Hello DIESELS!

If you go to a website and it talks about Grip Training and how there are only three forms of Grip, you might want to go somewhere else for your information. The Wrist is extremely important in developing a truly strong grip, especially when you consider that Grip is everything from the elbow down to the fingertips.

With that in mind, this week’s challenge is the 25-lb / 10-kg Plate Curl for Reps.

The Plate Curl should a staple in the routine of any Grip Competitor, Strongman Competitor, and really any athlete who has to have strong, injury-free wrist and fingers in order to excel. Below are some of the reasons why plate curls are so important for athletes.

Benefits of the Plate Curl

• Wrist Strength – If you are used to hitting endless repetitions in the Wrist Curl, then this movement will be a welcome change for you. It trains the flexors to fire and maintain the joint angle in a static position, so it is a perfect complement to the more dynamic wrist training movement, the classic wrist curl.
• Finger Stability / Toughness – In order to keep the plate straight, the finger flexors must also fire intensely throughout the movement. Bracing the plate in this manner is very intense, especially for the 60-second time limit. This movement strengthens the fingers in this position and makes them more injury-resistant, so this movement is great for athletes who can not afford to have their fingers messed up.
• Thumb Endurance – While the wrist flexors are doing the majority of the work here, the thumb is also recruited heavily here as well as it is hooked over the rim of the plate. This long duration flexion will test the mental toughness of the competitors
• Wrist Stability – While the wrist flexors are used in order to keep the wrist straight during the movement, the extensors are also firing synergistically in order to keep the joint stable throughout the range of motion
• Complete Lower Arm Tie-in – The best Grip Training movements for athletes in sports other than Grip are ones that make the entire lower arm unit work together all at the same time. The Wrist Curl is one of those which accomplish just that, with movement at the elbow, static contraction at the wrist and thumb, and static to eccentric contraction at the fingers.
• Forearm Size – This movement is a great forearm mass builder. The entire forearm flexor acreage is put under load with this one so a great deal of stimulation takes place. Doing this regularly can blow your forearms up BIG TIME!

Video Guidelines

To submit a video, you must use the following guidelines:

• Title: “DieselCrew.com – Plate Curl for Reps”
• Tags: plate curl, wrist strength, grip endurance, finger stability
• Description: http://www.dieselcrew.com – Grip Strength Challenge – Plate Curl for Reps

Rules

Here are the rules for this week’s Grip Strength Challenge.

1. Take a 25-lb or 10-kg plate and support it on the flat, smooth side with the fingers. Hook the thumb over the lip of the plate in order to hold it in your grasp.

2. Begin with the plate in contact with your thigh. Keeping the wrist as straight as possible, curl the plate up towards the forehead and lightly make contact.

3. Perform this lift for 60 seconds, getting as many repetitions as possible. Hand switches are permitted, as well as chalk. Wrist supports of any kind are not allowed for this challenge.

DIESELS, I will be watching form like a hawk. Keep the reps strict as possible. Any throwing of the weight using the shoulder or thighs is not allowed. If you need to set the plate down or rest at the top or bottom, that is fine, but no body momentum on this one.

Scoring

Since different weighted plates might be used for the challenge, we will use the scoring system used in the Kettlebell Bottoms-up Press Challenge, as shown below…

Weight X Legal Reps = Score

You do not have to weigh your plate on a scale, but you do have to show what the plate is on camera (25-lb or 10-kg) as the 3-lb difference in plates will certainly make a difference.

If you are unsure of how to perform the Plate Curl for Reps, here is a video demonstration.

How to Perform the Plate Curl for Reps

That is all there is to it, DIESELS. I look forward to your submissions. God luck with the challenge, and remember to comply with the Video Requirements or else I will come to your house and Two Hands Pinch your throat, and NOBODY wants that.

Jedd Johnson

Find out the training methods I use
to continue to increase the Two Hands Pinch World Record
each and every year!

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Tags: finger strength, hand strength, thumb strength, wrist strength

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 at 10:43 am and is filed under grip hand forearm training for sports, grip strength, grip strength competition contest, how to improve grip strength. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.