Australian Grip Nationals 2013

Think you've got strong hands?  Why not test them out at the Australian Grip Nationals on May 4th 2013 at Iron Edge.

These will be the first Nationals since 2006, and it is hoped that, as the interest in grip sport continues to grow, there will be a national championship held annually with other grip competitions throughout the year.

The 2013 Grip Nationals will be a 4 event grip competition designed to test overall  hand strength (if these events don't sound familiar, don't worry, there's more information and training tips below):

• Vulcan Gripper  (adjustable gripper) 20mm block set - max resistance for 1 rep
• 2 Hand Pinch (on European pinch apparatus) - max weight for 1 rep
• Axle (2 inch diameter) double overhand deadlift - max weight for 1 rep
• Griptopz Shallow Hub - max weight for one rep

There will be 4 attempts allowed for each lift.

Weight classes: men under 93kg and open, women open.

Start time: 12pm

FREE ENTRY for all competitors.

To be kept up to date there is a Facebook event page.

Rules

The rules for the above events can be found on David Horne's World of Grip site.  If you require clarification on any of the rules please email [email protected]

Training

As grip sport is very much in its infancy in Australia, much of the competitive equipment isn't readily available or may be too expensive for those who aren't dedicated only to grip training.   The good new is you can train for grip sport effectively with equipment that is readily available and relatively cheap.

Here are some training ideas for each of the events:

The Vulcan Gripper:

The Vulcan Gripper is a test of crushing grip strength, so any type of gripper will help you prepare specifically for this event.  The Captains of Crush Grippers (COCs) are usually the most readily available over here.  The resistance of the Vulcan Gripper varies from the equivalent of a COC Trainer to beyond a COC #4.  For women, being able to close a COC Trainer or #1 would be a good pre-comp goal, for men closing a COC #2 or higher.

Specifically training crushing grip strength is great assistance work for things like deadlifting, benching and military pressing so you may find that comp prep has pay offs in other areas.

Anything else that helps crushing grip strength, such as double overhand deadlifting or bottoms up kettlebell presses, can be used as supplementary training.

2 Hand Pinch:

The 2 Hand Pinch requires lifting by pinching a flat object, minimum 24mm width, with both hands and lifting.  One of the easiest ways to train for this without the specific apparatus is to start pinching Olympic weight plates, both double and single handed - try some farmers walks pinching plates, great fun.  Pinching multiple plates (ie, making the pinch lift both wider and heavier) is one way of progressing.  Elevating yourself and adding weight to a plate with chains or whatever else you can get your hands on is another method.  You can also try pinching odd objects, making sure you don't close your fingers - kettlebells, bricks stones, planks of wood etc.

Finger strength is a very important part of the pinch lift so working specifically on finger strength as a supplement for this lift will help. Using light COCs and closing them with one or two fingers, using Claw Grips in a variety of exercises or putting a rubber band around the fingers and extending them are some options.

Axle Deadlift:

This is just a double overhand deadlift with a thick bar, so the easiest way to train for it is just to get a pair of Fat Gripz, which are roughly the same diameter (a bit thicker at 2.25 inches diameter so will actually make the axle feel easier), chuck them on your bar and do some deadlifting.

Griptopz Shallow Hub:

The Shallow Hub is another lift that's largely about finger strength.  As the name suggests, there isn't much to hold onto with the Shallow Hub so it's really gripping with the tips of the fingers.  For this event, using exercises similar to those you did for the 2 Hand Pinch will help, but this time only grip with the fingertips.  Picking up wider objects like bricks or small paint tins with the finger tips may also be useful, and picking up objects one fingertip at a time.

Don't Overdo It

If you're relatively new to specific grip training just be careful you don't overdo it - it can be easy to overtrain the grip especially if you're already doing lifts that work grip fairly heavily like deadlifts.  Start with only a few specific grip exercises, keep the volume low and see how you feel.  It's also wise to stretch the forearms regularly and incorporate myofascial release of the forearms into your training routine  (I recommend The Stick for this).

More Info?

If you want more information there is a Facebook event page here or email [email protected]