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

I got into Grip Training in 2002 when I was introduced to Grippers by a friend named, Rick Walker. From Rick, I learned about training to close big Grippers and different feats of strength like tearing cards and bending nails. At that point, all I wanted to do was rip one deck of cards and I was willing to do anything I needed to in order to accomplish that feat of strength.

Soon, Smitty got a #1 Gripper from IronMind. I thought squeezing Grippers was a bit boring at the time, so I didn’t get my own right away. Instead, I just raced Smitty to closing the number 1 at the gym and while we rode in the car. We nearly wrecked the first time I closed it while riding in the passenger seat…

“YOU CLOSED IIIIITTTTTT!!!!” he said as he swerved back into his lane, avoiding two or three cards in the process. I’ll never forget that day!

I eventually tore my first deck of cards, but it wasn’t until I began practicing all forms of Grip and Wrist Strength training.

Once I came to understand that strengthening my hands in multiple dimensions was so important for ripping a deck of cards, I continued doing it and I also began seeing my performance in other more traditional movements as well, such as the Bench Press, Overhead Work, Squats, and of course Curls.

As I got more interested in developing stronger hands for lifting purposes, I began getting more and more interested in Grip Sport as well and before I knew it, I had half a dozen grippers. Soon I was buying them from others who had extras or who had bought them in a rush, but really had no idea how to train with them and figured the best thing would be to just unload them on someone else.

I’ve lost count of how many times I have seen grippers for sale on-line because people just gave up training with them, their drive burnt out, their interest dwindled down to nothing, mainly because they were sick of beating their heads against a wall trying to make progress with them.

When I first found out about Grippers, there were three main companies making and selling them and one other company was getting out of the business.

The three companies that were going strong were IronMind, Beef Builder, PDA, and the other company was Lemley.

IronMind, I am sure everyone reading this has heard of. I would say they are the most widely recognized name in gripper training with their Captains of Crush line. They, as well as Beef Builder, are still around and going strong. PDA, Piedmont Design Associates, went out of business in 2004 if I remember correctly.

The other company, Lemley, produced left-handed grippers, meaning their springs were wound in the opposite direction of the Grippers we have today. This was fine, but the problem was that after 50 to 100 closes, the glue holding the handles would fail and the handles would come off.

Then in 2004 or 2005, another style of Gripper came on the scene, Heavy Grips. They are still around and are being sold on countless sites all over the internet. Resellers and drop shippers love these grippers because they come in a nice large set with lots of options to choose from. The problem with them, in my opinion, is their spring. Somewhere along the lines they changed their springs and got weaker. When they first came out, their 300-lb Gripper was about equal to an IronMind #3. Once they went to the new shinier springs, the strength levels changed.

As the years have gone by, many more Gripper manufacturers have popped up. Robert Baraban makes a large variety of Grippers, even varying the handle spread for smaller handed individuals. NutritionGeeks.com began marketing their own gripper line, the T-grippers, made by Warren Tetting, the same person who makes the Beef Builder line. Nowadays, even GNC has jumped into the Gripper Market, selling their own Grippers at their stores, which I believe are modified Heavy Grips Grippers, although I am not 100% sure.

The gripper companies and lines that I have mentioned here are nowhere near a complete list. These are just a few examples of Torsion Spring Grippers, the kind with the knurled handles and the twisted spring. When you throw the adjustable grippers and the coil spring grippers in there, the number of grippers available gets even larger.

My point is not to point out the sheer number of types of grippers on the market. I will get to my point in a moment though…

Think back to the last time you bought a tool, like a handsaw. How about when you bought your last car? How about your last computer / laptop / or other electronic gadget?

What was it that came with each and every one of those things to help you be sure you were able to use them properly?

That’s right – an OPERATOR’S MANUAL.

Now, think back to the last time you bought a Gripper. Did it come with an operator’s manual? Or how about even a guideline of instructions for use?

No, it probably didn’t. In fact, I don’t know of any Grippers on the market that do come with instructions on how to progress with them. No instructions on how to set them in your hand, no advice on the best way to train with them and no guidelines as far as what to expect or how to succeed with them.

This is where I come in.

I have designed the next best thing when it comes to Gripper Training, my new On-line DVD, CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination.

After working on this for the last several weeks, and reworking it until I was happy with it, it is now ready to go.

This Piece is TWO DISKS!

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Check out everything CRUSH has in it:

Module 1 – Bulletproofing the Hands and Lower Arms

Nothing will set your Gripper training behind worse than having injuries. I will show you the Preventive Measures to do now in order to keep injuries away and keep the gains coming.

Module 2 – Types of Grippers

I cover many types of grippers and show their differences, strengths, and weaknesses so you can understand what you have and in order to make wise purchases down the line

Module 3 – Gripper Training Basics Everyone MUST Know

Here I cover the basics of grippers, their terminology, techniques, and help lay a solid foundation for your gripper training.

Module 4 – Supplementary Training: Strength from Start to Finish

Closing a Gripper requires you to move the handles through three stages: the Set, the Sweep, and the Finish. When you watch this module, you will discover how to build strength through all three of these individual parts of the close.

Module 5 – Supplementary Training: Addressing Weaknesses

Many trainees do not realize the role that individual parts of the hand can have in closing Grippers. In this section you will understand why each part of the hand is important and how to make them strong and powerful.

Module 6 – Advanced Training Techniques

Once you have developed a strong foundation in Gripper training, you may want to challenge yourself even further. In this section, you will learn ways to take your Gripper work to the next level in order to develop upper levels of crushing grip strength.

Module 7 – Other Important Gripper Training Concepts

In this section I will cover with you additional concepts you can start building into your training to accelerate your progress and strength gains. These are concepts that are often skipped, missed, or ignored by new Gripper trainees.

In addition to the basic program, I have also included several bonuses for the electronic version only.

Module 8 – BONUS Gripper Training Program

During the Spring and Summer of 2011, I developed a Gripper Training program that produced more “Personal Records” for me than anything I have ever tried. Up to this point, I have showed this Gripper Training Program only to my On-line Coaching Clients and V.I.P. Customers, and it has gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews. This Program is completely free when you pick up CRUSH today.

Module 9 – BONUS Gripper Strength Rating System Demonstration

I will take you through the Gripper Strength Rating Process on one of my Grippers in order to show you how Grippers are rated in Grip Sport. This is a very interesting process and will serve to educate you on real, tangible, numeric classifications for Gripper Strength Levels.

Module 10 – BONUS Top 10 Gripper Training Mistakes

I gave this video away for free during the pre-launch period, but I am including it in the bonuses for those who did not see them.

Module 11 – BONUS Top 3 Gripper Training Myths

This video was given away as a follow-up to the video above only to those who subscribed to my Gripper Training Tips Newsletter.

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CRUSH is a culmination of every bit of hard-hitting instruction I have learned and developed over the years related to Gripper Training.

If you are serious about your Gripper Training but need some direction, or if you thought it was hopeless to master the grippers you bought months or even years ago, but gave up due to lack of knowledge, than you better check this piece out.

All the best in your training.

Jedd