Exercises for hand strength

[ctsmith]

I've been using clinchers in the few short years I've been skiing. I've ran sets without them and really liked the feel better without clinchers. Looking for exercises to build grip strength. Is the old hand grips the best thing going? Any other suggestions?

 

[ThePantsManCan]

Put a towel around or over the top of a chin-up bar, grab each end of the towel and do pullups to failure. After that just hang if you can. Maybe even jounce your body weight against the bar while your feet are off the ground (still hanging onto the towel) I know its not the real thing but as close as you can get to duplicating the environment your hands will be working in while skiing. Plus, no need to buy anything! Everyone has a towel.. well, I hope. ewwww....

[Razorskier1]

Dumbell curls. I only use dumbells in my offseason training routine. Having to hold and grip the weight while doing the exercise makes your grip rock solid. Heavier is better. There are other specific exercises you can do with a dumbell or barbell for grip, but this alone should do it.

[6balls]

Heavy dumbell curls, heavy seated rows off the low pully, heavy shoulder shrugs, heavy pull downs, chin ups...all this stuff uses grip so I don't specifically do any grip work.

[wtrski6]

Find a local gym with a rock wall! Rock climbing helps my hand strength like nothing else. Very fun workout too.

[mylemsky]

+1 on the pull ups, plus they work so much more. Personally, if over done, can overwork the elbows if doing palms away too much. I like the towel idea to mix up the grip.

 

Also, if you have access to kettle bells, start with an 18 and do an overhead press with bottoms up...all grip.

[Wish]

wtrski6 is right on. Very fun and finger grip work out like no other. Climbing is one of the only alternatives to skiing that I've found that works out almost all the same muscles and to and extreme. Will improve core tremendously. It's also self motivating. One does not want to fall, even harnessed in. And ya dont want to wimp out and ride the rope down when your already half way up. Kinda like not quitting till all six are rounded. Also its challenging. Most rockwall facilities will have rated routs up the wall by level of ability. So you can always challenge yourself. Over a six month period I kept upping my wall level till I was able to do overhang walls. Feet slipped and instead of being smart and letting go I did not. Body weightt swinging away from wall twisted and messed up my elbow. I now use it as just a work out. Can add a weight vest and stay on the easier walls. It's relatively inexpensive. A decent harness, chalk bag and shoes and your good to go. Less than a new ski or rode bike by far.

[ktm300]

For one of my core exercises, I walk around the neighborhood holding a 50lb elevator weight in one hand (switch back and forth). Great core work. Hold in one hand until you cannot mentally force yourself to hold it another second, then switch hands. Killer for the grip too.

[A_B]

All of the above, And throw those grippers in your car and do them on the drive to work and back. I've done that for years.

 

Another one I like is to drill a 1" dowel or shaft and put a rope through it attached to a clip. The clip gets attached to a weight plate. Hold your arms out and roll up the weight and then roll it down to the ground.

[thager]

Do not ask Horton what he does for hand exercises!!!

[Wish]

Is one of his hands stronger??

[Rup]

Kettle bells work for me.

 

[04196]

Here is another great way to increase finger, hand and forearm strength at a low cost, easy to do anytime - anywhere.

 

http://www.rei.com/product/478028/gripmaster-hand-strengthener

 

http://static.cl1.vanilladev.com/ballofspray.vanillaforums.com/uploads/FileUpload/3c/ecbabd858b9ccf035ec25f148299eb.jpg

[thompjs]

More important is learning how to hold the handle so you don't need much grip.

 

[A_B]

Thager, how is his eyesight?

[6balls]

thompjs...how to hold the handle or how to ski so that less grip is necessary! Until I learn to ski better, I need all the grip I can get!

[thager]

I hear he is blind.

[skibug]

Here you go...I would recommend starting with one brick though....this is a killer and a good change up to the normal gym movements.

 

 

[ctsmith]

Thanks guys, lots of good tips. I like skibug's brick tossing and ktm300's idea of walking around with a weight in one hand. I did that last night pinching the weight between my thumb and fingers and there was serious burn in my hand. Horton's training makes you go blind so I'll limit that exercise to twice a day :)

[xrated]

Baseball players will fill a 5 gallon bucket with rice. Punch your fist down into the bucket and then rotate your arm to "drill" your fist through the rice. Supposed to be a killer.

[thompjs]

Also experiment with different diameter handles. If your forearms get really sore it may be from too large of a handle. Too small of a handle feels like it will slice your fingertips off.

 

 

[xrated]

Crap forgot the most important....ride a dirt bike!!!! That will build up some grip for sure.

[MattP]

Start rowing enough said.

[The_MS]

Switch hands daily.

[SteveY]

Shed some pounds if overweight.

[ctsmith]

Crap forgot the most important....ride a dirt bike!!!! That will build up some grip for sure.

 

That is for sure and its ironic you mention it. Until you've ridden a dirt bike hard for 20 minutes you don't know what arm pump is. Only problem is the last ride broke all five metatarsals in my left foot. Several surgeries later I decided to give up the bike and take up a new sport. Thats when I discovered slalom!

 

Though I definitely need to shed 20 lbs, strength is not the problem. I've had more than one skier advise to quit relying on strength and rely more on position. I had tendinitis set in a couple of years ago when I first started because I refused to straighten my arms. Thats when I moved to clinchers. The tendinitis is now gone and the form is improving and I want to ditch the clinchers.

 

Without a doubt, form is my problem and what I need to work on the most. But a strong grip is good for more than just skiing and on my mind for some reason.

 

 

 

[xrated]

@ctsmith, 20 minutes? Musta been one of them there moto guys. I like the woods myself. Find bikes to be something enjoyable for when I can't ski and one of these days I will get trails built at the lake so I can ride when the wind is blowing.

[ctsmith]

Yep, no good trails around here but several nice tracks.

[thager]

I incorporated Gordon Rathbuns leaning ski pullups into my weight routine 4-5 years ago. Attach a ski handle to a solid object. I happen to use my weight machine. Set your feet in slalom position and lean away with your weight on the rope. Instead of pulling in with my arms I concentrate on proper stack form, straight arms with elbows in tight and slowly let my fingers extend from the handle, then pull fingers back in. After 3 sets of 25 reps I have quite a burn going.

[Klundell]

Superset kipping pull-ups

and toes to bar to failure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA_Mcud4TBs. Takes some practice to get good at the movements but you will build functional grip strength and be getting a great upper body and core workout at the same time.