Easy Ways Cops Can Improve Grip Strength
Dude was drunk and high on who knows what, and he was not interested in talking to us, much less going to jail. He’d already assaulted five people, and ended the night with two more assault of officer charges. Later, we would find out that he also had an outstanding felony warrant.
We fought him for 10 or 15 minutes before we finally got him in the car, hobbled, and off to booking.
If you’ve ever tried to get someone into custody that didn’t want to go, you know how hard it is to hold on. You both get sweaty, and your suspect probably doesn’t have the best hygiene to begin with. There’s also probably going to be blood involved. You should be wearing gloves, which can help, but it’s still very difficult to maintain control and keep your grip.
Don’t neglect training your grip. Luckily, it doesn’t usually require you to do any special exercises. Wrist curls and similar movements are fine, but you can modify big exercises you’re already doing in the gym for time efficiency.
Find Ways to Thicken Your Grip
There are tons of commercially available “Fat Grips” on the market. These rubber grips slide on to whatever implement you’re training with and greatly increase the grip demands of the exercise. You’ll be shocked how much these affect how much weight you can use. Use them on any exercise that already has a grip component – curls, pullups, farmer’s walks, rows, etc.
For curls or upright rows, loop a towel or short piece of rope through a kettlebell’s handle.
If you don’t want to spend money, you can use towels. Use washcloths to thicken the grip on dumbbells.
Use a Variety of Grips for Pullups
This is one of the best ways to increase training efficiency. Loop a thick bath towel over a pullup bar and do your pullups while gripping the towel. You can do the same thing with a short piece of rope. Use two ropes to work each hand individually. You can also make grips out of softballs, pieces of wood, or other small objects.
If you’re lucky enough to have access to a climbing rope, use it. Work up to climbing without using your feet.
Avoid Straps, and Use a Double Overhand Grip on Deadlifts
This rule doesn’t apply to your heaviest sets. To build maximal strength, you’re going to have to use weights that you can’t grip double overhand. Use a mixed grip (one hand over, one hand under) for your heavy sets, but use a double overhand grip for most of your warmup sets. This will help more than you think.
Avoid straps. Unless you’re competing in Strongman or your hands are beat up for another reason, you don’t need them.
For movements like Romanian Deadlifts and Stiff Leg Deadlifts, always use a double overhand grip, even if it limits the amount of weight you can use. These exercises don’t need to be trained maximally. The same goes all the different varieties of rows.
Do Plates Pinches and Hub Grips Between Sets
In between sets of exercises that don’t require much grip, such as bench pressing, add in some plate pinches. Grab 2-3 thin plates, like 5’s or 10’s. Pinch them all together in one hand and hold for max time. You can also do this two handed with larger plates. If your gym has hex dumbbells rather than round ones, grab one by the end and hold for max time. These won’t affect the main exercise you’re doing and will make your workout more time-efficient.
Train with Sandbags and Other Odd Objects
If you’ve never tried to shoulder a 250 pound sandbag, you’re in for a treat. The grip requirements for many strongman implements are unreal. For maximum benefit, avoid using a sandbag that has dedicated handles for gripping. These are better for some exercises, but to train your grip, grab the bag by the sides. You’ll have to wrestle the bag to get it where you want it. The heavier, the better.
To make a DIY sandbag, get an old bag from an army surplus store. Fill several contractor bags with 25-30lbs of sand. These will be your filler bags, and allow you to adjust the weight of your sandbag. Tape them up so they won’t break easily. Add filler bags to your sandbag to your desired weight, and bam, you have a great training implement for around $40.
Do Sled Drags with Grip Implements
Any grip implement you use for pullups can also be used for sled drags. Use a thick piece of rope or softballs instead of a strap with handles.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me