A Guide to Grip Strength Workouts
Do you find yourself in the last mile of a Spartan Race, your grip is shot, but you still have Twister, the Multi-Rig, and Rope Climb ahead of you? Spartan loves to do this. They’ll break you down, testing your grip to its limits, and then they’ll push you further and further.
Grip strength is single-handedly the best skill to have when you are on the course. This will serve as the foundation for every crazy hanging and swinging obstacle you encounter. It is also the basis for most carries.
During this week, we are pushing you through fatigue. It will be tough. Your arms will burn like never before. Hang tough. You will see maximum benefits if you stay strong and fight through the next week.
Monday
The following circuit is designed to be done with a pancake or kettlebell and a pull-up bar. With each exercise focus on squeezing through your hands with all 5 fingers gripping.
- Pancake/ kettlebell Deadlift - 3x6
- Hang to Pull Up/ Inverted Row - 3 second hang
- 3x6 Single Arm Pancake Row - 3x10
- Suitcase Grip Pancake Side Lunges - 3x10
- Front Raises - 3x10
- Single Arm Pancake Reach 3x10
Tuesday
Jump rope is a fantastic way to get in your high intensity cardio, but also stressing your grip and your wrist mobility. Perform this high intensity circuit for both a cardio and a grip workout.
This workout is designed to be fatiguing. If you find yourself unable to hold on to your hang for the duration of each interval, get back up as many times as possible to reach your time goal. You need to train your grip through fatigue in order to master your grip obstacles.
Warm-Up - 5 minutes moderate-intensity jump rope
- 0:30 Jump Rope Sprint
- 0:10 Dead Hang
- 0:45 Jump Rope Sprint
- 0:20 Dead Hang
- 1:00 Jump Rope Sprint
- 0:30 Dead Hang
- 1:15 Jump Rope Sprint
- 0:40 Dead Hang
- 1:30 Jump Rope Sprint
- 0:50 Dead Hang
- 1:45 Jump Rope Sprint
- 1:00 Dead Hang
- 2:00 Jump Rope Sprint
Cool Down - 2 minutes low-moderate intensity jump rope
Wednesday
Pushing workouts do not normally fatigue the grip, unless you know what you’re doing. Today, we’re going to work our pushing mechanics, but with grip-focused holds. Today will be another pancake workout.
- Pancake Cleans - 3x6
- Pancake Get Ups - 3x6
- Suitcase Squats - 3x10
- Single Arm Floor Press - 3x10
- Single Arm Overhead Press - 3x10
- Single Arm Suitcase Grip Split Squats - 3x10
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday
Spartans are built to have slow and fast twitch fibers. Today’s power workout is a 20-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible).
For this workout, we are incorporating momentum swings. Hang from a monkey bar or a pull up bar and kick your legs forward and back developing momentum through your grip and shoulders. This will be great training for your monkey bars and multi-rigs.
- 10 Pancake Swings
- 10 Jumping Pull Ups Plate drag/ Sled pull
- 100 yard Farmers Carry
- 10 Momentum Swings
Saturday
Today is about endurance. We are performing a training run, but will also incorporate incline carries and hangs to fatigue. With each round, challenge yourself to hold on just as long, if not longer than the round before. Complete 5-8 rounds.
- 1 mile run
- 1/4 mile incline farmers carry
- Dead hang to fatigue
Sunday - Rest Day
