Grip strength

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Grip strength or grip strength is the ability of the hand and the forearm , by closing the hand or individual fingers to apply force.

Types of grip strength

  1. Crushing grip
  2. Wrist Strength
  3. Thumb force (pinching)
  4. Individual Finger Strength
  5. Holding force (support grip, holding the grip position for a long time)

Crushing Grip The Crushing Grip represents the force that is used when crushing or pressing an object in the hand. The average pressure force in a man's hand is around 505N (roughly the weight of 50.5 kg). The average pressure in a woman's hand is around 225N (roughly the weight of 22.5 kg).

Wrist Strength Although not a direct component of grip strength, this strength is essential to achieve athletic performance. It's about the stability of the force exerted, for example when the wrist is to be kept in a neutral position during an exercise. The wrist strength is also important for the prevention of injuries. When catching a stumble, for example, a strong wrist determines whether or not you incur serious injuries. Even when using a screwdriver or opening a jam lid, the force of the wrist contributes to the total effort.

Thumb Force (Pinching) Pinch Grip Strength is the force that you need to pick up, catch and hold an object between your thumb and fingers. Since the thumb does most of the work compared to the four fingers, pinching is mainly about the force in the thumb.

Individual Finger Strength This type of strength is about the strength of each individual finger.

Support Grip The ability to hold a grip position for a long time.

Measurement of grip strength

The grip strength can be measured isometrically with a dynamometer . The grip strength usually differs according to the respective handedness . Age and gender are also important influencing factors.

Applications of grip strength

Grip strength effectively increases athletic performance. In addition to everyday activities, grip strength is particularly important in sports such as martial arts, climbing, gymnastics, sailing, bowling, tennis, golf, etc. What all movement sequences have in common is that they require a complex interplay of different muscles. In these movements, the hand and wrist usually represent the beginning (grip) or the end (punch) of such a functional chain.

Training of grip strength

The aim of grip strength training is not only to strengthen the muscles required, but also to stabilize the fingers, hands and wrists in order to prevent injuries. Well-trained hands and wrists can help prevent damage, especially when supporting after a fall and defending against fist blows.

The training takes place by means of

  1. Dumbbells with a particularly thick handle (e.g. Thomas inch dumbbell )
  2. KETTLEBELLS ( ball bar )
  3. Wristroller ( wrist roller )
  4. Gripper ( grippers )
  5. Blockweights (conical round blocks made of cast iron that weigh between 8 and 30 kilograms. They have to be gripped by hand and lifted up. A blockweight increases grip strength like no other training device, because it can be used to train almost all types of grip strength) .

Grip strength as a competitive sport

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

By the early 1990s, breaking nails, bending coins, and tearing cards and books were the ultimate demonstration of hand, wrist and finger strength. These household items presented an element of reality and their obvious difficulty for the public.

From 1995 onwards, local championships were established worldwide, primarily in the USA and England, which tested physical and incredibly real demonstrations of all-encompassing grip strength. Today the development moves further and further away from small competitions in cellars and front gardens towards large national and international events. The American and Russian regions in particular are pioneers here. They combine grip strength on large expos with other related sports.

Due to the ever-improving global networking through the Internet, there has been a big trend towards multivenues since 2015, in which grip strength athletes are in competition worldwide. The biggest multivenue competition for years is the Canadian KINGKONG with over 15 participating countries and over 200 starters every year.

With the help of video evidence, measuring systems, calibrated weight plates and scales, not only these large competitions are synchronized with the rules. Officially recognized record attempts can also be made in the living room at home.

A grip strength competition is usually conducted by 5 to 20 athletes. Usually 3 to 5 disciplines are asked which should ensure equal opportunities across all weight classes with a good mix. But there are also special meetings in which only one type of manual force is tested, e.g. at a thick bar meeting.

literature

  • National Armlifting League rules and regulations as of February 2017
  • Jochen Schwenk, Andreas Schmidt: GriffKraft. Strong hands for more success. Pietsch publishing house, Stuttgart 2012.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schwenk, Jochen: GriffKraft, Strong Hands for More Success in Martial Arts, p. 6