Hanging from a pull-up bar, or doing pull-ups, is a great way to work grip strength and other things. I haven’t done those in years, because I have no access to a pull-up bar.Originally Posted by T.D.O
for grip training.. I hang from a pull up bar, gets a few more body parts done at the same time.. finger tip push ups (against a wall, not mad enough to go to the floor yet) to help balance things out a bit, the bar for second, but every now and again every day, helps stretch vertebra and intercostal alike as well.. I'm not a fan of grippers, mines were pretty weak, but It felt like reps gave me more fatigue than hanging does, though it didn't help that I was a cable puller at the time lol
finger tip push ups are 2 sets low reps.. like 3-5 depending on how cold my hands are, but really slow trying to squeeze every bit of gain out of an easy exercise
a lot of arm swinging qi gong, Jam Jong with intention in the palms and fingers, which I've only recently got back into, so it's not long before fatigue sets in
The type of grippers I use are Heavy Grips. They’re totally different from the cheap, weak gripping devices you’ll find in sporting goods stores. These are for hardcore grip development. You do not want to use high reps with them, and you don’t want to train with them more than two or three times/week. They are not designed for high reps. If you can easily squeeze the handles together ten times, you’re ready to move up to the next tension level. I have Heavy Grips for up to 350 lbs of pressure, but am still working on the 200 lbs one (which isn’t considered too high up for hardcore grip enthusiasts, but is still quite hard for the average man). I won’t even touch the 250 lbs one (the next one up). Many years ago, when I started using the Heavy Grips (at the beginner level), I tried too much too soon and got tendinitis in the palms of my hands. It took about a year or more before I dared try the Heavy Grip again. I learned that less really is more. These grippers also give your fingers calluses; they are not comfortable to use when you first start using them; they have a rough, knurled texture. I work as a professional massage therapist (or I did, before Covid), which in itself also strengthens your hands and body, and training with the Heavy Grips made a noticeable difference for me.
I used to incorporate fingertip pushups on the floor, especially with cat stretch-style pushups, but no longer do that. There are several things I used to do that I simply dropped as I’ve gotten older and my motivations have changed. It’s good to start on a wall like you are doing. Looks like you have a good routine going there.
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Today I was browsing YouTube and ended up watching a movie in Mandarin only/no English subtitles section of net listings (vids) and noticed a documentary that showed Master Ip Man as the cover scene (didn't see the picture in the actual video) standing sideways (picture taken from waist up) with his right arm outstretched in "tan sau" wing arm form. Thing is, he had four thick metal rings along his forearm as a weight source, rings with just enough circumference to get your hand through. Sensitivity training also comes to mind. The picture showed Master Ip in his later age.... so I will assume the picture of him was taken in Hong Kong. The backdrop is just a blank white wall and the picture was taken while he was posing/showing this training technique. Considering the fact that I don't read or speak the language and would not be able to locate this image again once I moved on from the Google page, I took a close-up of the picture for my own references but am not at liberty to show this. (publishing laws). * Reminds me of something you would expect to see more likely with Hung Gar practitioners / training. Anyone else know of this use of rings in the Ip Man Lineage? Not talking about the large and smaller rattan and metal 2-arm work-out rings that are somewhat common with a few WingChun lineages. Technically, it would explain why he was known in Hong Kong as "The Old Man with the Heavy Punch".
