Grip Strength: An observation

[fullpen]

Hey guys,

Last year, when I was doing foolish things other than serious strength work, I was doing some shoulder shrugs with about 400lbs. No problems with grip. In October, after an injury that had kept me from lifting, I couldn't hold a set of deadlifts across with 205 unless I used a mixed-grip. I had a serious problem with grip strength. What happened? I got laid off in March and I'm a weldor.

Last night I pulled 285, set across, with a standard grip. I went back to work the 2nd week of October. Some of you may attribute this to the program working. However, I know my body, and I know what a 10krpm angle grinder and a 4lb. Blacksmith hammer did to my forearms and wrists the first 2 weeks back after 7 months off. Some of the best grip training I've ever had was at work. Just food for thought, some of you might want to grab a 4lb. Hammer at Harbor Freight and get a chunk of I-beam and beat the hell out of it.

[Smack]

I do enough calcuations on I-beams to never want to get near one in real life!

Good suggestion, though. I've noticed that the people who did physically intensive manual work all tend to have pretty decent forearms and grip strength. My grandad (a boat builder by trade) could crush an apple with his bare hands.

[Kyle Aaron]

I used to lose my grip on lat pulldowns, of all things.

They weren't making me stronger, so I went to heaves, as the Army called them - don't worry about grip position or width or supinated or pronated, just get your chin over the bar however you can.

Improved my grip heaps.

[fullpen]

I do enough calcuations on I-beams to never want to get near one in real life!

Good suggestion, though. I've noticed that the people who did physically intensive manual work all tend to have pretty decent forearms and grip strength. My grandad (a boat builder by trade) could crush an apple with his bare hands.

So you're one of those guys that calls for copes 1/8" away from a header that needs a 3/16" weld? Thanks! J/K.