Posts Tagged ‘rock climbing’
February 15, 2012 | 
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Grip strength is critically important, and I have been harping on it for some time. EVERYONE can use increased grip strength, and the implications it has on throwing harder, swinging harder and preventing injury are huge. Grip, or hand strength can be classified in many different ways, but today we are going to focus on just open and closed hand strength, the differences between them and their implications for pitchers and hitters.
Closed Hand Strength
This is just what it sounds like, holding things with a closed fist. This is the most important type of strength for a hitter to have, as gripping the bat is done with closed fists. This isn’t meant to be groundbreaking info, but I want you to see the carryover from the weight room to the field for both pitchers and hitters.
Closed Hands Gripping a Bat
One of my favorite pieces of specialty equipment are my Metolius Rock Rings, which are a free-hanging climbing holds. These also happen to be a companion of one of my favorite exercises of late, the chin-up.
The only thing I really dislike about chin-ups (aside from everyone in the gym doing them half-assed) is that they feel stressful on the elbow, due in part because of the way the arm articulates as the body ascends. The hands tend to want to pronate on the ascent, which is rendered impossible by holding a straight bar. Is this catastrophic? No, but I prefer individual, free holds for each arm to allow my joints to move comfortably in whatever path they choose.
The Rock Ring
These are made for climbers to functionally train for their sport. What do climbers have that everyone else does not? Crazy strong backs, forearms and fingers. We could all use a little more of that…
These hanging holds have 4 features(descending from the top, increasing in difficulty):
-a sloper (type of open palm hold)
-4 finger deep edge
-4 finger shallow edge
-3 finger 3/4 inch pocket (very, very tough to do chins with)
Metolius Rock Ring