Do Hand Grippers Work? The HONEST Truth!

Hand grippers are one of the most popular best sellers on Amazon in the strength training equipment category these days. But, does their popularity prove their effectiveness? After all, shake weights used to be popular back in the day (the cringe)! So, do hand grippers work?

Hand grippers are an effective low-cost option for those looking to add another element to their grip training. Barbells and dumbbells allow you to work your grip excellently, but hand grippers provide another method which is cheap, quick, easy, and reliable.

In this article we will cover the benefits and drawbacks of hand grippers, how to use them effectively, and then I’ll recommend some of the best grippers on the market today.

Do Hand Grippers Work?

Hand Grippers Benefits

There are several unique benefits to hand grippers:

Good Budget Option

Hand grippers are among the cheapest strength training equipment. In fact, I looked at the 15 best selling hand grippers on Amazon, added them up, and, on average, the cost of a single hand gripper is $15.35. Not bad!

The price range was anywhere from $7.99 to $25.95, with most of them residing in the $12-$18 range. When you compare this to the often exorbitant costs of dumbbells, barbells, and weight plates, hand grippers are a really cheap piece of exercise equipment.

Source – Best Strength Training Hand Strengtheners on Amazon

Hand Grippers DO Strengthen Your Grip

Grip strength training is actually not all that difficult or complex. When we think about classic grip strength exercises, some of the most popular that come to mind are: plate pinches, barbell or dumbbell static holds, dead hang on pullup bars, etc.

Considering the mechanism of action (i.e. how the grip is strengthened) in these exercises, the mechanics are not all that different from hand grippers. In fact, they are practically identical.

With these types of grip exercises, there is no biceps or forearm flexion, which means the muscles being worked are the ones in the wrist and fingers. This means hand grippers specifically target your grip strength muscles.

Hand Grippers (Indirectly) Increase Your Forearm Size

Although they don’t work your forearm flexors directly, the grip strength increase you will receive as a result of isolating and training your grip will inevitably lead to increased forearm strength and size.

Your grip strength is incredibly important in forearm-heavy exercises. Not just wrist curls. But biceps curls, pull-ups, and deadlifts all require intense grip strength.

Isolating and training your grip with grippers will have a domino effect on your forearms, and more indirectly, your biceps.

Hand Grippers Drawbacks

Limited Use

Of course, the most obvious drawback of hand grippers is their limited scope of use. Outside of grip training, there isn’t really anything else you can do with them, unlike barbells and dumbbells, which have a lot of versatility.

Overuse Potential

Since grippers are so easy and simple to use, there is some potential for overuse. You don’t want to get too trigger happy with these things! Your grip gets worked in a lot of different exercises. And you don’t realize how much you use your grip until it no longer works effectively! So, limit the amount you use these things.

How to Use Hand Grippers Effectively

If you search hand grippers online today you will find a lot of people using them incorrectly. Some people are using this thing every day, which is a mistake. Would you train any other body part every single day? Unlikely.

The proper way to use hand grippers effectively is to do 3-4 sets after you work upper body, back, or arms, depending on the type of split you’re doing. It’s important not to use hand grippers before you perform your other exercises, as they will take away significantly from your strength.

As far as how often you should use them, I don’t recommend using them more than 3 times per week. Even that may be excessive for most people.

Best Hand Grippers

We know that hand grippers are a viable option now for grip training. But, there’s so many of them out there. How does one begin to decide on which one to get?

It turns out I’ve done the work for you! I’ve found the 5 best hand grippers on the market today.

Here they are…

Best Overall – GRM Hand Grip Strengthener

The GRM Hand Gripper Kit is the best overall choice for complete grip strength development. This kit comes not only with the gripper, but also includes a finger exerciser, finger stretcher, grip ring, and a stress relief ball. Your grip will get a complete workout this kit!

The design is ergonomic and doesn’t destroy your hands, like some of the metal-gripped ones do. Some of the features and advantages of this gripper include:

• 11 to 132 pound adjustable resistance
• Easy, ergonomic grip
• Mechanical counter which records usage
• Additional finger exerciser, finger stretcher, grip ring, and stress relief ball

Best Classic – Captains of Crush Hand Gripper

It’s hard to beat the original OG hand gripper. You really can’t go wrong with the classic design of the Captains of Crush. We know this hand gripper works.

The design may not be as ergonomic as some of the newer models, but this one has some significant advantages, including:

• Durability – these things rarely, if ever, break down
• Excellent, knurled grips – you can really keep a tight grip with these
• Proven track record – like I said, these are the classic hand grips, and they work really well

Best Heavy Duty – GD Iron Grip Hand Gripper

The GD Hand Gripper is by far the most heavy duty on this list. If you’re strong and really looking to challenge your grip, this is the one to get.

There are three different options you can choose from:

• 1 – IG 80 Light (55-176 pounds)
• 2 – IG EXT 80 (55-176 pounds) + handle extensions for a better grip
• 3 – IG EXT 90 (55-198 pounds) + handle extensions

This gripper is only for the most serious of grip trainers. The metal handles are really sharp and intense, so you will get callouses using this beast! But, there’s no more challenging gripper on the market, so it’s a bit of a trade-off.

Best Budget – NIYIKOW Hand Gripper

The NIYIKOW gripper is my choice for those on a budget. This gripper is on par with the other ergonomic options, it just doesn’t come as a kit like the others, so it’s a cheaper option.

A couple features of this gripper include:

• 22-132 pounds capacity
• Curved, ergonomic grip handle

Don’t let the low cost fool you on this one. It is a high quality gripper which gets the job done.

Best Alternative – E-smartinlife Hand Gripper

For those looking for an alternative type of gripper, one which strikes a bit of a balance between the classic metal grippers and the new ergonomic ones, the E-smartinlife may be your best choice.

What sets this one apart is the high elasticity foam handles, with ergonomic finger placement grips. This gripper has the following features:

• 44-55 pound capacity
• Extremely ergonomic foam and finger grips
• Compact design

This one is lighter weight than the others, but it’s much more comfortable to use, so you will get more overall reps out of it. If you’re looking for a more comfortable, smaller, and lighter weight gripper, this is the one for you.

Grip strength training is an important element of overall strength training. Hand grippers do an excellent job of isolating and strengthening your grip at an affordable cost.

Looking for other ways to strengthen your grip? Check out my post on How to Improve Grip Strength for Pullups, which has plenty of information on general grip strength training.

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