you can walk into any gym and find a common debate.... grip straps and should you use them!?? ill start of by saying this is targeted at functional athletes and not bodybuilders as ill address that later due to length of topic Functional athletes (strongmen, powerlifters, rugby players, Olympic weightlifters and cross-fitters) this part applies to you. Functional strength is the type of strength athletes seek for improved sport performance. Functional strength is also the type of strength that you would use in non-gym situations, for example the events you see in world’s strongest man on tv, or just managing to hold onto the player in rugby to make that tackle as he runs past you!! Considering you are a functional athlete, it is practically inefficient to neglect your grip strength, as they are the end of the kinetic chain for all pushing and pulling exercises. What good does it do you to have a highly functioning back to pull with yet lack the capacity to hold what you’re pulling? To put that into terms you could be a 300 kg dead lifter yet if you don’t have the necessary grip strength you will never pull that weight in competition which creates deficiency. If you can’t hold on to it without the use of straps, you probably don’t have any business picking it up, because straps aren’t allowed in competitions. So remember you’re only as strong as your weakest link. The body is not a collection of unrelated parts that you can strengthen in isolation. It is best developed as a single unit, using compound exercises that engage as many muscles as possible. If you focus on training movements instead of individual muscles, you will reduce the risk of developing the weak spots that lead to injury. Since a powerful grip is one of the key factors in increasing your performance on compound pulling exercises like pull ups, deadlifts, snatches, and power cleans, it stands to reason that a sensible forearm routine should be supplemented into your routine that focuses primarly on building crushing grip strength! After all as strength based athletes, do you want real strength, or just the appearance of strength?
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 23:12:10 +0000
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