One of the great things about Gripper Training is that there is a nearly endless variety of training methods you can do with grippers as long as you get your imagination going a bit.

If you have trouble thinking up cool and interesting variations in your gripper training, just think about a more conventional form of training and apply it to your gripper work.

For instance, one common method of increasing the number of reps and sheer volume you do in your regular strength and muscle building training is Drop Sets. This is where you perform a certain number of repetitions in a lift, and then once you come near to or actually hit the point of failure, you set the weight down and perform more repetitions with a lighter weight.

Drop Sets are also a great method for pre-exhaustion. The set is broken down into two or more parts with the earlier portion(s) of the set being used to pre-exhaust the part of the body doing the work and thus making the later portion(s) harder than normal.

For instance, in the Deadlift, you can hit a set number of repetitions with a starting weight, and then pull a plate off the bar and continue.

Here is an example of how to do Drop Sets with the Deadlift. Also make sure to check out the cool Lumberjack Beard that I am sporting. You will get a good close-up at the end.

In this case, I did not wait until I hit or came near to failure. I had the drops already planned. Either way will work fine for increasing the volume you are performing with grippers. Also, by the time I began lifting 135, my hands and posterior chain were thoroughly pre-exhausted and I had to put in more effort and drive in order to finish the set how I wanted.

The very same concept of Drop Sets can also be performed with Grippers.

In order to do this, you will need at least two grippers. One of them will be “heavier” and the other one will be “lighter.”

In this video, I perform a Gripper Drop Set, first hitting a filed Elite Gripper, then hitting a lighter, #3 gripper.

Normally, that #3 would go down no problem, but because I already attempted the Elite gripper and performed a static hold near the end range, I was pre-exhausted and it made the #3 gripper somewhat harder to close than it actually is.

This technique is especially useful if you have only a limited number of grippers in your collection. The lighter grippers will seem tougher to close and you will have to work harder to make the handles touch.

You can also set this up so that you do the lighter gripper first, followed by the heavier gripper. For instance, if you only have a #1 and a #2, you can perform a pre-exhaust set with the #1 gripper and then move to the #2. If you are currently closing the #2 when you are fresh, after pre-exhausting with the #1, the #2 will feel somewhat more challenging to close.

If you want to take this method even further, you can use a whole series of grippers and run down the table in almost a medley-type format.

Other variations for your gripper training include modifying the set depth used, the period of time holding the gripper closed, the number of repetitions with the grippers, etc.

Like I said at the beginning, the only thing limiting you in your gripper training is your own imagination. There’s no reason to ever get completely bored with grippers.

There are always more ways you can challenge yourself.

For more gripper training variations, check out the following posts:

• Common Gripper Questions
• How to Set a Gripper
• Advanced Gripper Training Methods
• My Complete Gripper Video PlayList on YouTube

Also, if you are really serious about your Gripper Training, then you need to pick up my On-line DVD called CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination. With over 2 hours of training instruction, you will increase your awareness of what is possible with grippers and see new progress moving up the gripper ladder.

All the best in your training,

Jedd Johnson

This is a combo article from me and my buddy, Mike Rinderle. Mike is Mash Monster Level 2 Certified, and rarely trains grippers due to all the bending he does, YET, has found that he maintains his gripper strength very well, again, because of all the bending he does.

**IMPORTANT** Be smart about your training. If these are new tactics, work them into your training slowly and don’t go overboard. Everyone is at a different stage of development with their CRUSH training, so be sure to train wisely, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Isometrics for Gripper Strength

What we are going to look at today is Isometric and Near-Isometric Work that you can do with your Grippers in order to strengthen the end range of the close, or the Finish.

Training the Finish of the close is important. You can have a strong set, and monster sweep strength, but if you die at the end of the range, then none of that really matters.

After all, the objective is to close the gripper, not sweep it down to 1/4 inch…

What Are Gripper Training Isometrics?

Isometric exercises involve ranges of motion during muscle contraction which are very small or non-existent. They permit maximum exertion over a very short distance (or statically). They build stronger tendons, the ability to fire your CNS more efficiently, and increased time under tension, driving strength gains.

The three types of isometrics used to increase gripper strength are static, short concentric (positive), and short eccentric (negative).

Over-Crushes

Overcrushes (static): Use a gripper that you can close and hold for at least a few seconds. Close the gripper and squeeze as hard and as long as you can.

Take note that the objective here is to squeeze like you are trying to flatten the handles together, using more force that is necessary to hold the handles together.

When you hit 15 seconds, it is time to move up a gripper level. Do no more than 3 of these per hand to prevent over-training.

Don’t just touch the handles together – squeeze with everything you’ve got until the gripper starts to open up. This is not a negative! Doing a negative after a hard overcrush can injure you, so do not try to resist the handles as they open.

Choker Closes

Choker closes (concentric/near isometric): This technique is done with the purpose of shortening the stroke of the gripper handles and focusing just on the last portion of the range. These are also generally done with explosive power in order to train the CNS to power through until the handles touch.

Get a sturdy hose clamp, tape the tops of the gripper handles and clamp your goal gripper to parallel or closer (whatever width you need to close it). Remember to perform explosive singles with this technique. Explode into the close and click the handles as fast as you can.

Wait until you recover and do another one just as hard and as fast as the last. Once the closes start to get a bit slow, or you can’t touch the handles anymore, STOP. PERIOD. This means your hands are fried and going further with this technique will teach you to be slow.

If you can get more than 5 – 7 of these then it is time to open the clamp up slightly wider or use a harder gripper next time. My gripper was too light to be effective for my crush, BUT it was the only one I had with a choker on it, so I used it for the demonstration)

Bounce Force Negatives

Bounce Forced Negatives (BFNs) (eccentric): Use a gripper one level higher than your goal gripper. Use your leg, or off hand to cheat close it and then fight to keep it from opening. When it gets to parallel, use your other hand (or leg) to force it back shut and fight again to keep it shut. Repeat one more time when it gets to parallel. That’s one set of 3. Do no more than 2 sets.

Also, this will be a bigger gripper than you are used to and if it has sharp knurling you need to not just let it spring open after the last negative gets to parallel, or you could lose some skin. Open it slowly.

Conclusion

These three gripper techniques are much more demanding on the CNS and the soft tissues of the hand, so we advise to only perform one of these gripper training techniques per workout. In other words, don’t do three sets of over-crushes, followed by some BNF’s and top it off with some choker work. That is a sure-fire way to make your progress go backwards, or worse yet, get you hurt.

Also, alternate these high-intensity techniques for best results. Each movement trains the muscles, tendons, and CNS in a slightly different way. To get the most out of these techniques, you can incorporate one of them at a time on a regular basis and see how your Crush improves, then try the next technique.

Of course, these are advanced gripper training techniques. If you don’t already have a solid grip on the basics of gripper training, then you might not be ready for these techniques.

In that case, check out my Gripper Training DVD, CRUSH, Total Gripper Domination.

CRUSH will show you how to develop a good base of training with your grippers, a solid foundation on which to build upon for the future.

There’s no reason why you, yourself, can not one day certify on Grippers. You just need the right information to get you going in the right direction.

Start out on the right foot with the solid information you need to excel with Grippers, which you will get in CRUSH.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Hello Diesels!

In just a few short hours, CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination will be available.

But now is the time to discuss the winner of the Free DVD Essay Contest.

The rules were simple. Write an essay with 100-words or more describing why you should win a free copy of the CRUSH DVD.

There were many entries – 40, to be exact, and they included many names I recognized from past emails, purchases, Facebook, YouTube, and more, as well as many new names I have not seen before, which was cool. Thank you to all who participated. For such a small window of just 24 hours, I thought the response was pretty darn impressive!

Within the essays, I was impressed by the wide array of background each of you come from. From Martial Artists, to Strength Enthusiasts, to Teachers, it was AWESOME to see such the diversity.

Of course in a contest such as this, it is tough to decide on a winner and it would be the easy way out to just do a random drawing, but I said I was going to choose a winner, and that is what I am going to do.

As I had said previously, the winner would be the person who deserved it the most, and with so many deserving people, I decided to choose the person whose essay conveyed, in my eyes, the most passion in their essay.

With that in mind, my choice is Mike Watson. I chose Mike because when I read his essay about his love and drive for wrestling, it really resonated with me and I saw similarities with how I feel about the sport of Grip.

Below is his essay:

“First off I need help getting my grip power up for wrestling. I love wrestling more then anything, and nothing has been able to stop me from doing this sport, which I love. The key things you need in wrestling is: grip, neck strength, speed, technique and endurance. Each part is very important, grip is essential for performing moves and starting off in the match. I have wrestled in Japan for almost 3 years before I had to come back to the states. This sport means the world to me. It keeps me out of trouble, keeps my grades in check, keeps me fit and keeps me disciplined. People can talk about why they want it, but they don’t live and breathe something everyday. If you love something as much as I do, you would understand why I want help with my grip. Wrestling isn’t a sport, you don’t play wrestling. Wrestling is a lifestyle and you respect your opponent and yourself. It isn’t a game its life, and life isn’t something you play with. Thank you for your time to read this I hope I get this DVD would help me in my wrestling career in life.”

Mike, I thought your essay was great. Thanks for posting it and make sure to send me your address so I can get the DVD to you.

There were many other great submissions. Thanks again to everyone who posted.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

CRUSH – Coming REALLY Soon

Hello DIESELS!

My new DVD is set to come out very soon. It’s called, CRUSH! Total Gripper Domination.

I have been extremely excited about it for the last few weeks. Let me tell you a bit about it…

This whole thing started when I first began marketing the Vulcan V2 Gripper through David Horne’s World of Grip.

Many of the guys who were picking them up were interested in a short demonstration of how to modify the strength level of the Vulcan, so, eager to oblige, I shot something to cover how to move the spring and how to tell which level you were on.

Once I got rolling, I ended up covering a bunch of other points, so I re-worked the entire thing into a complete How to Train with the Vulcan video.

As I edited that, I realized there was so much more training to do in order to improve performance on the Vulcan, that I needed to shoot that information as well.

So, essentially, this project kept growing and growing into the definitive resource for Gripper Training.

And now, I have amassed all the information anyone could possibly need in order to train with Grippers and develop a crushing grip.

And I know there are many of you out there who need help with Gripper Training.

From knowing what grippers to buy, to how to set them, to the number of reps to do, Gripper Training is the topic I am asked questions about most often, whether it is here on the site, through the newsletter, or on YouTube.

The fact is people love training with Grippers, and you can’t blame them, especially with the alluring Gripper certifications that are out there, like the Gripboard’s ever-growing Mash Monster Ladder and IronMind’s ever-evolving Captains of Crush list! It’s pretty damn cool to be part of an exclusive group.

I still remember driving to my witness’s location in order to get certified as a #3 closer, and when I mashed the handles of the Mash Monster 1 Gripper for several seconds was an even bigger day for me because my friends and training partners were there cheering me on.

Over the years, I have worked hard on grippers, since they are a key part of every grip contest. It’s important to get out of the gates on the right foot or else you’re battling back from behind right from the beginning.

And I also know there are hundreds of people who have their sites set on certification with the #3 Gripper, and many more who will try once they find out about it.

And even if certification and grip contests are not even near your radio, and you just want to use Grippers the right way to improve your grip strength for your job, your sport, or other reasons, this DVD will help you get there.

I want to help you all get there. That is why I have been working so hard on this Video the last two months.

Stay tuned, DIESELS. The wait will be over soon.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. Want to avoid the Top 10 Gripper Training Mistakes? Sign up for the video here: Top 10 Gripper Training Mistakes

Here are a couple of questions I have received recently on Gripper Training at my YouTube Channel…

(more…)