Grip Strength & Hand Exercise

[DenyInsorgere]

I was curious to know if you have done any research on hand muscle developement in active rock climbers? Did they only develop the closing grip (forearm) side or did climbing balance both sides. I am a climber, and am becoming worried that my forearms are getting a lot of work but the tendons and muscles on the topside of them are rarely very sore. And I work out a lot so I understand the importance of balance.

[doczac]

@DenyInsorgere :

Great observation. Yes, I have seen many climbers that develop hand muscle imbalance & we have done sEMG studies to show how active finger flexors are as well as finger extensors. We work with Metolius in the climbing market to distribute Gripsaver Plus by Metolius. You can easily get a complete balanced workout that will prepare you best for climbing. Search 'Metolius Climbing'. We have also just posted a very complete video on YouTube. Search 'Rock Climber Hand Exercise'

[iceblue4u]

Very informative. I wasn't completely aware of the importance of the opening muscles of the hand in grip strength.

[doczac]

@iceblue4u :

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the finger extensor muscles are key grip stabilizer muscles in any grip activity. Traditionally, there has been very little attention to these muscles (since the use of rice box exercise). It is why so many grip activities see fatigue, cramping, extensor tendonitis, and tennis elbow.

Best,

doczac

[wilsonseto1]

Uhh to pass through the useless info and product. So train forearm?

[doczac]

@wilsonseto1 :

When u have seen as many performance problems and hand, wrist and elbow imbalance as I have, you might understand my need to eductae people about the the muscles on the front and BACK of the forearm... or did you already know that before our sEMG research? Attitudes like yours are what keep us from progressing. If you participate in a grip activity, you might want to try to open up your mind and grow.

Best,

doczac

[echoexist]

@doczac I actually just ordered the Handmaster Plus but I'll look into seeing an ART therapist. Thanks for the advice!

[doczac]

@echoexist : My pleasure. Good luck...

[echoexist]

I am a sound designer and I use my midi keyboard a lot in combination with my computer keyboard and mouse. For the past several months my thumb has had pain when I move it in various positions. I went to an orthopedic doctor a month ago and he told me to wear a brace for a few weeks and then strengthen my hand with a racket ball. Precisely what you said not to use in this video.

[doczac]

@echoexist :

Thanks 4 ur q. I would suggest u see an ART therapist (search 'active release') for an opinion from soemone trained in soft tissue therapy. When u r ready to start therapy, yes, I highly suggest Handmaster Plus so you can strengthen ALL muscles of the thumb properly and in balance.

Let me know if we can assist further..

Best,

doczac

[noobzorz47]

Thanks for all the great information!

[ArcticSheep]

how does this have evolutionary support? by that i mean, genetically, as "cavemen", we didn't have any scenario (i can think of) where we would encounter resistance OPENING the hand. logically, it would seem that our genetics would optimize or hand and wrist muscle configuration to match the following profile: resistance closing (carrying tools, grabbing ledges, etc), little resistance opening the hand.

[ChaserHUN]

Handmaster Plus is good, I have the strongest, but there should be an even stronger version.

[doczac]

@ChaserHUN:

We're considering it!

doczac

[123weareit456]

Hey Doc, I race cross country atv races and my forearms are on fire after just a few miles of hard riding. This makes my hands weak and lose the grip on the handlebars thus not allowing me to push as hard as i need to for the 2hr races. Do you feel that your device will help me with this problem? If so, how long should i expect it to take to see an improvement.

[ThePunjabdholi123456]

hey what are the benefits of this exersize? will they help me get harder punches?? and throwing a ball farther in distance?

[ArcticSheep]

@ThePunjabdholi123456 you'll have a stronger grip, which means things like heavy weights won't slip from your hand as easily

[ubermensch81]

this guy makes sense ... so does the product.

[mrfrosty8172]

iv seen that our special ops use a martial arts that has a strike where their fingers are straight out like a spear

and they are able to break boards and hit each other without hurting themselves

how the hell do they do it? (i know the boards wouldnt be too hard)

[murphy0847]

hand grippers with the spring and an extensor band would work way better to "maximize" your hand strength then this....

[doczac]

@murphy0847:

So you believe exercise should happen in 1 plane? This is what a spring loaded grippers does. How do you propse to exercise the extensor muscles through full ROM with an elastic band? This is vital to hand and wrist health. Can't wait to see your reply.

Best,

doczac

[murphy0847]

@doczac i have an extensor band that works great and you can work fingers individually as well...don't act cool just cuz you combined 2 products and made it into 1...i like your product a lot and even look forward to getting one for preventing injury but i'm only reffering to maximum strength, this can't top heavy duty grippers

Best,

Dr. Murphy Paz DDS

[doczac]

@murphy0847

Thanks for your reply... have seen so many athletes/musicians use spring loaded and coiled grip products alone develop shortened flexor muscles & static finger extensor muscles...then hand, wrist, elbow imbalance...can be very debilitating. They feel strong for a long time, then boom...imbalance is too much...and real problems. I agree coiled grip can be used with Handmaster Plus, but alone is bad news..talk soon, doczac

[doczac]

@darkblazerules :

Exactly why Handmaster Plus was developed...most fatigue in guitar players is from the 'stabilizer' muscles, the finger extensors and the wrist extensors. Very few people train these muscles properly which results in overload on flexor muscles.

Best,

doczac

[darkblazerules]

anyone got advice for playing guitair am good but sometimes it's diffcult for holding a long time

[doczac]

dbr:

Search Guitar hand exercises on YouTube... I have a good explanation fro hand exercise

doczac

[darkblazerules]

@doczac thanks man :) subbed

[XxPotatoxManxX]

Wow. It was just a commercial. Thanks for nothing. You wasted 6 minutes of my life.

[FUSIONF9]

Masturbation gives you bigger forearms!!!!

[Gratch2222]

Tennis ball will give you arthritis. Its has no range of movement and is very unforgiving on your hand joints.

[staphinfection]

So you're telling people that squeezing a tennis balls is wrong, and then you're selling them a fancy tennis ball to squeeze.

Right on man.

[user90745]

@staphinfection You didn't listen to what he said did you...

[archades54]

@staphinfection

Squeezing them ONLY is bad I believe he said.

[RustyFucket]

If you wanted to build a really strong grip say for any grappling/submission/wrestling you would need more resistance added progressively. How could you add more resistance to that workout?

[doczac]

RustyFucket

Many grapplers currently use Handmaster Plus. We regularly test elite athlete & rarely are they addressing finger extensor muscles (9). Handmaster Plus immediately increases grip strength/stamina by addressing these finger stabilizers. Most fatigue by the medium within a minute until they train. Then they move to firm. Handmaster Plus does not negate any other grip trainer of choice, just adds finger extension which is vital for strength, performance & reduces injury.

Best,

doczac

[oxygenownz]

Get a harder ball? :D

Just get another wrist strengthening spring or something

[Gratch2222]

You don't add more resistance to strengthen your hands you do more repetitions. More repetitions = better muscles and more endurance.

[yomamaallupinthis]

are there any exercises that can increase my speed for triggering a paintball gun

[lovingusman1983]

hey doc

pla let me know abt improving handgrip of a 70 yrs old man suffering from hemi plagia plz

[andjelicnikola]

Doc is there any exercise for fingertips so you can get a better touch when you release the football?

[doczac]

andjelicnikola:

We have worked with many college & pro teams, athletes & trainers. Handmaster Plus has been in the training room of many NFL & CFL teams for years. It is used by quarterbacks, backs & receivers, but is popular with linemen. The 3 exercises are for quarterbacks. The stronger & better balanced the fingers, hands and wrists are, the easier it is for the quarterback to relax & still have enough strengeth and control. Better strength & balance, better touch.

Good luck,

doczac

[ckobo84]

Hm...probably the experts on fingertip strength would be rock climbers. I would probably google "rock climber finger exercises" or something like that. You might try "arm wrestling finger exercises" as well, I know there is one arm wrestlers use where they hold the handle of a sledge hammer between the fingertips of both hands and then walk their fingers up the handle like a spider.

[hangover22]

You can do this exercise without the ball just do the same thing.

[doczac]

You can do any exercise without resistance, but appropriate resistance is what challenges the muscles to become strong. The other benefit of appropriate resistive exercise that is omitted is that it maximizes blood flow and lymph drainage.

[doczac]

Notice that the Handmaster Plus mimics exactly the motion of naturally opening and closing the hand, and simply adds resistance. The exercise products that we have grown to believe are proper hand exercise products do not mimick the natural motion of the hand (i.e. spring loaded and coiled grip products train the hand in 2D short ROM's; Handmaster Plus trains the hand muscles in natural 3D full ROM's.

[11leev]

2 questions. i just bought hand grips, and don't want to waste them. are there exercises that just work the extensor muscles? and second, do wrist curls with dumbells work?

[MMAArmchair]

Try varying resistance of rubber bands for the 'opening hand' exercises :) Seems too simple, but it works. Doczac's product is essentially a grip ball and stretch band in one so you can go from closing to opening without changing equipment.

[Odenkay]

Would you agree that the thumb adductor / flexor and palmaris brevis muscle are at least as important in grip strength as the forearm flexors? If you look at hands, you can usually see very developed hand abductors, which means that they're acting as a counterbalance when gripping like the forearm extensors do?

[doczac]

AkemiCaffeine:

Thanks for your Q. No, the toes and feet are anatomically quite a bit different as they serve a different function (balance and shock absorption).

Best,

doczac

[Amitboy1980]

hi do u know any tips for hand grip training for me?

[TimeAndSpaceWarp]

the balance between muscles makes sense, but what about the wrist bones themselves, i've been practicing karate for a while and when i punch hard my wrist hurts, plus if i keep my wrist in a fixed position for long it 'cracks' when i move it down. Is that normal?

[LowQualitYy]

Of course but your wrists will become stronger the more you punch bags =) If you're new you should use protection, or it could damage your wrists.

[derekli04]

P.S.S.T.? Is this in Surrey, BC?

[derekli04]

anyway, very informative. thanks!

[doczac]

Hi Derek:

Yes, the original program (PSST) started in Surrey, BC. PSSTWorld is based on Theresa Campbell's work in Surrey.

PSSTWorld is a seamless scalable program that allows any school district (and now university) to have this fully functional safety program up and running within a few weeks, without tying up staff or development time or resources.

Let me know if you have further q's regarding PSSTWorld.

Best,

doczac

[derekli04]

Doczac,

I don't have any questions, I was just wondering where this thing was shot. Thanks.

[BECK26x]

There any way you can have Carpal Tunnel or whatever and still go to the gym, without making it worse?

[doczac]

Hi BECK26x:

Be careful... once CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome) starts, there is an indication of improper mechanics of the hand, wrist and forearm, causing the carpal tunnel to be compromised. Gripping repetitively (as in weight lifting) is very likely to aggravate CTS. Consider seriously to take some time off, use Handmatser Plus to re-establish proper muscle balance of the hand, wrist, forearm. Then restart exercise. Contact a health care provider for examination & advice.

Best,

doczac

[BECK26x]

Thanks! And for the record I picked one of these up right after I watched the vid (I'm desperate here). I saw you guys won the Music Hand Strength Award in '08. I'm lookin' forward to using it.

[doczac]

All the best!

[TheUnionJack94]

Hey doczac

is there any other products u recommend or any exersizes that will do the same and is it really that bad using grippers or is it not? pls reply

[EWalll]

are there any stores where i would be able to go to and buy one of these? gnc? dick's? thanks in advance

[daddyofsmack]

if squeezing a racquetball only involves the muscles that run along the bottom part of the forearm, why do i see my extensors running along the top of the forearm flex when i squeeze the ball?

[doczac]

Hi daddyofsmack:

This is an excellent question & explains the need to train extensor muscles of grip. Flexor muscles (close the hand) & the extensor muscles (open the hand) are both contracting during grip. Your observation is correct. The difference is that flexors move actively, whereas extensors statically contract to support the action of the flexors. Extensors must be trained (^ROM's) to oppose shortening of the flexors (CTS); & to be kept healthy themselves (tennis elbow).

Best,

doczac

[Gaffhart77]

So, its almost like your extensors are coming to aid the flexors because of the weakness or lack of strength in the flexors? is that right or did i misunderstand?

[doczac]

Sort of...

Your finger and wrist extensor muscles are stabilizers for any action of the finger flexors. The weaker the extensor (stabilizer) muscles are, the harder the flexor muscles have to work. Often people feel their finger flexor muscles are weak, when actually their finger extensor muscles are causing the weakness. Strengthen your finger extensor muscles properly and you will find the true strength of your finger flexor muscles.

Make sense?

Best,

doczac

[chrisdavid42]

how many times a day can this be used to build strength rapidly?

[LifeHouse100]

what can a quarterback do, to get better grip on the football if he has small hands??

[LasPlagas174]

or if you parkour/free run and need a stronger grip on ledges.

[SummerTheFuzzy]

just get some hand grips and squeeze em all tha time

[doczac]

Summer: Your thinking is the common thinking and leads to repetitive grip problems. The finger extensor muscles have to be trained equally to maimize grip and prevent injury. I have seen the same injuries from the same cause for 15 years. Easily preventable, hand grips alone is the wrong approach. Chronic imbalance results.

[raymondonana1]

Dear doczac:

i do 51 push ups and i do 10 barfix is that good to train strenghts? i m 15 years old please send me some more exercises to do to get a maximum of strenghts...

[laoguybrian54]

I'm kinda desperate to strengthen my wrist right now. As I'm currently having balance issues.

[nohomoboi]

ever heard of a band called the strokes? should help

[laoguybrian54]

well actually I just figured out my own way to build wrist muscle 4 months ago. but thanks anyways.

[k3v015Mk]

i play baseball and i want to know what exercises should i do to make my shoulder, arm and wrist stronger to throw the ball faster and straighter, would your product be good to use to help with that?

[NarutoKun310]

where do u get this

[28monkeyking28]

i just got one of the "standard" ones.. cause i drum and play guitar.. and i figured i make my wrist / forearms stronger.. so should i chuck that away then ? ... O_O

[killswitchfan89]

can i buy that thing at models??

[doczac]

Dear Grayzie10:

There is no reason to believe that hand exercise causes arthritis, unless the exercise is imbalanced.

Our sEMG research shows that people are neglecting 9 hand opening muscles when they train hands using 'grip-only' trainers.

It is my opinion that grip-only hand trainers lead to imbalance, unequal wear & limited blood supply to joints of the fingers, thumb & hand.

Handmaster Plus tones & balances all hand muscles & maximizes blood flow & circulation.

Best,

doczac

[doczac]

Hi drummer54as:

Yes, drumming is another great example of repetitive gripping activity that will lead to muscle imbalance & overuse & eventually injury. Finger, thumb, wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis & elbow problems are common in drummers, especially as they age or play more (imbalance advances & blood flow reduces). I'm confident that you will enjoy Handmaster Plus for strength, stamina, speed, balance, warm up & cool down (drummer tested). Follow instructions.

Best,

doczac

[Grayzie10]

do hand grips give u arthritis?

[IsrealFloresto]

same quistion as Grayzie10

are there any arthritis risks?

[drummer54as]

gunna have to get one of these, i play drums n my wrists ache all the time, but ive just realised why cas of the video, because of the drum stick grip my hand hurst when i stretch it out fully and it naturally wants to curl up, is there any exercises i could do other than this to help prevent injury. my 1st drum teacher had to quit playing cas of repetetive strain injury and i dnt want that to happen if anyone can help, cheers

[geerichiee]

would these excersizes i wonder...make me hit a baseball further? J/w

[boxsterwelby]

makes perfect sense. I feel smarter for watching this.

[me18nowlp]

yeah, i play guitar and im trying to find excercises to do when im away from my guitar

i want to be able to pick faster and more rapidly, and whatever helps finger strength and all that stuff.. do you have any solution lol

[me18nowlp]

hey dr. zac,

[doczac]

Dear me18nowlp:

Did you have a comment or question? I believe your comment was cut short.

Best,

doczac

[Sensfan613]

Hey Dr. Zac,

April 17th I cut my flexor tendon in my left thumb, a zone 1 injury. I am at the end of my healing phase and can begin doing strengthening exercises, is the Handmaster plus too much resistance right now?

thx

[doczac]

Hi Sensfan613:

Handmaster Plus 3-pack (soft, medium, firm) is designed specifically for rehabilitation of finger, thumb, hand, wrist, elbow injury cases, but, as for any injury, you must firts clear it for use with your health care professional. Once okayed, start with the soft Handmaster Plus product.

Handmaster Plus combines 3-4 exercises into one and is very easy to do. Always follow directions.

All the best,

doczac

[Hybridaaron]

agreed

[AdamTGlass2007]

Doc Zack

Outstanding info