How to strengthen fingers?

[Camo]

I purchased one of those Powerballs a while back, I used it a bit as a novelty but now it just sits in my glove box, are these things actually good at increasing grip strength or do they just look flashy?

[adeano]

nah no good. there has been some good suggestions on this thread. generally, the stuff we dont want to do cause it is hard is best.

deadlifts and towel pull ups are good examples of this. they are hard work, but they are good.

if you want some fun mixed in, definately go grab a buddy and join an indoor climbing gym. great fun and absolutely awesome for grip and fingers. just have a look at those skinny rock climbers and their massive forearms!

[Tant01]

nah no good. there has been some good suggestions on this thread. generally, the stuff we dont want to do cause it is hard is best.

deadlifts and towel pull ups are good examples of this. they are hard work, but they are good.

if you want some fun mixed in, definately go grab a buddy and join an indoor climbing gym. great fun and absolutely awesome for grip and fingers. just have a look at those skinny rock climbers and their massive forearms!

Hehehe....

[peppi]

Practice the mantis claw and hook, it is safe and efficient

[Gray Wolf]

Take the sunday morning paper and just start crumbling sheet by sheet with each hand as tight as you can get it and hold for 5 to 10 seconds.Starting out you will be lucky to get thru half the paper for your fingers are burning.
Use a small hard rubber ball as well as your wathing tv squeze between each finger.These are some of the exercises we did in ju-jitsu.

[Ghost]

They are good for lower arm endurance, great for people that hold pads on a fairly regular basis and will go some way to providing some protection plus they are fun, nothing wrong with using them.

To increase finger strength do a search on YOUTUBE for plate flips

I purchased one of those Powerballs a while back, I used it a bit as a novelty but now it just sits in my glove box, are these things actually good at increasing grip strength or do they just look flashy?

[chillaplata]

Our gym had a heavy metal bar, from which the heavy bags were suspended, running near the ceiling. Our instructor would make us hang from the bar and try to traverse its length hand over hand. The idea was to make it across the gym, but I could never make it more than five feet or so. If your gym has a high, sturdy horizontal bar, this exercise is killer for your grip.

[FLMKane]

Why not just do old school Barbell Wrist Curls? And pull ups of course.

[Ghost]

Why not just do old school Barbell Wrist Curls? And pull ups of course.

doesnt really do your fingers all that much though, plate flips are directly involving fingers strength as that is the point of contact with the plate. but the wrist curls should be part of a martial artists routine as well so well worth doing.

[Rickster]

The first thing that comes to mind-why? Well, the fingers are not designed to have much thrown at them in terms of strength. They are going to max as far as the individual's body structure. I can say from experience, that later in life, such routines that tax specific areas come back in many ailments.

Since the mass population, general trainers, etc, aren't concerned with strengthen fingers, I can't understand its benefits.

[FLMKane]

Strong fingers are necessary. Your biceps can curls 100 pounds, but your fingers cant hold more that 50. Whats the point?

[Ghost]

yeh strong fingers are a of importance if you are interested in being able to strike bare-knuckle. the strength in the fingers will support the bones and help prevent breakage.
strong fingers in a clinch or grapple give you a lot of power. I think some people would be suprised how strong they can become.
Its not a HUGE deal, but its certainly one i have been taught to pay attention to by my instructor and feel that it is correct/logical to do so.

[Rickster]

Why would anyone be interested in fighting bare-knuckle? Say you have fingers of steel and in the street you come across someone. After a exchange of words, his buddy, whom you didnt see, shoots you. All of that physical training is wasted.

Makes no sense to train in those hard-core methods any more.

And though training is a insurance, it isn't a complete guarantee

IMHO

[Ghost]

well not many people train to literally have a real fight.
Though it can happen most normal people can avoid such situations.

Mostly its done for the enjoyment of training. however, should i come to it, training for bareknuckle will give you a huge advantage.

you say his buddy shoots you, very few people have guns and very few people actually get shot. A fist fight is far more likely.

[Rickster]

well not many people train to literally have a real fight.
Though it can happen most normal people can avoid such situations.

Mostly its done for the enjoyment of training. however, should i come to it, training for bareknuckle will give you a huge advantage.

you say his buddy shoots you, very few people have guns and very few people actually get shot. A fist fight is far more likely.

I'm sorry to disagree. Where I come from, where I know others are, a fist fight may forgo, but a gun always come out.

Besides, even in a college town, fights are broken before they get too nitty gritty.