Building Grip Strength for Life

Wade Gillingham Farmer’s Walking 172 Lb. Thomas Inch Dumbbells

Summary

Grip strength plays an important role in strength training, athletic performance, and everyday function. This article explores the anatomy of grip, proven training methods, specialty grip equipment, hook grip technique, and practical ways to build stronger hands and forearms.

Key Takeaways

Grip strength depends on the coordinated effort of the hands, thumbs, and forearms.
Heavy rows, deadlifts, farmer’s carries, rope pulls, and shrugs can help develop grip strength.
Training without lifting straps allows the hands and forearms to perform more of the work.
Hand grippers, pinch-grip devices, and other specialty implements can add variety to grip training.
The hook grip can provide a more secure hold during heavy deadlifts but should be developed gradually.
Proper technique and progressive training are essential for building grip strength safely.

Need For a Strong Grip

In sport and strength training, a strong grip can be a major advantage. Grip strength can play a factor in successfully tackling your opponent; taking down your opponent in wrestling; holding onto the apparatus in gymnastics; vaulting high into the air in the pole vault; grabbing hold of your opponent’s hand in arm wrestling; and securing your grip on a hockey stick.

In the world of strength athletics, grip is often the limiting factor: if you can’t hold onto it, you simply can’t lift it. This becomes especially important in the clean, deadlift, farmer’s walk, stone lifting, and other loading events. Additionally, grip can be a sport in itself. There are grip strength contests held all over the world that specifically test grip strength. These contests may include bending nails, squeezing heavy hand grippers, lifting wide handled implements, pinch gripping objects, and other challenges that test grip strength. Currently, Armlifting USA is the largest sanctioned federation and holds championships at major fitness venues.

Anatomy of Grip

Anatomically, there are a lot of things going on in your forearms and hands when locking down that solid grip on a heavy hang clean, or deadlift. Gripping an object involves a coordinated effort between the extrinsic (flexor and extensor) muscles of the forearms, the intrinsic muscles of the hand, and the thenar muscles of the thumb. Over 35 muscles are involved in applying the necessary force, to the 27 bones located in the hand, to move or hold onto an object. For a strong grip you need to develop strong powerful forearms, but you also need to strengthen and fine tune the smaller muscles in your hands and thumbs.¹

Family of Grippers

Our family has always challenged each other to have a strong grip. Growing up, I heard legendary stories of my grandfather bending down the handles on a pair of pliers. My father had vice grips for hands and massive forearms. He could pull over 1100 lbs. out of the power rack without the use of lifting straps.

My younger brother, Wade, has thumbs the size of turkey legs. He competed as a Pro Strongman and then transitioned into a grip specialist. He is still known for having one of the strongest grips in the world. He competed several times in the Arnold Classic Strongman Mighty Mitts Contest which was held in conjunction with the strongman event. The Mighty Mitts had competitors picking up heavy anvils by the horn, farmers walking Thomas Inch dumbbells, overhand axel deadlifts, tearing phone books in half, and various other heavy events that challenge wrist and grip strength.

Wade’s involvement in this type of training got our father interested in training grip strength. He had a special machine built in his 50’s to train to close the IronMind Number 4 Gripper. He was able to close it against his leg and then keep it held down but was just short of closing it clean.

Between Wade and my dad they got our whole family interested in grip challenges. We still frequently hold grip contests at family gatherings that include the brothers, uncles, cousins, and nephews. My brothers and I started the Grip Gauntlet in 2004 which was part of the GNC Booth at major fitness shows like the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia. The Grip Gauntlet was composed of a 50 lb. Blob, an IronMind Number 3 Gripper, and the IronMind Rolling Thunder. It became the most popular grip challenge in the world with an estimated 20,000 competitors between 2004 and 2010. These types of implements are not only fun to train with but are a great tool to increase grip strength and should be added into your grip training methods.

Karl Gillingham Competing in the Hercules Hold

Developing a Strong Grip

A strong grip is earned through hard work with your hands. Athletes in powerlifting and strongman are often known for tremendous grip strength because they spend years deadlifting, farmer’s walkingcarries, pulling heavy loads, and picking heavy things up. It sounds simple, but part of the answer is to leave the lifting straps in your gym bag and train your hands to do the work.

I’ve always credited heavy bent rows and cleans as my favorite grip builders. Additionally, I do a lot of work with sledgehammers. Working with sledgehammers will build powerful forearm and hand strength. The greatest powerlifter of all time, Ed Coan, singles out heavy high repetition shrugs with an overhand grip as his favorite grip enhancer. He also has a special exercise that many call the Coan Hold. He performs this movement by grabbing the center of a loaded 225 lb. barbell, positioned in the power rack, and holding it with one hand for up to two minutes at a time.²

My brother, Wade, frequently trains with hand grippers, the rolling thunder and various grip strength apparatuses. He also credits heavy sets of 10 in the dumbbell row and heavy double overhand deadlifts as his primary grip builders. He has overhand deadlifted a set of 5 with 570 lbs. with no straps and no hook grip. My brother Karl built his incredible grip with Strongman event training like farmer’s walks, rope pulls, Hercules holds, sandbag and stone lifting. He has developed meat hooks for hands and powerful forearms from years of this training.

Rope pulls and farmer’s walks are staple functional strength movements for the powerlifting, football and wrestling athletes that I coach. Grip is a big factor in these sports. Having a strong grip can make the difference on the platform or the playing field. We try to avoid using lifting straps with our core lifts as much as possible.

The Hook Grip: A Strong Grip Variation

Standard Grip Hook Grip

The alternating grip, one hand gripped overhand and one hand gripped underhand, is the most common grip for heavy deadlifting because it allows you to hold onto more weight than a matched overhand grip. However, several years ago, I injured my left hand, which affected my deadlift grip strength. At the 1999 IPF Battle of the Giants, I watched IPF World Champion Maxim Podtynny from Russia hook grip 854 lbs. At the same meet, I was limited to what I could lift on my third attempt because of my grip. I spent most of the next year working on perfecting my hook grip technique. At the 2000 IPF World Championships in Akita City, Japan, I used a hook grip and was able to hold onto my third deadlift for the gold medal.

The hook grip is different than a standard grip as the fingers wrap over the thumb and not under. This allows you to lock the bar securely in your hands. There is some pain involved in gripping in this manner, but at 60 years old I am still pulling my heavier deadlifts using this technique. Start out light and take your time developing this grip. It takes time to perfect but rewards you with the ability to hang onto more weight.³

Hook Gripping 903 out of the Power Rack on my 60th Birthday

Get Rid of the Lifting Straps and Work that Grip

You can’t develop a strong grip by wearing lifting straps all of the time. My most important advice is to avoid using lifting straps for your primary lifts on a regular basis. Save the lifting straps for performing heavy overloads or training around an injury.

You can’t take the straps onto the platform or out in the field with you, so it is essential to build that grip without depending on them. This is also a good rule for assistance exercises. Lifting heavy assistance exercises without straps is a great way to improve your grip. Experiment with specialty grip implements like hand grippers, rolling thunder and pinch grip devices to give you that extra training edge. They are not only effective but also fun to train with.

As with any training method, use proper technique, progress gradually, and stop if something feels painful or off. If you are dealing with an injury or are unsure whether a grip variation is right for you, work with a qualified coach or healthcare professional.

Stay Strong!

Brad Gillingham

CSCS

MSc Southern Utah University

Grip Strength and Healthy Aging

Grip strength is important beyond sports and strength training. It is commonly used as a practical indicator of overall muscle strength and physical function, particularly in older adults. Research has associated lower handgrip strength with future functional limitations, disability, and other health outcomes related to aging.⁴

Maintaining grip strength may support the everyday activities that help people remain active and independent, from carrying groceries and opening containers to lifting objects and completing household tasks. Although grip strength alone does not determine overall health or longevity, it can offer useful insight into changes in muscle strength and function over time.

HMB has also been studied for its role in supporting muscle strength and physical function, including outcomes involving handgrip strength. Learn more about this research in our position paper, The Correlation of myHMB®, Handgrip Strength & Healthy Aging.

References:

Ambike S, Paclet F, Zatsiorsky VM, Latash ML. Factors affecting grip force: Anatomy, mechanics, and referent configurations. Experimental brain research. April 2014. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4013148/.
Gallagher M. Ed Coan: The Man, the Myth, the Method. Coan Quest Inc; 1999.
Gillingham B. Learn how to deadlift like a champion: Brad Gillingham’s expert guide. Iron Company Gym Equipment and Rubber Gym Flooring. December 1, 2024. https://www.ironcompany.com/blog/brad-gillingham-deadlift-guide.
Bohannon RW. Hand-grip dynamometry predicts future outcomes in aging adults. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. 2008;31(1):3–10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18489802/