A Question Of Grip...

Guys, i cannot reiterate this enough but there's something that concerns me slightly about the lack of emphasis that gets put on one's grip strength. Call me crazy but does no-one use any form of grip training in their routine anymore?? It's something that baffles me to be honest, i mean, would you enter a cooking competition without first having perfected your pastry making skills? No you wouldn't, so why is it that it appears to be ok to train for a sport such as rugby where you need a grip like a vice and for you to not be working like a dog on perfecting your grip strength?

It's a no-brainer. If you want to be the best in sports where your grip strength is paramount then you need to train to improve your grip strength. The old skool wrestlers and power lifters from the eastern block countries didn't become the best in the world at their chosen sports because they just trained the basic lifts, they became the best because they trained for every single aspect of their chosen disclipline, they left nothing to chance.

I had the pleasure of taking a couple of guys who play rugby and do a little MMA stuff through some basic kettle bell drills today. Nothing fancy but it opened their eyes to a few things, namely the importance of having a strong grip and forearms (something they both lacked).
We finished off with a little grip comp - kettle bell lifts with a towel woven through the handles, just so I could make my point. It was a close call in the end but I managed to come out on top with a best left hand lift of 66kg and a right hand lift of 72kg. I need to work on my left hand grip!

This article's main purpose is really just to emphasise what my colleague Sean was saying a few articles back. (If you missed it, have a look at 'seankeefe.blogspot.com' and check the archive out). To be truly 'strong' you have to have a strong grip. Make sense? Good, now go and smash it next time you train and think on, if you play a sport that involves a holistic approach, are you looking at it in a holistic sense or are you just focusing on the basics and not on the detail?..

Drop me an email or post a reply to this blog if you have any questions.

Yours in strength.

Smash it!

Strength & Performance Coach

Z**

zorandubaic@hotmail.com