The GripCentral wiki
Grip tools, A to Z.
Every gripper, block, blob, handle and bar we have information on, in one list you can scroll. Each one says in a sentence what it is, what kind of grip it trains, and where to read more.
The kinds of grip
- Crush
- Squeezing something shut with your fingers against your palm, like closing a hand gripper.
- Pinch
- Holding something between your fingers and thumb, with no help from the palm, like lifting a plate by its rim.
- Support
- Hanging on to a handle that wants to slip or open your hand: deadlifts, carries, hangs, thick and rolling handles.
- Wrist
- Lifting or resisting with the wrist itself: levering a hammer, rolling up a weight, stopping a handle from twisting.
- Thumb
- The thumb working on its own against a load; the weak link in most pinch lifts.
- Other
- Everything else: finger extensors, bending steel, measuring grip and the gear that holds the weight.
57 tools · 19 crush · 19 pinch · 21 support · 8 wrist · 6 thumb · 7 other · 25 contest events
A
3Adjustable hand gripper
also Vulcan gripperCrushBeginner
A hand gripper whose resistance you can change with a dial or by moving the spring, so one tool covers many strength levels.
Anvil (cone pinch)
also Rogue Anvil, Legends Anvil, Cone vertical barPinchSupportIntermediateContest event
A tapered steel cone hung from a loading pin; you grip it around the cone and deadlift it, with the taper trying to slide out of your hand.
Axle (thick bar)
also Apollon's Axle, Rogue Axle, Andrew's Axle, Thick barSupportBeginnerContest event
A barbell about 2 inches thick, too fat for your fingers to wrap around, deadlifted with a double overhand grip.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by IronMind, Rogue Fitness, Gods of Grip
B
4Blob
also York blob, 50 lb blobPinchAdvanced
One end of an old York round-head dumbbell; you pinch it from the top with one hand and lift it. The 50 lb blob is a famous feat.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Cannon Powerworks (Blob50 replica)
Block weights
also Hex blobs, Dumbbell endsPinchBeginner
The cut-off heads of hex or other dumbbells, pinch-lifted from the top with one hand; sold in many weights, so they make an easy pinch ladder.
Bottoms-up kettlebell
CrushSupportBeginner
Holding a kettlebell upside down by its handle, bell in the air; you must squeeze hard to keep it balanced and from tipping over.
Brick lift
also The StackerPinchBeginner
Pinching a brick, or a stack of them, by one end and lifting it; IronMind's Stacker recreates Hermann Goerner's version with plates.
How to train it →Made by IronMind
C
5Cannonball grips
also Grip balls, Grenade gripsSupportBeginner
Hard balls with a strap or hook, hung from a pull-up bar for hangs or clipped to weights, so you hold a round surface instead of a bar.
How to train it →Made by Gods of Grip
Captains of Crush grippers
also CoCCrushBeginnerContest event
IronMind's steel torsion-spring hand grippers, rated from the Guide up to the No. 4; closing the No. 3 or harder under their rules earns certification.
Chalk
also Magnesium carbonateOtherBeginner
Powder rubbed on the hands to soak up sweat so implements don't slip; contests allow plain chalk, and IronMind's rules ban liquid chalk.
Country Crush two-hand revolving handle
also Monster Crush, Mega Crush, Baby CrushCrushSupportIntermediateContest event
A bar with two spinning grips, one for each hand, lifted from a loading pin; the 2 inch size is the Country Crush and the 3 inch the Monster Crush.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Country Crush (via GripStrength.com)
Crusher
CrushSupportIntermediateContest event
A heavy solid-steel spinning handle hung from a loading pin and deadlifted with one hand; made in sizes from 1.5 to 4 inches thick.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Fat Bastard Barbell Co.
D
1Dead hang (pull-up bar)
SupportBeginner
Hanging from a pull-up bar for as long as you can; the simplest support-grip test there is and a good first step for beginners.
E
1Euro pinch
also Adjustable pinchPinchIntermediateContest event
Two steel plates with spacers between them, set to a chosen width and loaded with weight, then pinched and lifted with one or two hands.
F
4Farmer's walk handles
SupportBeginner
A pair of loadable handles, often thick, that you pick up one in each hand and carry for distance or time.
Fat Gripz and thick-grip attachments
also Fat GripzSupportBeginner
Rubber sleeves that clip around a normal bar, dumbbell or pull-up bar to make it thick, so ordinary lifts become thick-bar grip work.
About the maker →Made by Fat Gripz
Finger exerciser
also Gripmaster, Piano-key trainerCrushOtherBeginner
A small spring tool with a separate button for each finger, pressed one finger at a time; light work for finger strength and rehab.
Finger extensor bands
also Expand-Your-Hand Bands, Rubber bandsOtherBeginner
Thick rubber bands looped around your fingers and thumb that you open against; they train the muscles that open the hand and balance gripping work.
How to train it →Made by IronMind
G
4GHP grippers (Gillingham)
also Gillingham High PerformanceCrushBeginnerContest event
Gillingham High Performance hand grippers, sold in numbered levels from GHP 1 up to the very hard GHP 10.
Grab Ball
PinchIntermediateContest event
A light ball with a flange that sets where your fingers go, hung from a loading pin and lifted with a fingertip claw grip.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Fat Bastard Barbell Co., Gods of Grip
Grip Genie grippers
CrushBeginner
Hand grippers sold in graded levels that fill the gaps between other brands, with a slightly narrower closed handle.
About the maker →Made by Grip Genie
GripTopz
also Gold Bar, Half Penny, LeverTop, BlobTop, Shallow Hub TopPinchSupportWristIntermediateContest event
David Horne's family of small shaped tops that attach to a loading pin, each recreating a classic grip feat or contest lift.
Records & lifts →Made by Gods of Grip
H
5Hand dynamometer
OtherCrushBeginner
A gauge you squeeze that reads out your grip force; doctors and researchers use it to measure grip, not to train it.
Hand gripper (torsion spring)
also GripperCrushBeginnerContest event
Two handles joined by a coiled spring that you squeeze until the handles touch; the classic crushing-grip tool, sold in fixed strengths.
Hangboard
also FingerboardSupportPinchIntermediate
A climbing board with edges and pockets of different sizes that you hang from, training fingertip and open-hand strength.
Heavy Grips
also HGCrushBeginner
Aluminium-handled hand grippers named by a pound number, from the HG100 for beginners up to the HG350.
Hub (IronMind)
also Hub lift, Hub-style pinch gripperPinchThumbBeginnerContest event
A small round knob, about 2 7/8 inches across, hung from a loading pin; you claw it with fingertips and thumb and lift.
I
3IMTUG two-finger grippers
CrushThumbBeginner
Small IronMind grippers built to be squeezed with one or two fingers, or with the thumb, so each digit can be trained on its own.
How to train it →Made by IronMind
Inch dumbbell
also Thomas Inch dumbbell, Inch replicaSupportAdvancedContest event
Thomas Inch's 172 lb challenge dumbbell with a smooth handle nearly 2.5 inches thick; replicas are lifted one-handed in contests.
IronMind Block
also Blockbuster pinch blockPinchBeginnerContest event
IronMind's pinch block, loaded through a pin and lifted with one hand gripping it near its centre; thumbless grips are not allowed.
L
3Leverage bar
also Heavy Hammer, Hammer leverWristBeginner
A handle with the weight at one end, held by the other and tilted up and down to train the wrist; like a loadable sledgehammer.
Made by IronMind, Gods of Grip
Little Big Horn
also LBHPinchSupportIntermediateContest event
IronMind's tapered steel horn, 3 inches thick at one end and 1.5 at the other, hung from a loading pin and lifted like an anvil by its horn.
Loading pin
OtherBeginner
A short steel post with a hook or ring that holds weight plates; most grip tools clip to one with a carabiner.
How to train it →Made by IronMind, Gods of Grip
N
2Nail and steel bending
also Short steel, Red NailOtherWristIntermediate
Bending a short steel bar or big nail with your hands and wrists, wrapped in leather or suede; IronMind's Red Nail is the famous test.
Made by IronMind, Cannon Powerworks
Napalm's Nightmare
SupportPinchAdvancedContest event
An Arm Assassin implement used in GSI events, with thick rolling-handle and pinch versions in one- and two-hand forms.
P
4Pinch block
also Climber pinch, Two-hand pinch blockPinchBeginner
A block of wood or steel of set width loaded with plates, pinched between fingers and thumb and lifted; one- and two-hand versions exist.
How to train it →Made by Gods of Grip
Plate hub lift
PinchThumbBeginner
Lifting a weight plate by clawing its raised centre hub with fingertips and thumb; the original hub lift.
Plate pinch
PinchBeginner
Pinching two or more smooth weight plates together, smooth sides out, and lifting them; the most common pinch test.
Plate-loaded grip machine
also Go-Really-Grip machine, Bruce Lee grip machineCrushBeginner
A lever machine you squeeze to lift weight plates, so crushing grip can be loaded in small steps, with one hand or both.
How to train it →Made by IronMind, Gods of Grip
R
5Raptor
SupportCrushIntermediateContest event
Country Crush's one-hand rolling handle with three mounting points, so the spinning grip can be pulled from the centre or either end.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Country Crush (via GripStrength.com)
Rice bucket
OtherBeginner
A bucket of uncooked rice you push your hands into and open, close and twist them in; light warm-up and recovery work.
Rolling handles
also Revolving handleSupportCrushBeginner
Any handle that spins on its axle as you lift it, so you must squeeze hard to stop it rolling out of your hand.
Rolling Thunder
SupportCrushIntermediateContest event
IronMind's thick, free-spinning handle on a loading pin, deadlifted with one hand; the best-known rolling handle in grip sport.
Rope and towel
also Towel pull-ups, Rope climbSupportBeginner
Hanging from, pulling on or climbing a thick rope or towel, which loads your grip far more than a bar does.
S
4Saxon bar
PinchSupportIntermediateContest event
A barbell with a flat rectangular bar instead of a round one, deadlifted with both hands in a pinch-like overhand grip.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Sorinex, Gods of Grip
Silver Bullet hold
also CoC Silver BulletCrushIntermediateContest event
Close a Captains of Crush gripper on a disc with weight hanging from it, then hold it shut with one hand for as long as you can.
Sledgehammer levering
WristBeginnerContest event
Holding a sledgehammer at the end of its handle and tilting the head up, down or around using only your wrist.
Standard grippers (element grippers)
also SG, Tin, Iron, Nickel, TungstenCrushBeginnerContest event
Cannon Powerworks' hand grippers named after metals, ranked by the metal's hardness, with the element symbol stamped on a handle.
T
4Tetting grippers
also Beef Builder, ThorCrushIntermediateContest event
Hand grippers made by Warren Tetting, an early maker of the torsion-spring gripper; no longer made and now found second-hand.
Thick-handled dumbbells
SupportBeginner
Dumbbells with handles 2 inches or thicker, lifted, held or carried to train an open-hand grip.
Thumb Blaster
PinchThumbIntermediateContest event
Arm Assassin's pinch handle with a round side for the thumb and a flat side for the fingers, built to load the thumb without tearing its webbing.
Titan's Telegraph Key
ThumbPinchBeginner
A small IronMind trainer that you press with your thumb and fingers to build thumb and finger strength for pinching.
How to train it →Made by IronMind
V
1Vertical bar
SupportPinchBeginnerContest event
A short upright bar with plates loaded beneath it, gripped from the top with one hand and lifted.
How to train it →Records & lifts →Made by Fat Bastard Barbell Co., Gods of Grip
W
4Weaver stick
WristBeginner
A stick with weight hung near the far end, held at the other end and raised by cocking the wrist with the arm kept straight.
Wrist Developer
WristIntermediate
David Horne's spring-loaded steel machine for the reverse-bending motion used in steel bending, with adjustable springs for more or less resistance.
Wrist roller
WristBeginner
A handle with a cord and weight hanging from it; you wind the weight up by turning the handle, then lower it under control.
Made by IronMind, Gods of Grip
Wrist Wrench
WristThumbIntermediateContest event
A thick handle with the load's strap wrapped around it, so the weight tries to twist it as you lift and the wrist and thumb must stop it.
Records & lifts →Made by Gods of Grip
New to all of this? Start with getting started, or see records by implement for what the strongest hands have lifted on each tool.