Functional Hand Strength, wide and narrow pinching set ups

More grips for more power

In the pursuit of all around hand strength, I am turning to more and more exotic pinching and support grip positions. Part of this is a variety requirement for faster tissue changes and part of it is sheer entertainment.

I am going to talk about the two extremes of the pinching game, super wide pinching and exceptionally narrow pinching. Depending on what requirements you have for hand strength either of these maybe appropriate for your program.

Narrow pinching

Who could benefit from a narrow pinch position?

• Wrestlers and other grapplers
• Martial artists who use an exotic grip such as kung fu practitioners
• Football players who need to grasp a jersey
• Anyone who needs a contra-specific element to a wide hand position

How to do it.

Select something thin to use for pinching. I use two different tools for my narrow pinch. One is a stronger grip pinch bell, the other is a quarter which I drilled out and attach to a loading pin.

Some ideas.

One is to use a 5 lbs plate and attach a strap through the hole to hook to a loading pin.

Another is to pinch on a think piece of cloth, such as a piece of nylon wrapping with a hole.

This will give you a very tight position with the thumb. This grip has a risk of overstressing the thumb joints because of the tight pinch position, so take your time and break in slowly and smartly.

Wide pinching.

Who could benefit from the wide pinch position?

• Wrestlers and grapplers who need more control over opponents elbows and wrist
• Law Enforcement officers for better apprehension & control techniques
• Arm Wrestlers for greater finger pressure and more strength during a top roll
• Construction workers who lift and carry building materials
• Anyone who needs a contra-specific element to a closed hand position

Wide Pinch: Use a set up that places your hand in a “loose pinch” or a wide set  up. For most people with 7.5-8 inch hands (average size) the thickness of 3 plates will work.

Caution: break in to wide pinching intelligently! It is easy to over stretch the thumb and jam it while lifting. If this occurs it will be painful and can take a long to heal.

I recommend using one of two set  ups. Either three 25′s or three 35′s pinch. As you get stronger you can progress to 45′s, and than run a bar through the plates and add more as required.

The second set up is using two or three 2X6 boards with an eyelet. Attach it to a weight pinch for a two hands deadlift.

Looking for information on pinch training? Pick up my DVD Industrial Strength Grip and learn how to integrate grip training to your current protocol without specialized equipment.