Grip strength plays a vital role in an athlete’s overall success. Golfers, baseball players, tennis players, football players, hockey players and many others rely on their hands to hold, hit, swing, catch, tackle and more. When it comes to combat sports, such as MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing and kickboxing, grip strength is king. The ability to hand fight, secure a submission, defend a submission, hold the lapel and sleeve, dominate the clinch and deliver a crushing blow all rely on superior gripping ability. Like anything, grip strength must be developed, and grip strength workouts are often neglected.

RELATED: 6 Exercises That Build Grip and Forearm Strength Fast

To maximize training time, it is not unusual for us to modify a more typical strength workout to hone the athlete’s grip strength. This way, the athlete has the option of a total-body workout or a muscle group-specific workout, while also enhancing his or her grip game. We have included one such grip strength workout here, which is designed to:

• Increase grip strength
• Increase grip endurance
• Target pushing and pulling movements (also vital to combat sports)
• Enhance overall strength and conditioning

The Workout

Check out the video player above for a demonstration. Basic hand towels are used for all exercises:

For Strength

Push Downs (10) & Guard Pulls (10)

• Superset x 4

Cross Body Hammer Curls (8) & Bodyweight Skullcrushers (15)

• Superset x 3

For Conditioning

Band Snatches

• 8 x 20 sec. with 10 sec. rest between sets

Rowing

• 250M x 3 (rest time should be no longer than row time)

Hanging Knee Raises (arms held at close to 90 degrees)

• 4 x 15

RELATED: 8 Cures for a Weak Grip

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