When I discovered that there was a weird fringe of the fitness world devoted to hand strength, I laughed. But once I started getting into competitive grip training, I was astonished at how hard the addiction bit me.
A year later I could bend nails and bolts with my bare hands. I couldtwist a draft horseshoe into a heart. I could tear decks of cards and phonebooks in half. Not only could I do it, I was having a hard time focusing on anything else fitness-related, I was having so much fun.
That is the best reason to do it. That is the best reason to get a stronger grip: it’s fun! Think about it: when a man with huge shoulders or a broad chest walks into a room, we would probably both assume that he was very strong. That may or may not be true, since it is possible to build muscle without gaining any serious strength.
But how often do you notice someone’s hands and think “Hmm…I bet he could bend nails with those mitts?” Nope. Hands look like hands, which gives guys who are not imposing physically a wonderful opportunity to show off.
That is why these old time feats of strength were so popular in the Vaudeville era: it was surprising to see how strong someone could be when they did not necessarily look like a giant or a superhero from the comics. No matter how strong your hands get, the rest of your body can still look the same as it always has, if you choose that.
Until you try it, you’ll have to take my word for it on the grip strength is fun front. But there are plenty of other reasons to cultivate stronger hands as well.
If you play a sport where grip is important, you will get better at your sport with strong hands. If you lift weights, grip strength will make it harder for the weights to fall out of your hands as the poundage increases in big movements like the deadlift.
If you are a martial artist, strong wrists will make your punches more powerful and allow you to control your opponent’s limbs more effectively.
But at the bottom of all these other reasons is still the fun factor. If you have a powerful grip, you will make more progress in other areas. Nothing is more satisfying than personal progress, so we should chase as much of it as we can with our limited time. Hand strength is just one more piece of the self improvement puzzle.
Give it a try. I’ll be very surprised if many of you don’t enjoy it as much as I have.