Training a stronger grip?

[Highwayman]

I shoot a stock Glock 17, and am 127 pounds with very small hands. As much as I try and as much as my fundamentals have developed, I simply can't get myself to 'crush' the gun properly. Are there any drills or exercises to build on this, gadgets that work wonders, or things to think about as I practice?

[BeerBaron]

yeah the hand strength trainers are good.

like these:

or these if you need individual finger stregnth:

I've also found this helped increase hand strength and wrist strength:

[Chills1994]

I recently had my grip strength tested with one of these:

It is called a dynanometer.

My left hand was at 136 pounds. Right was 140 pounds.

A cheap solution is a spring clamp, it's like a clothespin on steroids:

They come in different sizes...besides I already had a bunch just sitting around.

Harbor Freight sells them too, made out of plastic, they are extremely cheap. Like $2 each cheap.

Then you can move up to the grounding clamp for welding:

It's like $6 to $8 at Harbor Freight.

I already had a spring clamp around and plenty of tension springs so I bubba'ed this together:

I hear the weighted rope on a stick thing works too:

[Reshoot]

I have found dumbbell wrist curls, and wrist extensions, much more productive than all the squeezey things on the market.

[SpaceFlunky]

Read this.

http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/basics.html

[bountyhunter]

Just be careful. If you are over 40, these kinds of exercises can give you tendonitis really quickly. Guess how I learned that. Start VERY slowly and increase gradually over time.

[sigsauerfan]

hmmm..squeezing a NY trigger 2 might do wonders ....but seriously, grippers are cheap and gets you a strong grip after awhile.

[mgardner]

I work regularly on the heavy bag and it seems to improve hand strength and desensitizes you to recoil. The shock of hitting the bag makes recoil of the pistol seem normal. Assuming the boxing stance makes it easy to naturally get behind the gun properly too.

[Nimitz]

I would stick with the Captains of Crush grip strength devices .... They are the best out there if you follow their recommended method for using them. I did the wrist roller with weight thing and ended up tearing the cartiledge in my left wrist. When I saw the hand surgeon who was going to make me better he said ... "don't ever do those weight on a rope exercises again - ever". Now I get to wear "The Wigit" on my wrist when I shoot .......

[remoandiris]

I shoot a stock Glock 17, and am 127 pounds with very small hands.

Gen 4 or older version? If Gen 4, have you tried the various backstraps to see if one works better than others? If an older version, go to a gun shop and test out a Gen 4 with the various backstraps.

If your very small hands just aren't making it, an M&P or other make with a narrower grip may be the most effective answer.

[grapemeister]

Check out videos of folks like Jessie Duff, Lisa Munson, and some other top lady shooters. I don' think they're thinking about crushing the gun and they handle the guns quite effectively. I would forget about crushing it and think more about a nice firm grip. Technique will be more important for you.

Edited May 15, 2014 by grapemeister

[drewbeck]

+1 on the spring clamp, at the depot they are a buck. I also have the COC's and would compare the spring clamp to around 125lb. What I found was that the flat part of the clamps is much more comfortable in your hand. The heavier COC's would try to roll on you which also builds strength but they tore my hand up. You can also use rubber bands on the top for added weight.

Also whatever you do, make sure you are working the reverse side of squeezing, by using a rubber band around your fingers and spreading them out. You'll find this tough at first but when you go back to a squeezer you will be much stronger. This will also help tendonitis concerns.

muscles can only contract and they work in tandem with an opposite pulling muscle, keeping the strength on both sides balanced is key to not having injury. An example is people who do tons of situps but never lower back strengthening usually end up out of balance with back issues. Balanced is key

[g.willikers]

The hand exercisers can definitely take skin off, if they twist or slip.

Soft rubber or foam balls work good without that risk.

Using forearm muscle, locking the wrists and pushing foward at the shoulders can be better for some folks than a death grip.

If one thing doesn't help, try another.

[8ring]

Try doing finger curls with a dumbell. This is how I do it. Make sure your arm is hanging driectly below your shoulder. This means bending 90 Degrees at the waist and resting your head on a solid object. (I use my opposite forearm as a cushion between my head and the solid object.) Grab a dumbell weighing 30 - 40 pounds in the farthest joint of your fingers. Slowly curl the dumbell in toward your palm and then let it out just as slowly. Repeat 12 times per set. (If you want, while the dumbell is fully curled in you can lift your arm up, working your upper arm and shoulder a bit. Let it fall slowly to the straight down position and uncurl the dumbell.)

I'm up to two sets of 12 reps with 50 pound dumbells now and I can control my competition revolver and snubnose 638 better than ever.

Don't crush the pistol - a firm, steady grip works best.

I've used the squeezy things for years and they didn't do jacks*** for my grip.

Chris.

[Ramas]

This game is about how high you can grip your gun, not how strong your grip is

Look at this video:

Edited June 2, 2014 by Ramas

[TerryT]

Just be careful. If you are over 40, these kinds of exercises can give you tendonitis really quickly. Guess how I learned that. Start VERY slowly and increase gradually over time.

+1 I overdid it first time and was out for about 9 months.

[R.Elliott]

Trying to grip harder than your level of casual strength will only introduce tremors and tension related technique errors. However, if you increase your overall level of casual strength, you will also increase your casual gripping force. I'm not a big fan of isolation-training anything, since the body doesn't work in isolation. The muscles and tendons that flex the fingers are part of a greater kinetic chain and for that reason I think it's better to strengthen the entire system. Accordingly, I don't find grippers of any sort to be all that valuable, and they do tend to induce some nasty tendinitis.

Basic barbell strength training however...now THAT builds some serious grip strength, while strengthening the rest of the body at the same time. Movements such as dead lifts, chins, power cleans, rowing, etc., build gripping strength very quickly. And because you are working the body systemically rather than component parts in isolation, and with fewer reps, you are less likely to have to deal with tendinitis. Three, half hour workouts per week will give all the results most people would ever want or need.

Just an opinion...

[drewbeck]

If you really want to get a strong grip, rent a jackhammer and start breaking out your back porch!! I have been working on my grip and can close the 200 COC's with both hands but after a 5 hours of breaking concrete and picking up big chunks of concrete in each hand by just squeezing them, my hands and forearms were shot for several days.

Are any of you mason's? I bet you all think this is the silliest workout ever! I don't know any mason's that shoot but I would be they can shoot an AR pistol flat

[TrukSnave]

This game is about how high you can grip your gun, not how strong your grip is

Look at this video:

If its only about how high you can grip, why does Bob Vogel even do Captains of Crush? And why didn't he stop with the COC #1? He can grip a #3 which is 285lbs…if it wasn't very important he wouldn't waste his time.

Edited June 8, 2014 by TrukSnave

[kneelingatlas]

Having a monster grip is certainly helpful in controlling your pistol, but I find the Captains of Crush are really only good for bragging rights and hurting yourself . Hard manual labor is the best path to a strong grip: gardening, digging, kneading bread, etc.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[Highwayman]

I ordered the Level 1 Captain of Crush...and then spent about a week and a half dealing with a strained left wrist after using them a few times. At the very least, I'm finally going a day without the brace and appreciating my left wrist considerably more. Been using a hair tie (I have a ponytail) for finger extensions, and being one-handed all week had me practicing with my SIRT strong hand only. Been using a pair of medicine balls to stretch out my left hand and get rid of the stiff feeling.

At one point I did manage to get out to the range, and was managing notably tighter groups so all this has not been in vain at least.

[trgt]

This game is about how high you can grip your gun, not how strong your grip is

Look at this video:

Here's what his current gun looks like - extra weight on the slide and a weapons light body also filled with weight.

[coordinator]

I use the pistol itself for grip strength training. Grip the pistol hard, and I mean very hard, with your current grip and hold it for a count of twenty. I combine that with focusing on the front sight, on the wall or piece of white paper. It will strengthen the muscles that are used and not strain or harm tendons and muscles.

[ToddKS]

Watching that Bob Vogel video was something of an ah ha moment. The bad news is I think I have been doing it wrong...for 20 years. My strong side hand is correct to what he is saying, it is my weak side hand that is not correct. In my current grip my weak hand index finger is on top of my strong side index finger. According to Bob that is not as it should be. That is going to take some effort to change.

[kneelingatlas]

In my current grip my weak hand index finger is on top of my strong side index finger

Two fingers on the trigger?!? You must be shooting a Glock