Grip Strength With Stress Balls

Grip Strength With Squeeze Balls


Squeezing exercise using StringyBall helps with improving grip strength and forearm toning, which has a direct result in hand grip and strength.


In strength training, improving grip strength is one of the most commonly neglected areas as many fitness enthusiasts ignore hand and forearm toning. That means there are many strong bodies without strong hands, unfortunately. Having strong hands and forearms will give you a rock solid bone-crushing (hypothetically) handshake impressing the receiver. It is imperative to know that hand strength is only a part of grip strength as the power of grip comes from both forearm and hands. Muscles responsible for gripping pass through the forearm, the wrists, then to hand and fingers. The hand strength of an average person (both male and female) peaks in their 30s and rapidly decline with aging.

There are three types of grips:
Crush Grip
The crush grip is the hold between your fingers and palm and used during a handshake

Pinch Grip
Pinch grip does not involve the palm and only include four fingers on one side of the object and thumb on the opposite side. There are two types of pinch grip, static and dynamic. The static grip does not have any movements whereas the latter involves gripping moving objects like squeezing the handles of a clamp. Pinch grip is relatively weaker than crush grip.

Support Grip
Support grip is characterized as the grip required for holding something for a prolonged time. As an example, holding a sand filled a bucket for a long time. Nonetheless, the crush grip is believed by many to be the ‘real grip’ as it generates more power than other types, but it is not always true.

Benefits of developing grip strength

1.   Promotes muscle endurance
Regular gripping exercises will increase your muscle tolerance to stress. When your forearms and hands are strong, you will be able to do more repetitive actions that demand more energy compared to an ordinary individual. These repeated movements will in succession burn more calories and build muscle bulk. As an example, endurance is indispensable for climbers as they keep using muscles of back, forearm, hand and legs repeatedly for hours till they reach the summit. So novice climbers must pay attention to building their grip strength through exercises. Not only for climbers, anybody who needs more muscle endurance and stamina should add grip strengthening into their daily workout.

2.   Builds forearm musculature
Doing gripping exercises for some time will give you better looking, thick and firmer forearm muscles. In fingers there are no muscles and most movements of the hand and fingers are commandeered by forearm muscles. Muscles in the front of the forearm are called flexors and close (flex) our hand. The extensors that open (extend) the hand is on the back of the forearm. With regular repeated gripping workout, these muscles will be dense and in turn will reinforce your grip.

3.   More resistance to injuries
Strengthened muscles and connective tissues have proven to be more resilient against trauma. They exhibit more healing capacity compared to other muscles. This benefit is particularly important for athletes who do contact sports as they are more prone to injuries. Sometimes a simple hurt can be career-ending for athletes.

4.   Improves dexterity
Regular gripping exercises can improve your hand’s performing skills. This is beneficial for musicians especially pianists, guitarists, drummers, and others like computer operators and even video game players.

5.   As an indicator of life quality
A 25-year cohort study done ended in 1999 by the Honolulu Heart Program revealed that mid-life (45-68) hand grip can accurately predict functional disabilities that will occur 25 years later. They concluded that “Good muscle strength in midlife may protect people from old age disability by providing a greater safety margin above the threshold of disability.” So it is vital for individuals in their midlife to reinforce their grip power through exercises.

Causes for a weak grip
  • Lack of exercise, chiefly in a sedentary lifestyle
  • Ageing
  • Diabetes
  • Nutritional deficiencies Ex, anemia
  • During pregnancy
  • Persistent/chronic diseases. Ex, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart diseases
  • Mood disorders like anxiety and depression
  • Persistent muscle pain

Still, it is important to know that in most cases, the reason is a lack of exercise.

How does the StringyBall improve gripping power?

For building toned forearms that yield rock solid raw power you don’t always have to hit the gym. StringyBall is a patent pending stress ball on a string capable of boosting your grip power. Being able to be fastened to your wrist or palm, you can strengthen your grip at your desk and workplace without hustle. Regular and repetitive squeezing exercises using StringyBall stress ball will gradually build up the muscle bulk while minimizing the fatty tissue thus enhancing grip power.

There are three colors coded balls with different densities, and it is vital to start with a less dense ball (yellow) and work your way up. However, if you have persistent severe muscle weakness, it is better to consult a doctor to find the underlying pathology. A strong forearm will make a strong hand.

Reference

1.   Grip Strength Is Good Indicator of Overall Health, UConn Today (University of Connecticut)
https://today.uconn.edu/2011/06/grip-strength-is-good-indicator-of-overall-health/
2.   The 3 Types Of Grip And The 8 Ways To Train Them, Melody Schoenfeld, Coach
https://breakingmuscle.com/learn/the-3-types-of-grip-and-the-8-ways-to-train-them
3.   Benefits of Gaining God-Like Grip Strength with the Steel Mace
https://www.onnit.com/academy/3-benefits-of-gaining-god-like-grip-strength-with-the-steel-mace/
4.   Midlife Hand Grip Strength as a Predictor of Old Age Disability,Taina Rantanen, Ph.D.; Jack M. Guralnik, MD, Ph.D.; Dan Foley, MSc
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/188748