Hand Gripper Exercise

The hand gripper trains crushing grip, the specific strength that closes your hand around an object and the one that gives out first on heavy deadlifts, rows and carries. It is a small piece of equipment with a narrow purpose, and that is exactly why it works: nothing else in a gym isolates the finger flexors so directly, and it can be trained anywhere, at any time, without interfering with the rest of a programme. The repetition only counts if the two handles touch. Partial closes feel productive and build very little, so choose a gripper you can genuinely close rather than the strongest one available. Keep the wrist in line with the forearm rather than curling it, release under control instead of letting the gripper snap open, and give the forearms a rest day like any other muscle.