Is Your Gripper Knurling HELPING or HURTING Your Gripper Performance?
As you know, I rate a lot of grippers.
Gripper junkies send me their grippers and I measure how strong they are by using a device called an RGC.
This has become the standard for getting a direct strength comparison between grippers from different companies.
However, there’s one variable that the RGC is incapable of factoring in, and that is the gripper knurling quality.
Maybe you’ve noticed that the knurling on the gripper handle varies from one company to the next?
For instance, Beef Builder knurling is usually very rough, COC knurling is of a good, middle-of-the-road level, and then Heavy Grips grippers feel very smooth.
Knurling can make a BIG difference in how good of a grip you can get on the handles and how far you can come from closing the gripper.
Here’s an example…
I was working on my Credit Card Set strength with my left hand last night and was smashing my 129-rated BBSM.
But, when I dropped down to my 128 and 127 rated grippers, I was missing by about 3 to 5 millimeters.
So, why would I be able to DOMINATE a 129-rated gripper and then miss on other grippers that are slightly lighter?
The biggest factor was the knurling.
The 129-rated BBSM has knurling that literally feels like you could grate a block of cheese with it.
The lighter grippers, however, came with naturally less-aggressive knurling on them.
PLUS, on top of that, these grippers have been in my collection for nearly 10 years, and I used to be REALLY HARD ON MY GRIPPERS.
I didn’t take care of them at all, and would just throw them in my gym bag or chalk bucket and they would bounce around and bang into one another.
As a result, from all that abuse, the handle knurling has been beaten down to almost nothing and as a result, I can get nearly as good of a grip on the handles of my older grippers.
Since my left hand really STINKS at Credit Card Set training, since that range of 125 to 130lbs is near my limit, I often fail on grippers with beaten-down knurling.
So, I encourage you to take care of your grippers.
These days, I am OBSESSIVE about my knurling condition.
Keep them in good shape, so you aren’t dealing with basically bald grippers, like I do on a daily basis.
If you need more help with your gripper training, check out these resources:
1. CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination:
This Video covers everything you need to know regarding gripper training technique, as well as drills, tactics and strategies to help you with your gripper training.
2. Cadence Based Training:
This ebook is my gripper training program that I devised over the span of a couple years and has helped me consistently improve my performance every year since implementing it.
3. Operation: Gripper Certification:
This video focuses on the intricacies of the credit card set, the technique that is required for certification with the IronMind Captains of Crush grippers.
These 3 resources are must-haves IF you’re serious about grippers.
If you just dabble, and don’t really care about closing bigger grippers, then these products are not necessary.
Get what you need for your specific goals, TODAY.
All the best in your training.
Jedd
P.S. Here’s the links for those KEY gripper training resources:
1. CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination
3. Operation: Gripper Certification
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