Increase Your Grip Strength WITHOUT FOREARM TRAINING! (TIME SAVER!) – ScottHermanFitness

I have a very powerful grip and muscular forearms, but I don’t target them on a weekly basis. In fact, I can’t even tell you the last time I specifically targeted my forearms in a workout. Remember that whenever you have to hold onto something (barbell, dumbbells etc.) you are engaging your forearms and while at times you may need help to lift more weight by using chalk or wrist straps, you shouldn’t be defaulting to these tools 100% of the time. You should only be using them when you ABSOLUTELY need them and you should focus on only using wrist straps when your grip FAILS. Even if you are performing a movement with really heavy weight and are only able to get 3 reps out of 8 – 10 reps on your own before having to use wrist straps, that is still 3 MORE reps than if you had started training with the straps on from the very beginning!

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Today I want to share with you 1 tip to help you increase your grip strength across all of the exercises that you’re currently doing in the gym. You’re going to be able to do this WITHOUT having to add OTHER exercises to your routine, like wrist curls, or a specific day where you’re training forearms and grip strength. In my opinion, that’s a waste of time, and I don’t want you wasting time or GAINS when you’re in the gym!

I’m going to focus on demonstrating this one tip on a barbell bent-over row, but just keep in mind this can be applied to ANY exercise where you need grip strength. When you do an exercise like a barbell bent-over row, whether you’re doing and underhand-grip or an overhand grip, there will come a point in time where you’re lifting so much weight, that you’re not able to complete all of your repetitions without the barbell falling out of your hands.

The Problem With Wrist Straps
What do most people do when that barbell starts to slip? Well, they tend to grab their wrist straps, and then it’s game over. It’s game over because most people INSTINCTIVELY switch to wrist straps as soon as their grip gives out, and then start using them every single time they go to the gym. It then becomes a very bad habit where you’re no longer gripping the bar as hard as you can.

Chalk Up!
Am I against using wrist straps? No, but there is a proper way to use them. Before you even get to the point to where you’re going to use wrist straps, what I want you to do first (especially if you’re trying to work on your grip strength), is to chalk up. A little chalk goes a long way, and I know a lot of gyms don’t allow chalk, but you can be sneaky with it, and if you use it right, you really don’t need that much. A tiny bit of chalk on your hands when you reach down a grab that barbell, makes a HUGE difference.

A lot of times, the reason the barbell slips out of your hands isn’t because your grip strength is weak. It might be because the knurling is worn down on the barbell, or maybe the gym is humid and it’s a little slipperier than normal. There are a lot of different factors that come into play. But if you can get just a little bit of chalk on your hands, you’re going to have a much tighter grip and you’ll probably be able to handle more weight.

Should You Use Wrist Straps At All?
Once the chalk doesn’t really help you out anymore because the weight is too heavy, this is your next step. Let’s say you’re on your second set of the exercise. At this point your muscles are getting worked, but your grip strength is starting to give out. Let’s say you’re aiming to do 8 repetitions, and by the time you get to rep 4, the bar slips out of your hands. At that point, you’re going to put your wrist straps on. Once you have them on, you’re going to complete those last 4 repetitions with the help of your wrist straps to hold that barbell. Next is where the big change is going to come.

Most people, once they put their wrist straps on, they immediately start using them for every single repetition. What I want you to do is keep them on your hands, but don’t use them until you absolutely need them. For example, when you go into set 3, you’re going to grab the barbell, and even though you still have your wrist straps on your hands, you’re not going to wrap them around the barbell just yet.

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