Introduction
Realize this, your hands are one of the most functional parts of your body and they have multiple real-world applications.
Forearms have always been one of the most neglected parts of the body, while most lifters are concerned about bigger biceps, chest, back, or legs, no one is really talking about the stronger grip.
Consistent training with a hand gripper will help you develop bigger forearms, a firm handshake, forearm endurance, and increased crushing strength. The strong grip also improves your ability to lift heavier weights while protecting your hands from injuries.
Problem is, not everyone is genetically gifted with a strong wrist and big forearms, and it’s a good choice to strengthen the grip with tools that are specifically designed for it.
Do Hand Grippers Work?
Most of the self-proclaimed fitness experts usually overlook the importance of training forearms because they are primary stabilizers that get strong while the heavy compound lifts.
But the majority of people do not have the grip strength is not as strong as other big muscle groups which leads to injuries while heavy compound lifts. One of the best strategies is to work extensively on the grip strength instead of relying only on the automatic development of grip strength while compound lifts.
Hand grippers are one of the most common and highly anticipated tools that have been used for grip strengthening and forearm size for a very long time.
Do hand grippers build forearms?
Just like any other part of the body, your forearms will grow big if they are trained on a regular basis.
There are 18 muscles in the forearm and another 17 muscles in the palm of your hand which makes the grip training more complicated than we usually think.
A hand gripper will help you train the majority of the muscle fibers present in your forearms.
Benefits Of Using Hand Grippers Everyday
1- Bulletproof wrist
Wrist injuries are quite common because of a lack of mobility and strength. Although hand grippers won’t help in improving mobility but they can seriously benefit the grip strength.
If you are someone who requires to wear a wrist wrap while workout then it’s time to pay emphasis to the grip strength training too. I am not asking you to throw away the wrist wraps, use them until you strengthen your wrist to the point where you don’t need wraps anymore.
2- Stronger lift
Want to know a practical hack to improve overall lifting strength? Start workout on the grip strength.
Your grip is one of the most potent neurological stabilizers in the human body which can increase your strength by increasing muscle activation and recruitment of muscle fibers.
I often use this technique to increase the PR of my clients, I make them train their forearms more often to improve their grip strength. Being able to squeeze the bar hard can help you lift more weight and improve your strength while Pullups, Deadlifts, Benchpress, and even bicep curls.
A Ukrainian professional arm wrestler “Denis Cyplenkov” who is also known for his record-breaking bicep curl has one of the strongest forearms in the world. Can you connect the dots now?
3- Workout endurance
During the high-volume back training, do your forearms give up before your target muscle group?
Your back consists of group muscles that are big and powerful, having a weak grip strength might interfere with your muscle gains.
Hand grippers can help in improving the grip and forearm strength to endure high-intensity training sessions that are hard to sustain with a weak wrist.
4- Bigger forearms
Hand grippers are originally created to improve the grip strength not to increase the forearm size, but they still help in the development of stronger and bigger forearms.
Hand grippers will help you strengthen the Brachioradialis and Flexors to help you gain forearm size.
Additionally, women’s love for beautiful forearms is unquestionable.
5- Stay battle ready
Yes, you heard me right. MMA fighters extensively work on their grip strength to improve the impact of their punches and grapples.
Grip strength is a big asset to someone who wants to stay battle-ready. A strong grip will help you throw strong punches. The hardest punchers in the history of professional boxing had extremely powerful forearms. Mike Tyson, Ernie Shavers, George Foreman, etc.
6- Portable and convenient
Hand grippers are easy to carry, it’s one of the biggest advantages. Whether you are at home or outdoors, you can train your forearms and grip.
I generally suggest my clients, put a timer on the mobile phone to remind themselves of grip training, it hardly takes 10-15 of daily training to develop stronger grip strength within a month.
Hand gripper Limitations
Bodyweight drills can help too
Why do I invest in some tools if you can achieve a stronger grip and bigger forearms with bodyweight drills? Instead of investing money in the hand grippers, you can develop good grip and forearm strength with some bodyweight drills.
Static hangs or pullups with a towel are the best way to strengthen grip and improve dexterity. Pullups for improved grip strength might feel too much for some people.
But in my opinion, a Hand gripper is a far more convenient option to choose for.
Doesn’t work on extensors
Hand grippers don’t assist in the all-around development of your forearms, they leave the Extensor muscle groups untrained.
If training forearms is the main reason behind the purchase of a gripper then there are some better options available in the market.
If you are wondering why we selected Fat Gripz in the article then we covered a detailed article on whether fat gripz is worth the investment or not.
Conclusion:
Are hand grippers worth it? Definitely yes, these are cheap grip training tools that won’t cost much but provide endless benefits. Regular training with hand grippers will help you lift heavier weights, firm handshake, improves the forearm endurance, lets you throw strong punches, and prevent injuries while moving heavy objects.
Hand Grippers FAQ
1- Can Hand Grippers Build Biceps?
Not directly but grippers do play an important role in the development of bigger biceps. A stronger grip will allow you to go heavier in your bicep curls, and other compound exercises like deadlifts, pullups, and chin-ups have a direct impact on your bicep strength and size.
2- Can I Use Hand Grippers every day?
Yes, you can use the grippers on a daily basis. Wrists and forearms are developed to recover faster and go through a lot of wear and tear on daily basis.
3- Does Hand Gripper Increase Wrist Size?
You will definitely be able to experience the difference in wrist size but there won’t be a substantial difference. The wrist doesn’t really contain a lot of muscle which might limit the size gains but you will be able to see drastic changes in grip strength after a month of being regular with hand grippers.
4- How Many Hand Grippers Should I Do?
Multiple sets of reverse pyramid-style workouts had worked best for me and my students.
Suppose you can do a maximum of 100 squeezes with your gripper, so I will advise you to do a set of 100-90-80-70-60-50-40-30-20-10 with minimum rest between sets.
Hey guys thanks for reading. We worked really hard to compile this article, your feedback will be highly appreciated.
Questions are welcomed in the comments as always. This site contains affiliate links as well as general health and fitness information. Please read my Medical Disclaimer and Writing Disclaimer for more information.
100 reps of hand gripper with both hands is better for vasularity
Very good article! One thing that caught my attention was “You will definitely be able to experience the difference in wrist size but there won’t be a substantial difference.”
That is a harsh truth to gulp, the very reason everybody does grip strengther is to increase their wrist size and if it won’t increase beyond a certain point than there’s no reason to pursue this longer for folks. Better grip strength should be the primary motivation then.
Yes, I totally agree.
The primary purpose of hand grippers is not to increase the wrist size but it surely makes a difference in gripping strength and forearm size (if practiced consistently)
Genetics and diet surely plays an important role too.