Non-dominant hand strength development?

[dustyvarmint]

I've been using the Captains of Crush "Trainer" for about 2 months following the training program in the accompanying literature. I'm 5'6", 145lbs, runner, swimmer, body-weight exercise guy.

On the right, dominant hand I've gone from being able to close it once to close it 5 times (maybe more, but I stopped at 5 for what is next).

On the left, non-dominant hand I've gone from barely being able to close it to closing it, consistently, one time. After that I close it with the assistance of the right hand and then slowly let it out for up to 10 reps. Things are very slow on the left. I have a friend, a very good shooter, who is experiencing the very same thing, but with the 150 lb set.

Any suggestions for helping the left catch up to the right?

happy shooting, Jerry

[Saur]

I think your dominant hand saw good progress from the strength stimulus the Trainer provided and the volume work it does naturally as the dominant hand. Personally, I'd milk any further gains as long as possible.

For the non-dom, a Guide or Sport CoC could be helpful. I'm not sure if spotting yourself w/ the dom hand or doing eccentrics is gonna help much -- not really a lot of 'muscle belly', but tons of connective/soft tissues in the hands 'n wrists. If all you have is the Trainer, then I'd think about building up strong sets of quality 1 rep work good rest between sets. From there, adding a pause for a count. So eventually it be more of a 'crush, hold for X second(s), then release" versus using both hands to close it then letting the CoC slowly open your hand. Might sound similar to each other, but one focuses on the concentric and isometric, and the other is more eccentric. Going from only doing 1 rep, to being able to repeat that 1 rep across 3 sets is a good sign -- those 1 reps turning into 1sec or even 2sec pauses is even better. Be careful with whatever you do, its easy to do overdo it w/ crush grippers.

IronMind has a grip training program specific to shooting. The main workout has you work up to a heavy set(s) w/ the CoCs, then has you do some lighter isometric and rep work w/ IMTUGS. It emphasizes extensor work w/ the bands, and is big on pinch grip and leverage bar training for further support.

As far as getting the left caught up with the right, I'd start each session with the left hand while fresh and fully focused and make sure to do any/all support work for it. Little stuff adds up, so carrying range bags, groceries, trash bags, etc would be done with the non-dominant hand.

[orionz06]

Are you using the extension bands?

[45dotACP]

Pull ups, not chin ups. And don't let go Or a lat pulldown machine if you go to the gym. Strength training in general will make you a better shooter. Be careful with the crush gripper things...they can lead to injuries very quickly if you overuse them. They are narrowly focused and the reason you can make fast gains is the reason you can quickly end up with tendonitis.

[dustyvarmint]

I think your dominant hand saw good progress from the strength stimulus the Trainer provided and the volume work it does naturally as the dominant hand. Personally, I'd milk any further gains as long as possible.

For the non-dom, a Guide or Sport CoC could be helpful. I'm not sure if spotting yourself w/ the dom hand or doing eccentrics is gonna help much -- not really a lot of 'muscle belly', but tons of connective/soft tissues in the hands 'n wrists. If all you have is the Trainer, then I'd think about building up strong sets of quality 1 rep work good rest between sets. From there, adding a pause for a count. So eventually it be more of a 'crush, hold for X second(s), then release" versus using both hands to close it then letting the CoC slowly open your hand. Might sound similar to each other, but one focuses on the concentric and isometric, and the other is more eccentric. Going from only doing 1 rep, to being able to repeat that 1 rep across 3 sets is a good sign -- those 1 reps turning into 1sec or even 2sec pauses is even better. Be careful with whatever you do, its easy to do overdo it w/ crush grippers.

IronMind has a grip training program specific to shooting. The main workout has you work up to a heavy set(s) w/ the CoCs, then has you do some lighter isometric and rep work w/ IMTUGS. It emphasizes extensor work w/ the bands, and is big on pinch grip and leverage bar training for further support.

As far as getting the left caught up with the right, I'd start each session with the left hand while fresh and fully focused and make sure to do any/all support work for it. Little stuff adds up, so carrying range bags, groceries, trash bags, etc would be done with the non-dominant hand.

Many, many thanks Saur - a great amount of help. Yes, I think I will pick up a Guide or Sport for the non-dom and focus on using the non-dom for many chores.

Are you using the extension bands?

I use rubber bands in place of the extensor bands. I played with the bands while shooting with Vogel and compared notes with a local shooter. We both use the rubber bands instead. An unmodified workout, directly from one of the 3 booklets that Iron Minds will send for free is: 2 sets of 10 warm ups with something like a Guide, 1 set of 5 with your "goal" (whatever one that is) gripper and 2 sets of 10 extensors. Repeat 3x per week.

Pull ups, not chin ups. And don't let go Or a lat pulldown machine if you go to the gym. Strength training in general will make you a better shooter. Be careful with the crush gripper things...they can lead to injuries very quickly if you overuse them. They are narrowly focused and the reason you can make fast gains is the reason you can quickly end up with tendonitis.

Yes - pull ups are a standard part of my normal body-weight routine.

happy shooting, Jerry

[nycnoob]

Any suggestions for helping the left catch up to the right?

I was listening to an old podcast and found these products:

http://www.ihpfit.com/shop/category/...dominator.html

the idea is to use your grip from all different angles including if your wrist is bent or not. He developed them while thinking about
all the ways he wanted to grip in martial arts which were not improved by standard grip training methods.
It sounded like an interesting approach to grip strength.