My Gift for Grip Grafting
When developing content for this article, my intention is not merely to provide education, but to prompt introspection, inviting you to contemplate the significance of our hands. Consider, for a moment, how often we take for granted the remarkable abilities that these essential tools possess!
Let us embark on a journey of gratitude, exploring how we can honor and cherish the gift of our hands. It may initially seem cliché to express appreciation for something as mundane as our ability to use our hands. Yet, envision for a moment a life without this privilege. How would our existence be altered if we were deprived of the capacity to grasp, manipulate, and create?
Reflect on the intricate motor skills that enable us to navigate the world with finesse and precision. From the simplest of tasks, such as buttoning a shirt or tying shoelaces, to the more complex feats of craftsmanship and artistry, our hands are the conductors through which we manifest our intentions and express aspects of true self.
Personally, I have cultivated a profound appreciation for the capabilities of my hands, recognizing them as tools through which I can channel passions and talents. Growing up as an athlete with a dominant hand-eye coordination, I have often been praised for my adeptness with my hands. Yet, beyond the physical realm of sports, I have come to understand that my affinity for manual dexterity transcends athletic endeavors.
There exists within me a deep-seated connection to the artistry and energy inherent in our hands—a connection that speaks to a resonance with past lifetimes, where mastery of this fundamental tool was paramount for much more than motor skills. This connection to my mighty mitts exceeds tangible tasks, and expands towards other realms of harnessing energy that has more to offer all aspects of life. This personal reflection opens an opportunity for me to harness the potential of my hands not only for personal fulfillment but also as a means to serve and uplift others.
The Power of Thumb
In the landscape of hand anatomy, one digit stands out as a testament to both elegance and power—the thumb. Much like the big toe’s significance in the realm of foot mechanics, the thumb holds a pivotal role in the functionality of the hand. Despite its size relative to the other digital dawgs, the thumb’s unique characteristics make it a formidable force in the realm of grip strength.
Let’s explore a common sense examination of size and stout. Although the shortest of your fingers, it is also the thickest. If you notice the meaty pad at its base, you’ll feel the robustness of the underlying muscle. But what do these features signify?
The equation is simple: more muscle equates to more force, thus amplifying the thumb’s capacity for power. Furthermore, the thumb’s shortened statute provides it with a biomechanical advantage, enhancing stability and leveraging its strength to exert force more effectively.
But enough of the technicalities; let’s dive into the real-world application of thumb, particularly in the realm of fitness and athleticism. As a committed CrossFitter, I have embarked on a journey to unlock the full potential of my grip strength through a variety of exercises and challenges. From mastering the nuances of barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells to navigating the demands of hanging on bars and rings, I have embraced an extensive toolbox of grip-centric workouts.
In my role as an Affiliate Owner of the CrossFit MFP community over the past six years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of grip strength training. I have developed countless workouts that often push the boundaries of grip capacity, challenging participants to confront their limitations and discover untapped reservoirs of strength within themselves. There have been moments where I’ve jokingly warned my community about the potential soreness in their hands later in the day—a testament to the intensity of our grip-focused sessions.
Yet beyond mere physical exertion, my mission as a coach extends far deeper. It is about empowering individuals to cultivate a profound understanding of their own capabilities and to embark on a journey of self-discovery mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By immersing themselves in the “grippy madness,” my aim is to instill within them the confidence and resilience to conquer any obstacle that comes their way.
Mindfulness to the Magic Mitts
Enough of my hype speech inspired by chatgpt (#Technology). Hopefully by now you have awakened to a new perspective. So let’s find out why you are actually #HERE (Holistically Engaged, Ready to Embrace). You should have anticipated by now that I will come back to the value of mindfulness with an article like this! I don’t want you to just be grateful for your ability to possess magic mitts, but learn to purposefully understand the most vital digital dawg, aka your thumb. When applying to specifically exercise anatomy, I typically see many individuals who do not utilize their thumb when performing movements I believe would positively impact the outcome. Some general examples include:
- Honoring Hanging: This is where I typically notice the thumb not being efficiently used. When hanging from a bar or performing pull-ups, people won’t wrap their thumb around the bar. For most, I imagine that the individual is not even aware of the habit, versus intently not using the thumb.
- Suicide Safety: Specically when using a barbell for pressing motions, this is when you do not wrap your thumb around the bar. Many times I believe this is an intentional choice, however I find it to be mindless, and potentially risky.
- Carless Carrying: An odd object such as a kettlebell has a handle designed for grip development for a variety of exercises. One very well known exercise (especially if you are a member at MFP), is carrying the weight. Most individuals may not even think twice about securing the grip prior to actually standing up and carrying the weight.
Example of a Suicide Grip when pressing a bar
First, I would like to clarify that I am biased on using the thumb for exercise science reasons, but not with a dogmatic viewpoint. Utilizing the thumb for these purposes above is not necessary. With that said, I would argue there is more benefit to incorporating your thumb than not. The importance of thumb utilization for specific performance reasons will remain a debate. Personally, I will decide to advocate for mindfulness and application of the thumb because I have known, and felt, the benefits for myself. In addition, I will continue to inform my community and clients about the benefits that exceed far past the physical, and into the Infinite realm of possibilities.
Second, why even care about the thumb? Other than the gratitude of our hands/grip as previously stated in this article, it is important to note that we are a unique species with a unique purpose. To put this in perspective, humans and primates are the only species, on this planet ;), with access to a thumb. That thought within itself would make you think differently about our grip capabilities!
“But Coach, I am new to wrapping my thumb for exercises and it feels worse! Is there a reason why you should NOT use your thumb?”
I will keep this answer short and sweet. If you have habits of not being mindful of your thumb with exercises, then yes it will feel difficult at first. That does not mean that it is “wrong” or inefficient. That is simply your brain understanding a new stimulus to adapt to! As for exceptions to thoughtful thumbs, my only excuse for someone would be:
1) Lack of
2) Injury
3) Mobility Limitations
4) Intentional Exploration of Grip Variety (without Thumb usage)
5) Potential Competitive Advantages (aka CrossFit Games athletes).
Back in my “Prime” days of Competitive CrossFit. Notice the Grip!
Practical Applications of the Palms
The simple act of awareness towards your clamping claw could improve all aspects of strength, power, and longevity. For you to understand true gratitude for grip, and the power of thumb, let’s look into logistics of how you can become more mindful, and experience for yourself.
- The Practical Grip Test: This is my favorite test to utilize when people give me an odd look for being so obsessive over using a thumb for a specific exercise. My response is extending my arm out to them, and asking to grab my wrist, once with and once without the thumb. From there, I try to yank my arm away and escape. You can imagine how that results, and then how I tangent about how valuable your thumb is to the whole grip system.
- Credit goes to my Sensei, Coach Steve Wakefoose, for this one!
- The OG Grip Test: Before a variety of grip training protocols were developed, there was the hand dynamometer. A simple device that you squeeze as hard as you can, and provides you an assessment of how much force you exert with your grip. This is a simple and effective tool that was not just studied to assess grip for strength, but grip for longevity.
- Grip for Longevity: Research was developed about the correlations between hand dynamometer results and the capacity for someone to live longer. This result exceeded the idea of muscle fiber contractions, and more so came about the brain’s capacity to create a neurological response. The science is simple: You have far more neural endings in the hands and feet than anywhere else in your body. The harder you work/focus to use your upper and lower dawgs to move and explore, your brain needs to work just as hard to connect and rewire! #Neuroplasticity
- Grip for Efficiency: This is less of the brain, and more to where we understand anatomy and biomechanics. The usages of the thumb could potentially mean more areas of muscular contractions within the forearm, biceps, shoulder, lats and muscles around the scapula. Again, we think about how the big toe plays a vital role to the entire chain of the lower limbs and spine. Same goes to the thumb. There is potential to create more force and stability throughout the whole structure.
Where do we Grip from Here?
Now that you have some science to help you shift your perspective towards hand health, let’s explore some practical ways to explore Grip Capacity. Here are my go-tos!
- Hanging: By far my favorite due to the benefits to improving the overall strength and stability of the shoulder.
- Try this Tip: Have variety in different grips and planes. Try overhand, underhand and neutral grips, in addition with different widths (close/wide) and angles (vertical and horizontal). Start simple with scapular movement before bending the elbow joint!
- Farmer/Suitcase Carries: Not only do carries challenge grip strength and stamina, but also “carry” a metabolic effect with the exercise (see what I did there?). Start by marching in place, then build up to time based carries for distance (30-1:00s of work). You can also practice suitcase carries to enhance the unilateral effect! (See article). Ideally, use kettlebells due to the width and shape of the handle!
- Plate Pinching: A different perspective to challenging your hand stamina. By using your crab claws to pinch a plate, you isolate the intricacy of the muscles within the digits! Check out the #MADGrip below.
- Rope Climbing: An advanced way to hang and pull-up due to the thickness and material. The hand position (hybrid neutral/supine grip) with unilateral components (hand over hand position) makes using the rope unique. The variety of integrating rope progressions could help with plateaus in pulling and grip capacity. The sport of CrossFit is notorious for popularizing challenging rope progressions such as legless, and L-Sit climbs.
- Bottom’s Up with Kettlebells: Holding a bottoms of is not only a game changer for grip strength, but for prehab/rehab in the elbow and rotator cuff. Start with isometric holds at 90 degrees with the elbow joint. You can hold bottoms up in one hand or both! Progress into carrying, and even spicier ways to express the bottoms up, such as presses, windmills, and dynamic movements.
- Arm Balancing: You can strengthen your grip without wrapping your hand and thumb! Anytime you support your upper body with your hands (ex: plank, planche, handstand) you have an opportunity to become more aware of the importance to your grip. Think about spreading your fingers fully, and slightly rotate your hands outward (this externally rotates the shoulder to create scapular stability). Then, think about gripping the floor and squeezing to create tension and force. Trust me on this, you will notice a difference in your upper body stability!
- Double Overhand Deadlifts: In the powerlifting world with a barbell, the deadlift is typically performed with an alternating grip (one palm down, one palm up). I personally cannot remember the last time I utilized that grip. Reason being is to create a balance, and challenge within the grip. Yes, it does make heavier loads more difficult to hold, but that is the idea! In addition, it creates symmetry in the body to help create equal force in the upper body pull, and leg drive!
- Get “Fat Gripz”: These valuable tools increase the diameter of the object you hold! The thicker the grip, the more force you need to create to squeeze!
Tactical Techniques with your Grip
In addition to my favorite ways to express grip gratitude, you can try these techniques to take your digital dawgs to another level!
- The “Lock Grip”: When grabbing the bar for hanging, think about first locking in your thumb and second finger (like a crab claw), and then proceed wrapping your third, fourth and little finger. Think “Knuckles to the ceiling” to avoid the bar from slipping into your fingertips versus being secure in your palm.
- The “Power Grip”: Similar to the lock grip, but when implemented with barbells and free weights. Go through the same sequences with the “thumb to pinky” method. When applying to a pulling/picking up exercise, make sure you think “knuckles down. For pressing exercises, it is vital to make sure the bar is settled evenly throughout the entire palm. More importantly, you can look at your wrist for feedback. If the wrist begins to flex (pull back), that means your grip is not stable or strong. Lastly, the cue is to SQUEEZE the object to create maximal power.
- The “Hook Grip”: Applied only with the thumb and generally barbell based exercises that include pulling. Specifically, the hook grip is implemented to create efficiency within Olympic lifts (Clean and Snatch). To perform the hook grip, you wrap your thumb around the bar, and then secure your second and middle finger on top. The thumb then becomes a “strap” to hold onto the bar.
Back to #Technology…
#GiftForGrowth: Unlock Your Superpower with Grip Strength
As we embark on the journey of 2024, let’s commit ourselves to a mission of lifelong growth and transformation. If you’re reading this, I urge you to awaken to the potential that lies within you. It’s time to get a grip—both literally and metaphorically—and tap into a superpower that transcends the physical realm.
The analogy of “getting a grip” extends far beyond the mere mechanics of the hand. It’s about opening yourself to the profound realization that you possess an untapped reservoir of strength and potential waiting to be unleashed.
But here’s the catch: you must earn your rite into this spiritual metaphysical reality. Your physical body, with its finite days on this earth, serves as the vessel through which you can embark on this journey of self-discovery and empowerment. And it all begins with honoring and nurturing your foundation—starting with your grip strength.
So, let’s continue this journey of mindful movement and intentional action. Hang from bars with purpose, feel the weight of kettlebells in your grasp, and embrace the power of your thumb—the gateway to unlocking the magic within.
By cultivating grip strength with purpose and intent, you’ll not only increase your physical prowess but also extend your longevity and equip yourself to reach new heights—both physically and spiritually.
So, are you ready to get a grip and unleash your superpower? The journey awaits, and the possibilities are Infinite. Let’s make 2024 a year of growth, awakening, and discovery. Get ready to grasp hold of your destiny for the greater good of self, others and all life.
MFP Education Center 
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