Main muscles worked
forearms, finger muscles
Capsule description
lift resistance while holding it with only your pinch-grip strength
Lifting using your pinch-grip strength is one of the best grip, forearm and finger exercises. Never mind that you may never have seen anyone do it. There are many terrific exercises that are unheard of in most gyms.
Set-up and positioning
If you don’t have a purpose-built pinch-grip device, rig up something that does the job. Get a 2 x 4-inch block of wood about 24 inches long, for pinching across the 2-inch width, and bore a hole through its center. (Use a 2 x 5-inch block if you have huge hands.) Pass a strong cord through the hole, and suspend a loading pin with plates on it, or an adjustable dumbbell. With a longer board you could have a large hook securely fixed near to each end, on the underside. The board could then be hooked around a regular barbell. By lifting the pinch board, the barbell will be lifted off the floor. The longer board is needed to reduce the problems with balance that can arise when the device is hooked up to a barbell.
You could get a welder to produce a pinch block for you out of metal. Have matt paint put on it to help reduce the likelihood of slippage.
A 2-inch thickness is a good standard, but you could use a slightly thicker or thinner thickness if you prefer. If the gripping surface is too smooth, fix it for easier gripping by securely affixing some rough material such as canvas.
Another equipment alternative is to fix a couple of plates, smooth sides out, to a metal or wooden rod. Fix them together with collars. This becomes your gripping site. Outside the inside collars, load plates as you need them, with further collars used to hold the plates in place.
To protect your feet, stand the weight on a low platform. This will keep the resistance above your feet. Put some rubber matting or thick cardboard under the weights in case you drop the pinch-grip device. Keep your feet well to the sides of the area that the weights move above. To help in this respect, avoid using full-size weight plates—stick to small- and medium-diameter plates. Be safety conscious.
An easily-made and adjustable pinch-grip device using a 2-inch wooden rod.
Pinch-grip sliver bar
To train your finger-tip pinching strength, rather than that of your entire fingers, get a thin but strong flat piece of wood and find a way to suspend weight from it. Or, get a metal worker to weld a piece of 10 x 1-inch flat bar to a hook. Then attach the hook to a loading pin. Pinch grip the sliver bar with both hands, or with one at a time. Put your thumb(s) on one side and your other digits on the other side. Find a specific grip and site on the bar you’re comfortable with, make a written note of it if necessary, and use the same grip each time you use the sliver bar.
A 2 x 4 x 22-inch metal pinch-grip block, loading pin, and sliver bar.
Using the sliver bar, in addition to the grip that involves all of your digits, you can exercise any pair of a thumb and one finger from the same hand. You can use this piece of equipment to mimic pinching a coin attached to resistance.
Performance
Regardless of which pinch-grip device you use, do reps, singles, or timed holds. You can train one hand at a time, or both together.
With the pinch block, and for each hand, put the full length of your four adjacent fingers down one side of the block, and the length of your thumb down the other side. Grip with the entire length of all your digits, not just the tips. Find the most comfortable and secure gripping site for you, and stick with it. Use the identical way of gripping your device each time you use it.
When pinch-grip lifting an item from the floor, don’t snatch at it. To reduce the chance of the object slipping out of your fingers—even a weight you know you have the strength to handle—squeeze hard and then ease it off the floor.
Pinch lifting for timed holds is easier if your hands are held against your thighs rather than out away from them. Be consistent in the form you use, or use both styles. Use more weight in the against-the-thighs style, or hold the same weight for more time.
When your grip is close to failing in any pinch-grip work, make a deliberate effort to try to bend whatever you’re holding. While you can’t bend it, the attempt to can extend the life of your grip. And don’t just try to hold the pinch-grip device, try to crush it.
Keep accurate records of the weights you lift and the style(s) you use. If you use the against-the-thighs style, keep your legs locked and your torso either vertical or tilted forward slightly. If you bend your thighs and/or lean back as you do the pinch-grip lifting, you’ll cheat because the weight will be partly supported on your thighs, thus defeating the object of the exercise. If you always keep your hands off your thighs, you’ll eliminate this problem.
Three pinch-grip devices in use: two plates locked together, smooth sides out (left); 2 x 4-inch block (middle), and sliver bar.