Ring
- Repeat once more when complete
Strength Building Reps
- 10 x 60lb Grip Ring
- 10 x 70lb Grip Ring
- 5 x 80lb Grip Ring
- Repeat once more when complete
These should be performed 3 times per week.
Godlike Rated Grippers
The next grip trainer we will look at is a more advanced tool. Compared to the feel of an adjustable gripper, the rated grippers have a heavy duty premium feel.
The lowest resistance on these grippers is generally around the maximum level of the adjustable grip trainer. This makes them a great progression when you are crushing the adjustable gripper easily.
The Godlike Gripper range starts off at 100lb and goes all the way up to 300lb. Think you’re strong enough to crush the 300lb gripper Hades? You can get yourself into our coveted Crush Club!
How To Use It
We have created a couple of videos on how to use your hand grip trainer on our youtube channel.
To start off we would recommend performing regular closes with the gripper for a few days before working in some of our accessory exercises.
- Spring at the top
- One leg in the crease of your arm
- One leg with your fingers partially wrapped around
- Start crushing
This is a regular close, pretty easy huh? To start off stick to this movement and if you’re interested in learning a few more accessory exercises feel free to check out our youtube channel.
Repetitions
Building a strong foundation for grip strength is an essential part of ensuring a good development path.
Although it may be tedious, we do recommend warming up before training with rated hand grippers to ensure your ready to start crushing!
After warming up you can try the following routine a couple of times a week:
- 10 x Regular reps per hand
- 60 Second rest
- 15 x Regular reps per hand
- 60 Second rest
- 10 x Regular reps per hand
- 60 Second rest
- Maximum repetitions once per hand
Finger Strength Exerciser
One of our most popular recovery and rehabilitation accessories, but also provides exceptional benefits for building grip strength.
The finger strength exerciser is a great grip trainer, it’s really simple to use, easy to keep in your gym bag or on the desk at work. This accessory allows you to perform a motion which with regular training methods is almost impossible to replicate.
The expanding movement allows you to engage muscles in the wrist and forearm you would usually struggle to target.
How To Use It
Simply attach the hoops over each of your fingers and thumb. You should aim to get the tips of your fingers peeking out of the end, this allows for a good stretch and range of motion.
Once attached simply expand your hands outwards, it may feel a little strange at first but you’ll notice your forearm muscles working hard.
Available in three different levels, the finger exercises are the perfect grip trainer for warming up, using on recovery days and building strength.
Repetitions
The finger exercise doesn't require any specific routine, we would just recommend around 10 - 15 repetitions per hand a couple of times before exercise.
On recovery days you can increase the amount of sets.
Grip Tools
The best way to develop your grip strength is with grip tools. They are the ultimate grip trainers. We are constantly expanding our range of grip tools with new innovative designs.
Grip tools come in a variety of all shapes and sizes, depending on your goals you can select one, or a bundle that suits you best.
Crush Grip Trainers
Crush grip is the grip between your fingers and palm. A typical example of this would be if you were to close your hand as tightly as you can. This is the crushing motion.
Our crush grip bundle contains some of our best grip trainers for developing grip strength.
- 1 x Adjustable Gripper
- 2 x Godlike Grippers
- 3 x Grip Rings
- 1 x Star
Three of the items in this bundle we have already taken a look at.
Star Grip Trainers
The star grippers are perfect for using on your recovery days. Recovery days are just as important as training days, and without the right recovery tools, you aren't going to recover fully.
Available in 3 different resistances
The star grip trainers are really simple to use, just place them in your hand and squeeze away. The ergonomic design of the star legs allows it to sit really comfortably in your hand.
We would recommend using the star grip trainers on recovery days for around 5 sets of 20 repetitions on each hand, spaced throughout the day.
Support Grip Trainers
Support grip is basically your grip endurance. How long you can hold onto something. This is an essential function for everyday tasks and when taking part in many sports.
Developing a strong support grip allows you to remain at peak performance for longer.
We do have a support grip bundle that combines some of our best grip trainers for enhancing your support grip, this includes:
- Heavy Duty Wrist Roller
- Thick Grips (pair)
- 2 x Grip Rings
- 1 x Finger Exerciser
Heavy Duty Wrist Roller
One of our most popular grip tools. With its thick grip, heavy duty rope and sturdy construction, the wrist roller provides exceptional results.
We love wrist rollers and they are one of our go to training tools for support grip. As always this grip tool is coated in our top secret extra grippy texture, you’re going to need all the help you can get whilst rolling.
- 50mm Thick Tube
- Rope & Carabiner Included
- 1m Rope Length
- Able To Handle Heavy Weight
Using the wrist roller weekly will provide excellent results to both your forearm muscularity and support grip endurance.
Thick Grips
An excellent versatile training accessory. Thick grips can attach to most regular sized barbells and cable attachments.
Perfect for adding extra strain onto the biceps and forearms during your workouts. Helping engage more muscles, building strength and musculature.
The results that can be gained from consistently using thick grips is amazing. You can perform movements such as:
- Deadlifts
- Pull Downs
- Presses
- Rows
Pinch Grip Trainers
Pinch grip is the strength between your fingers and thumb. You can actually develop a surprisingly strong pinch grip considering the size of the muscle group.
Pinch grip relies less on the forearm than crush / support grip so requires more focused training to develop.
Pinch Blocks
Pinch blocks are the go to grip trainer for developing a strong pinch. Available in a variety of sizes and shapes, you can train wide, narrow or support pinch whilst training.
Simply attach any of these tools to your loading pin or cable machine for your pinch workout.
We recommend rotating between narrow / mid / wide pinch on a weekly basis to ensure you build a well rounded grip.
Our pinch grip bundle includes includes our favorite hand picked pinch grip trainers, along with some customizable options to fit your budget.
- The Cube 3” Or Pinch Block 2.5”
- 3 x Finger Exercisers
- 1 x Heavy Duty Carabiner
- 100g Godlike Grip Chalk
The cube provides a wide pinch challenge whilst the pinch blocks can provide either wide or mid depending on your choice.
Final Grip Trainer Tips
After looking at a selection of our favorite grip trainers, the best way to get started is by.. Getting started, if you're still unsure on what grip trainer is for you try using our Grip Selector to match you with the perfect products.
How Often To Train
When starting training it can be tempting to train your grip everyday. It may not feel like your grip is taxed but your central nervous system will be. This is ultimately going to slow down your progress and could cause an injury.
We recommend training 2-3 days a week until you are able to build a solid foundation of strength.
After this you can move onto more advanced training and even increase training days to 4 days a week if required (that's for the hardcore!)
