The question that usually comes to mind when a person hear ìgrip strengthî for the first time is ìwhy would I want to have that?î. Many people seem to think that developing oneís grip strength is unnecessary because we ìdonít grip things often anywayî.
This is the popular idea, but it doesnít mean that it is correct. Our hands were built to grip things ñ thatís what opposable thumbs are for in the first place. Our thumbs are able to flex and extend as we please. They can be used to hold something against a surface, such as the palms. In short, our hands canít help but grip and grab stuff.
Now, both men and women have average gripping strengths, and this power to grip usually peaks between the age of 18 and 26. After 26 years of age, gripping strength will peak, and begin to decline every ten years or so unless you do something to condition and train your hands, wrists, and forearms.
Everything above and below the elbow contributes to your gripping strength. Muscles that animate the fingers and support the hands crisscross the lower forearm and even above the elbow. These crisscrossing muscle fibers are influenced by a lot of factors, including conditioning, posture, and a personís age.
With proper conditioning and training, you can increase your grip strength and continue increasing it even if youíre 70 years old or even older! Serious musculoskeletal conditions aside, there is virtually nothing in your way in terms of developing your grip strength.
When you have increased grip strength you will be able to perform physical tasks, like turning knobs, lifting things off the floor, etc., with utmost ease. Your ability to pull and push is greatly influenced by your current grip strength. To prove this point, let us look at what happens to a body builder who has never trained his grip but suddenly gets the urge to do so.
This bodybuilder has plenty of lifting plateaus and heís looking for a way to shake things up. What usually happens 99% of the time is that bodybuilders who have suffered from plateaus will suddenly be able to lift 20% to 30% more after they have begun training their grips.
Grip strength is more than just hand strength ñ it enhances your lifting power, too. You cannot lift things if you cannot grip them in the first place. All the gripping movements that we know, such as pinching and crimping, are used synergistically when lifting weights.
So, when you finally decide to work on your grip you are not just aiming to increase your gripping and crushing power ñ you are actually making the decision to strengthen your body and increase your overall explosive lifting power.
You will be able to do better in sports and, in the long term, you will be healthier because people who develop their grip strength tend to become more active and engaged in regular physical activity. And as we all know, not being engaged in physical activity can kill a person quickly through metabolic diseases such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and even diabetes.
