Packing on strength and mass for the upper body can be tricky if you have hit a plateau in your program. That’s why I believe one piece of equipment can be added to give you a much-needed boost: Fat Gripz. Training with a thicker grip has started to gain more attention over the last few years, and there numerous benefits it can provide to your lifting plan.
1. Relieve Stress on Joints, Increase Tension on Muscles.
The design of the Olympic barbell originally came about in the 1920’s. The average height for males and females has increased since this time, whereas the diameter of the bar has been the same. Thick grip training can help accommodate increase in hand size so that you aren’t wrapping your fingers around as much, relieving stress from the joints. Thick bar training also allows you to hit the extensors and flexors of the forearms evenly to avoid imbalances.
2. Increase in Neuromuscular Activation
Prescribing training with a thick grip can allow one to stimulate more muscle activation in key areas. A recent study showed electromyography muscle activity was significantly increased in the forearm and shoulder muscles (although decreased in upper arm muscles) with the use of fat gripz during deadlift, bent-over row, and pull-ups. Increasing muscle activation is going to lead to increased size and strength.
3. Train the Weak Link, Improve Overall Strength
Forearm and grip strength is often considered the “weak link” in the upper body. A muscle group that is hard to target. Increasing strength in this area with thick grip training can help improve overall upper body strength. A recent study showed collegiate golfers demonstrated significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in ball speed, carry, drive distance, and left hand grip strength after 8 weeks of resistance training with Fat Gripz. Grip strength assessment can also be used as a tool to have a rapid indication of someone's general muscle strength. Thus, hand muscle thickness may be useful as surrogate indicator for assessing disease-related and age-related skeletal muscle loss.
References
Cummings, P. M., Waldman, H. S., Krings, B. M., Smith, J. W., & McAllister, M. J. (2018). Effects of Fat Grip Training on Muscular Strength and Driving Performance in Division I Male Golfers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(1), 205-210.
Krings, B. M., Shepherd, B. D., Swain, J. C., Turner, A. J., Chander, H., Waldman, H. S., . . . Smith, J. W. (2021). Impact of Fat Grip Attachments on Muscular Strength and Neuromuscular Activation During Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(1), 152-157.
Morimoto, A., Suga, T., Tottori, N., Waki, M., Misaki, J., Tsuchikane, R., & Isaka, T. (2017). Association between hand muscle thickness and whole-body skeletal muscle mass in healthy adults: A pilot study. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 29(9), 1644-1648.
Wind, A. E., Takken, T., Helders, P. J., & Engelbert, R. H. (2010). Is grip strength a predictor for total muscle strength in healthy children, adolescents, and young adults? European Journal of Pediatrics, 169(3), 281-287.
Follow Coach Nate:
Instagram and Twitter: @NateWilliamsSC
Facebook: Facebook.Com/NathanWilliamsStrength
(Image from @FatGripz on Twitter)