2.5 .. BJJ and Deadlifts did the most for my grip though.
2.5 .. BJJ and Deadlifts did the most for my grip though.
The thing that limited my weighted chins is that I kept slipping off the bar (past tense). My grip just gave out. I began grip work with 3 sets of 3 on the COC #1 on 22 August, three times a week on a MWF schedule. By the end of October (about 40 exercise days) I was up to 5 sets of 5 and upgraded on 07 November to a 1.5 gripper. It's now been two weeks (at 5 x 5), and I can close it several times with my right hand and once or twice with my left.
The thing that seems to have made the difference is that I now hold the gripper closed (as much as I can) for a total of one minute (each hand) per exercise period. So in 25 compressions (5 x 5) I just randomly pick 6 with each hand and hold at maximum compression for 10 seconds each time. That's the only thing I'm doing different now than with the COC #1, and I think it's helping.
Last edited by Duces Tecum; 11-18-2016 at 09:20 PM.
I can close a 2 with either hand, though it is pretty ugly with the left. I don't work my grip anymore, so whatever I get from my normal work is what I get. I think grip strength is very important for shooting well, but it is a relative thing. My recoil control has never been amazing, and there is obviously much more that goes into that than just grip strength. I do think that grip strength affects lots of other aspects of shooting though, and if you can improve your strength to the point that it is "above average", I think you will see results in your shooting as well. A good workout routine, where you are doing some combination of body weight bar exercises, as well as lifting bars with weight, should give you an above average grip strength all on its own.
ETA: I posted too soon, off of too old info. I just went down stairs and could only close the 2. I injured my hands in a class earlier this year, and I'm sorry to say they haven't quite healed up.
Last edited by SLG; 11-18-2016 at 09:36 PM.
Wow you guys with the 2.5s, that is gnarly dudes.
Technical excellence supports tactical preparedness
Lord of the Food Court
http://www.gabewhitetraining.com
Still gnarly dude
Technical excellence supports tactical preparedness
Lord of the Food Court
http://www.gabewhitetraining.com
Just working with my hands early on as a recreational wrench turner and piano player seemed to provide me with above average
hand strength. Now that both the above are no longer part of my curriculum, I have had to resort to the CoC's. I only purchased
the 1.5 which I could (and can) hold close at first meeting. However IF I actually work with them, I start to develop elbow pain,
so moderation is key for me.
Of perhaps even more relevance than what COC I can close, a while back I realized that I was not applying a significant chunk of my grip strength with either hand. I was essentially gripping the gun with just the circle you can make with the middle finger and thumb on my right hand while the last two fingers just sort of hung out not doing much. Same with the left. I realized it one day when I was half-heartedly dry-firing my Glock 34 and I had a flashback to watching Bob Vogel grip his pistol in the holster.
Craig has mentioned that it took him quite a bit of time lifting under the eye of an exceptionally good coach to really learn how to "fire" significant muscle chains in complex lifts. I'm certainly no expert but I think there's something to that with grip strength, too. People think they are gripping the gun hard but are they really? Maybe I'm the only one overlooking it. Maybe not.
Last edited by TCinVA; 11-18-2016 at 11:07 PM.
3/15/2016
Some folks mention grip strength as relates to recoil control, but I think that is secondary to the benefit of a good grip allowing you to press the trigger faster without disturbing the sights. TGO explains how you can shoot Alphas with a terrible grip -- you just can't press the trigger very fast. Pressing the trigger fast and making good hits requires a strong grip.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.