Captains of Crush: Improving Shooting Grip Strength

When I was a kid, I was a big Hulk Hogan fan. One Christmas I received a Hulk Hogan Hulkamania Workout Set and I was so excited. In that workout set was a hand gripper and I would click that thing closed constantly.

When I think of grippers, for hand strength, I can’t help but think of that old workout set. It made it difficult to take the Captains of Crush Grippers seriously, despite a variety of gun bloggers speaking highly of them.

One of my weak areas has always been grip strength. It is not quite like getting a dead-fish handshake but I tend to be kind of gentle on the gun. To continue with the handshake comparison, I exert about the same amount of force I would when shaking a woman’s hand. It has gotten me by but I know that a stronger grip would help with recoil management.

I decided that I would place an order and get myself a Captains of Crush Hand Gripper. Perhaps using it a few times per week would increase my strength and inadvertently cause me to hold onto the gun tighter? Not wanting to hurt myself, I ordered the Trainer which is rated at 100 pounds.

Closing the gripper isn’t very difficult, even with my weak hand, but doing ten reps is much more difficult than I anticipated. Three sets of ten reps left my forearms tired. Like any workout, when I was finished I had a sense of satisfaction wash over me.

I’m going to continue using them, multiple times per week, to see if they help improve my grip. I’ll be moving up incrementally as I progress but will probably skip the half sizes (at $25 each the cost adds up quickly).

Ask The Readers

When it comes to shooting a pistol, how much force do you exert on the gun? Do you do any training to increase grip strength, and if so, what does your regiment consist of?