Hand Grippers
Heavy Grip Hand Grippers
Hand Grippers... Where do we start? We've been looking for some grippers worthy
of joining the Gym RatZ accessory list for ages.. years it would seem, most
grippers are just plain crap to be honest so rather than sell things that only
passed off as strength training devices by name only we gave them a miss. That
was until we discovered Heavy Grip hand grippers!
A 200lb sample gripper was sent to us for checking over... Wow! absolutely
bloody awesome. Sad as it may be, (and this really is a man thing) both myself
(Pete) and Matt have been "gripping" at every opportunity. A weeks
worth of "gripping" has led to a weak and feeble grip barely being
able to get a full rep. of the 200 lb gripper whereas first attempt saw 4 clean
reps.
For myself at the ripe old age of 41 with many years of strength training (natural)
but very little (if any) direct grip work under my belt then the 150 lb would
be the ideal gripper to get the ball rolling. I could see a couple of months
of reps with the Heavy Grip 150 Hand Gripper would give a much better result
than trying to squeeze out 1 or 2 full reps and a few partial reps with the
Heavy Grip 200 but, from a demo. perspective the Heavygrip 200 Hand Gripper
being right in the middle of the range is a great one to get either for someone
with a very strong grip "advanced" grip strength as a warm-up to the
250 or 300 or, the 200 makes a great goal to achieve full reps on while developing
strength and power through the use of the 100 "beginner" Hand Gripper.
So, which hand gripper to go for? I would suggest that for the younger trainer,
female trainer or untrained keyboard clicker then the Heavygrip 100 is the place
to start, while your typical strength trainer and higher than "average"
strength male adult should initially go for the Heavy Grip 150 possibly doubling
up with the Heavy Grip 200.
While more seriously grip trained athletes who do regular grip strength development
as part of their training program could start with the 200 lb gripper and a
Heavygrip 250 as a goal to build up to or to take to the gym / pub etc.
Infact.... These Heavygrip hand grippers are so tactile you'll want to keep
one in your jacket pocket, glove box, work desk etc. Be warned though, they
are very addictive so you can't help but get a monster grip!
Well, that's our take on 'em. Gripper details from Heavy Grip with regards
to which model(s) to chose as follows:-
HG 100 "Beginner" - At the first squeeze, the HG100 may not seem
to be much tougher than a store-bought plastic hand-gripper, but it's smooth
action and aggressive knurled grip can be deceiving. The "Beginner"
is perfect for consumers beginning their 'grip training' as well as younger
athletes, female athletes, athletes with small hands and warm-ups for stronger
athletes.
HG 150 "Intermediate" - Consumers that have a fairly strong grip
can usually squeeze out a few reps with the HG150, but it can be difficult for
females and younger athletes although those athletes can easily work up to the
HG150 in a short time with consistent training. Most athletes with consistent
HG training will find that the Heavygrip HG150 hand gripper only provides resistance
for 3 to 15 reps for 2 to 6 weeks and they are ready to step up to the HG200
or beyond because the hand responds so well to resistance training with low
repetitions.
HG 200 "Advanced" -The Heavy Grip HG200 is the level that even athletes
with a naturally strong grip may have trouble closing. Athletes with advanced
grip training will not have too much trouble with the HG200, but those with
no grip training experience will most likely find it very difficult to close
the HG200 at the beginning of their training. When you are closing the HG200
for reps, your performance for any sport using your hands will be greatly enhanced.
HG 250 "Professional"- When you are closing the HG250 for reps, you
will have to be very careful when shaking people's hand! If you can close the
HG250 once, your hand strength is well beyond the average athlete. Usually only
athletes with a hardcore grip training regimen and people who do heavy work
with their hands can close the HG250 on their first attempt. Just because you
have lifted weights for a few years, don't assume that you will be able to close
a HG250. It's much harder than it looks!
HG 300 "The Gripper King" - Although there are well over 20 000 HG300's
on the market, we estimate that there are less than 250 athletes world-wide
that can do reps with this hand grip although most male athletes (and there
have been a couple of women) with an average-sized hand can build up their hand-strength
to close a HG300 for at least one rep if they train regularly with the Heavygrips.
The key to closing the HG300 is consistency with your hand-strength training
and avoiding over-training (Don't train with your HG's more than twice per week
or when your hand is still sore from your last work-out)
HG350 "The Grip Monster" - The newest addition to the Heavy Grip
line-up! The HG 350 hit the market in 2006 at the request of athletes who complained
that the HG300 was not tough enough! Although there have been some very strong
athletes doing reps with the HG300, we haven't had anyone tell us that the HG350
was too easy! If you can close the HG350, your hand strength is definitely 'world-class'.
