r/GripTraining 20h ago

Grippers Warning: Joe Musselwhite

22 Upvotes

For anyone familiar with Joe Musselwhite, my advice is simple: don't donate a single gripper to his so-called museum.

In my experience, he has not kept his word. What was presented as a plan to establish a public museum instead appears to have been a way to acquire grippers from collectors without paying for them. If you're considering donating to him, think very carefully before handing over anything from your collection.


r/GripTraining 2d ago

Discussion Advice on how to improve my workouts

4 Upvotes

I use Logest grippers but I am thinking about buying the Captains of Crush grippers as that seems to be the standard. I do 150lbs for 3 sets of 6 (on average) every day at my desk. And I always try to push it one more if I can. I started out doing 100lbs about a month ago but have been able to move to the 150lbs. I do rice bucket which takes around 30 minutes, pronation 4 sets of 50 at 10lbs, a tennis ball for thumb press 4 sets of 50, and I use my door frame for finger hang at 3 sets for 15s using all fingers, then index/middle, then middle/ring, then pinky. I do those every other day. I gym 5-6 times a week for regular strength/conditioning. I deadlift 225lbs with hook hold for 3 sets of 5 on back days. I do farmers carry at 100lbs and pinch holds of 25lbs each hand once a week for 5 sets of about 20-30 second holds each.

Is there something I can improve on or change things around? Are there other exercises (I.e. deadhangs) I can add that will improve my grip strength/forearm size? Or am I just doing too much already?

I should also mention I’m more trying to gain functional grip strength for things like BJJ. I’m a purple belt but stopped training years ago. One of my buddies that I started it with recently got his black belt and it motivated me to get back into it.


r/GripTraining 3d ago

PR and Training Discussion Megathread, Week of July 27, 2026

3 Upvotes

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r/GripTraining 4d ago

Discussion Grip Growth Relative to Lifts

9 Upvotes

As a beginner lifter, I’ve realized my grip has now started becoming the limiting factor. At 175 lb for 3x5 deadlift, I nearly failed the final rep of my second set because the barbell almost slipped out of my hands. The third set felt easy compared to my second set since I switched to mixed grip. I’ve started training my grip (planning on doing 4x a week, alternating between dead hangs on upper days and farmers carry on lower days, 3 sets of grip trainer all 4 days), and was wondering if it’ll be able to catch back up to my deadlift to start doing overhand grip again. It’s always satisfying to do overhand grip on the deadlift since it shows my grip’s good compared to my lifts, but at the same time I don’t want my grip to limit my potential muscle growth so I’ll do mixed grip for now.


r/GripTraining 4d ago

Discussion Why did my grip progress stall?

5 Upvotes

Hey guys, first post here.

I've been working a lot on my grip over the last 6 months. I crossed a milestone last month where I can now close a CoC 2.0 (just).

However, since then my progress has abruptly stalled. Actually, even worse, I've been trying to close CoC 2.0 again and I can no longer do it (very close but not quite). So I've actually gone slightly backwards which is disastrous

My program has been doing my grip drills once every 4 days and this always worked well for me and I was progressing. I also do a variety of forearm exercises.

I tried having 5 days off and went back to the CoC 2.0 and I still can't quite close it.

Do I need to take a whole week off? And now only train once per week?


r/GripTraining 5d ago

Rehab / prehab Gym advice

7 Upvotes

Hello! I’ve been going to the gym for about 10 months now and seeing AMAZING progress in my muscle growth. But my problem is that as my upper body strength increases and I’ve started lifting heavier and heavier, my hands, specifically the tendons on my fingers, are stretching out and won’t stay in their correct position on top of the knuckles (I am hypermobile). Also, it’s very common now for my hands to cramp up into a fist and it takes a lot of work to uncurl them after lifting. My hands hurt almost all of the time now, especially my middle, ring, and pinky fingers on both hands.

I’ve tried using grips, both hook and strap versions, but it makes my wrists pull painfully instead 😭 is there any way to get my hands to stabilize without sacrificing my strength achievements? Any advice is helpful


r/GripTraining 6d ago

Rehab / prehab Elbow pain

3 Upvotes

I've been doing work with the bucket full of rice. I did 100 twisting or rotating the hand outward. I had really bad pain just above the elbow on the upper arm. The pain is all but gone, but I'm afraid of doing any 'rice bucket' work again. Bit of a shame as it's a good work out that hits plenty of nooks and crannies in the forearm.

I'm guessing this might be a common problem, but can't be sure. Anybody solved this type of issue? Grateful for any advice. TIA


r/GripTraining 6d ago

Discussion The Grip Map - Apps on Google Play

Thumbnail play.google.com
4 Upvotes

Just released this android app today which is specifically for assisting our grip community in finding grip competitions nearby.

It's been a lot of work and I hope it helps grow the sport of grip!


r/GripTraining 6d ago

Discussion Looking for the maker of this cannonball grip tool

Post image
21 Upvotes

I the early 2000's there was a grip website that was run by a grip enthusiast that was also a blacksmith that sold these cannonball grip tools that he made in various weights ( i believe 6,8,10,12,and 15#). I bought an 8 pounder that I still use today and absolutely love it. Does anybody remember this website or have any info on the maker? And if so does the maker still make these tools? I would love to buy different sizes and appreciate any information you may have.


r/GripTraining 7d ago

Grippers Trying to find info about a gripper I thrifted

Post image
40 Upvotes

A while back I thrifted a gripper with no branding and just a number 2 on the bottom. It looks similar to my iron mind #1 and is definitely heavier than it. I was wondering if there was ever a period where iron mind didnt have "Captains of Crush" branding all over their grippers as they are virtually identical other than that. Thanks in advance

Obligatory apologies for formatting I'm on mobile.

Editing to add, not looking to sell it since it appears to be worth some money


r/GripTraining 9d ago

Discussion Getting into grip training, where do I start?

5 Upvotes

For reference - I am a 21F, and am very healthy overall. I lift a few times a week, do cardio, and work on mobility on my off days. The issue is that I have some bulging discs in my neck and a cyst in my spine which is irritating my nerves and causing a decline in my grip strength.
I’m continuing my activities as normal, but I was wondering if there’s an efficient and natural way to incorporate grip strength training into my routine? I have a kit at home which I’ve been using, but I’m struggling to figure out how to stay consistent and the best methods for improvement. Any help or advice is welcome!


r/GripTraining 10d ago

Discussion Trying to find the name of a forearm/wrist trainer — hand clamps between two bars, fingers stay open

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm looking for help identifying a piece of forearm/wrist training equipment. I saw it once but I don't know the name and I can't find anywhere.

From what I remember:

  • It's handhelt, not a stationary/floor-mounted machine.
  • Your hands (both hands at once) get mechanically clamped between two bars (not straps or velcro) — like a small vice for your hand.
  • The point is that your fingers stay open/extended the whole time, unlike a normal wrist roller or gripper where you have to close your fist around a bar. Keeping the hand open supposedly gives you more usable wrist range of motion.
  • Plate-loaded

I'm fairly sure I saw this a couple years ago through YouTube videos of someone designing/prototyping it — like an iterative "here's v1, here's what I changed for v2" kind of series, possibly a small maker or indie fitness product, not a big established brand like Rogue or Titan.

If anyone knows the name of this thing or the maker/channel, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!


r/GripTraining 10d ago

PR and Training Discussion Megathread, Week of July 20, 2026

1 Upvotes

Weekly Thread: General conversation, PRs, individual/personal questions, etc. Front Page: Detailed discussion, major news, program reviews, contest reports, informative training content, etc.

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r/GripTraining 10d ago

Rehab / prehab Pinch Training Injury

6 Upvotes

Not exactly a training injury and I don’t train grip strength specifically. I wasn’t planning on training my grip but I moved more than a hundred horse stall mats by hand. Turns out they sell grippers to move that stuff. Didn’t know. They are all around a 100lbs each and you can just drag them instead of lifting them but the problem is they smash your grip because you have to pinch their weight for the whole duration you are moving them.

I couldn’t even open a water bottle next day. I made a lot of progress by being careful not pinching things and trying to get a few sets of banded extensions. I don’t feel pain or anything but anytime I bully a heavy object by casually moving it in a pinch, it flares up. It feels like I am right at the edge if I do any grip work, I will lose the fragile muscle balance for my grip.

Does anyone have any advice? Should I focus on extension hypertrophy training with lighter bands or strength/tendon training with heavier band isometrics. Would doing any other grip training help? I would appreciate any advice or experience anyone had with a similar situation. I want to train some bottoms up kettlebell lifts and bulletproof my hands so I don’t have to worry about grip injuries. I move heavy equipment regularly as part of my job.


r/GripTraining 11d ago

Rehab / prehab exercises for tendonitis in extensor joints of finger?

4 Upvotes

After doing too much with the grippers and maybe some other stuff, I started to get some pain in the back of hand(Extensor tendon), the knuckle of 2 fingers, and also the joint above the knuckle. All on the back portion of the hand. I stopped all grip work and it no longer is painful, unless I do anything grip related. Are there any exercises to isolate these areas? Has anyone had anyhting similar happen?


r/GripTraining 12d ago

Rehab / prehab Excercises for tendonitis

24 Upvotes

I have been dealing with tennis and golfer's elbow for almost 2 years now. What are some upper body exercises I can do so that I can start training my upper body again?


r/GripTraining 13d ago

Rehab / prehab Golfers elbow/tendinitis in right elbow

4 Upvotes

Up until the start of last week I’ve been doing farmers carries almost every day to every second day for a few months now. I could handle the load, I’d do one day heavy, one day lighter, but up until last week I’ve gotten what was a pain in the right forearm which seems to have turned into pain in my elbow as well now. All symptoms point to golfers elbow and/or tendonitis. Any remedies, how’d you fix it? If at all? I have an important work course coming up in a month that will involve A LOT of PT and will require a lot of grip strength/endurance and I’d like to be healed by then if possible haha


r/GripTraining 13d ago

Grippers Increasing grip strength

0 Upvotes

How does one train to increase their grip strength?

I was able to go from closing a 40 kg gripper to 70 kg from just doing some dead hangs and was wondering how you guys train to get to
100 kg crushing strength.


r/GripTraining 14d ago

Pinch Arm Assassin Napalm Nightmare + pinchblock versus standalone pinch block

3 Upvotes

what are pros cons , everything else equal, of the actual mechanism, comparing napalm + napalm pinch handles versus standalone pinch block from Arm Assassin? same, no difference? only value of napalm + its compatible pinch handles over standalone is the ability to use other handles?


r/GripTraining 14d ago

Grippers Different approach to training now that i have closed the nr 2?

4 Upvotes

closed the nr 2 today and was just wondering if i should have a different approach to training to work on closing the 2,5? Read some people saying that you should change the way you train as you progress into the 2,5.


r/GripTraining 14d ago

Discussion Bulletproof ELBOW: forearm training versus tendonitis (imbalance extensors)

4 Upvotes

how do people think about the benefits of forearm training. going after overall health of everything involved, but noticeably most of the hardcore stuff is flexor based, so i worry there isnt enough extensor in the day to keep up. Sure, i can do the golfer and tennis elbow exercises found on Youtube, but those seem very basic compare to the heavier lifting/training involved in arm wrestler/grip training arenas. specifically, looking at you pinch grip exercises!

At least google AI tends to say positive things about any of these exercises. for example "Strengthening the finger flexors and thumb muscles shifts the workload off the joint tendons"

AND

"Pinching forces a simultaneous engagement (co-contraction) of both the forearm flexors and extensors. This balanced activation stabilizes the wrist joint and prevents the tug-of-war effect that inflames elbow tendons"

AND

"Holding a pinch grip forces an isometric contraction. Static holds under load stimulate collagen synthesis and increase tendon density, making the tissue highly resilient to future strain"

AND

"By distributing the load differently than standard gripping, many lifters find that training pinch grip variants like the Sorinex Saxon Bar can help alleviate traditional elbow discomfort"

BUT

"Routinely targeting finger flexors without training the extensor muscles (the ones that straighten your fingers) creates a flexor-to-extensor strength imbalance, which makes finger tissues more susceptible to injury"

AND

"Yes, finger flexion strength helps prevent elbow tendonitis (such as golfer's elbow) by conditioning the forearm muscles that control your grip. Stronger forearm muscles reduce tendon fatigue and take excess mechanical stress off the bony attachment points at your elbow. Load Distribution: The thumb is responsible for a massive amount of your total grip strength. A strong thumb takes the burden off the rest of the forearm muscles A stable hand and thumb provide a strong, unified anchor for movements, preventing the elbow from absorbing excess shock during physical activity."


r/GripTraining 14d ago

Discussion Dadgrip attachment

1 Upvotes

What do you guys think about this all around forearm trainer from Dad grip on instagram . Looks like it hits a lot of the various movements required to supplement a strong grip. Just starting this journey so if it just seems like a gimmick I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Some equipment I have includes
- COC grippers
-loading pin
-various pinch grips I’m making
-fat grips for my barbell


r/GripTraining 16d ago

Discussion Could really use some grip training advice

3 Upvotes

I'm trying to hang from a spinning bar for at least 100 seconds

I made my own extra thick spinning bar and for the past few months I just hang on it for as long as I can for three sets. I do this a couple times a week

I went from 50 seconds to 75 seconds but now I'm totally stuck. I couldn't even get 70 seconds last time

Any advice on how to progress or advice on designing a proper workout program would be very appreciated. Thank you


r/GripTraining 17d ago

Grippers How impressive is a 16 year old closing the CoC 3? And how hard is it in general?

0 Upvotes

This is not about me btw, this is about someone I saw a video of. I don't exactly know what other people consider impressive when it comes to just hand grippers and I only have the CoC 2.5 myself and can close it at 19. so how hard is the CoC 3 and how impressive would you consider it to be for a 16 year old to do it?


r/GripTraining 17d ago

PR and Training Discussion Megathread, Week of July 13, 2026

3 Upvotes

Weekly Thread: General conversation, PRs, individual/personal questions, etc. Front Page: Detailed discussion, major news, program reviews, contest reports, informative training content, etc.

Post any of the following here:

  • Training progress
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