diesel crew

Stronger Grip = Better Kettlebell Workouts. Period. Part 3.

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Ever have your forearms swell up like sausages and have to pry your hands open after Swings or Snatches or Clean and Jerks?

Well my friend, you could probably (definitely) use a little extra grip-training.

Fortunately for us, Jedd Johnson, RKC, and World Grip Champ is finishing up this portion of his guest blog on training your grip to improve your kettlebell training. It’s all about the numbers and here’s how to improve yours…

Top 5 Ways to Improve Hand Strength for Faster Kettlebell Results – Part 3

5.  Kettlebell Exchange

How many times can you snatch your Snatch Test Bell?

Cut this number in half and the next time you practice a Snatch Test or other endurance-oriented Kettlebell workout, I want you to do 50% of that number with your regular bell, but when you get half way through, switch to a +/- 4-kg heavier bell and perform reps equal to 20% of that number, then switch back.  Try to equal your PR.  You will drop a rep or two just because you are switching bells, but try to come as close as possible to your normal total.  In reality, when you switch back to your normal bell at the second switch, it should feel easier.

In other words, if you can currently get 80 snatches in the RKC Snatch Test, cut that in half => 40 reps.  Do the first 40 reps with your normal bell, then move over to the next higher kettlebell.  Do another 20% of your current PR (16 reps) with the heavier bell, then immediately switch back to the lighter bell.

What you will notice is upon going from the lighter bell to the heavier bell, your hands will tire, but once you go back to the lighter one, it will start to feel lighter in your hand because you are used to the heavier bell.

The Kettlebell Exchange can be incorporated several ways.

  • You can also start with the heavier bell and then finish out with your normal one.
  • You can start with your normal bell and then end on the heavier one.
  • You can also start with the heavier one until you fatigue or lose your mechanics and then finish the rest of the set with your normal bell.   Placement of the switch is up to you.

See which one works best for you.

These are just 5 Tactics you can employ to increase your Grip Strength and in turn increase your kettlebell performance.  If you incorporate one or two of these techniques per week, you will start to see a noticeable difference in your hand endurance.

If you would like to see other examples of how to increase your Grip Strength, you should check out the Members-Only area of my website, TheGripAuthority.com.  In fact, in July, I covered several other ways you can train your Grip to improve your performance with kettlebells.

Until then, all the best with your training.

Jedd Johnson

DieselCrew.com

TheGripAuthority.com

Jedd Johnson is a CSCS, RKC, Captain of Crush #3, Red Nail Bender, and owns the World Record in the Two Hands Pinch.  Jedd loves all forms of strength training and readily competes in Grip strength competitions.  For more information check out Jedd’s strength training website, DieselCrew.com.

Thanks, Jedd – that was an OUTSTANDING series.

If you liked all that great grip information, you honestly haven’t seen anything yet. Jedd is truly an Expert in Grip Training. Speaking of seeing things, I highly recommend you spend at least one block a year in your kettlebell training working on your grip and the best way to start now is to grab Jedd’s latest DVD – Nail Bending – How To Melt Steel With Your Bare Hands.

It’s on sale now and I’m not sure how long Jedd is going to keep it on sale. It’s easily worth 5 times what you’ll pay for it just to learn Nail Bending correctly from the start. Plus, you can get a head start on Tricks To Amaze Your Friends At Holiday Parties. Remember, anyone can bend a fork, Jedd will show you how to show off. 🙂

Stronger Hands = Mo’ Better Kettlebell Workouts – Part Deux

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Yesterday, Jedd Johnson, RKC, World Grip Champ, kicked off a blog series on grip strength. Catch the first installment here if you missed it.

Here’s Part 2…

2.  Band Tension Pre-Exhausts

One way to trigger improved endurance in a movement is to pre-exhaust the body part prior to the movement.  What we will do is pre-exhaust the hands before doing snatches, only instead of just holding the kettlebell alone, we will attach an exercise band to it in order to make it even more challenging to the fingers.

Perform 3 sets with each hand for near maximal time.  This could be 10 seconds or it could be 30.  Save a couple of seconds “in the bag.”  Don’t hold on until it rips out of your hand, as this could cause injury, too.  After performing 2 or 3 sets with each hand, attempt your Snatch Test or other endurance-based kettlebell training.  You should feel the difference in your hands fairly quickly.

3.  Jedder Swings

Write down how many one-handed swings you can do in a row…

When it comes to Grip endurance, the thumb is a very important digit as it helps anchor the fingers down during a lift, helping to secure the Grip.  If we take this “insurance policy” away, we cause the fingers to work even harder.

Now, the number you just wrote down is your goal with which to perform Jedder Swings. Jedder Swings involve performing swings exactly as you normally would, except do not allow yourself to put your thumb in contact with any part of the fingers or kettlebell handle.  You will have to hook your fingers around handle hard and concentrate on squeezing hard.  But you can’t allow yourself to give up early just because your thumb is out of the equation.

Your goal is written somewhere close by.  Obtain it with Jedder Swings, which are really just Thumbless Swings.  The concept is extremely simple, I just didn’t want to give it away.  Your fingers will get stronger and hold up longer after doing this kind of training and you will feel stronger for a longer time when you get back into your normal endurance style training.

4.  Snatch Plus Shot Palming

Over the years I have assembled a fantastic collection of Grip training equipment.  In this collection I have some industrial ball bearings.  They are similar to the shots used in Track and Field competitions.

You need to get something like this.  Here is how you will use it.

While you are Snatching with one hand, hold one of these shots in the other.  This will pre-exhaust your hand and make you have to work harder when it comes time to switch to the other hand.

You may lose a few reps employing this technique due to switching hands, but remember the objective here is increasing your hand endurance over the long haul.

If you want even more information on improving your grip strength you should check out Jedd’s new DVD – “Nail Bending – How to Melt Steel With Your Bare Hands.” Since Jedd is a certified Ironmind Red Nail Bender, I think we’re going to learn a few [more] things here that will definitely fast-track our kettlebell progress.