What's your #1 Grip Exercise?
 

If you had to pick one grip exercise, what would it be? The idea being that it has the most carryover to every other grip challenge.

side question: how do common feats of grip strength carryover to hand balancing?

grip is weird. I can fat bar dead well but my axle clean suckz...I'd probably say heavy farmers walk is about one of the best things you can do.

honestly, axle rows have carried over to a lot of things for me...although Chinese Democracy wasn't worth the wait.

i've found that vince neils inspire most of my athletic endeavors

Axle rows, now that is funny...

Thinking about one grip exercise since I don't have a fat bar I guess it would have to be have towel P/U's. I just really don't know which grip exercise has the most carry over. I love pinch grip training and rolling thunder DL's. Rolling thunder DL's smoke my entire forearm and grip so I am guessing that is similar to the axle lifts.

max reps sets of kipping pullups smoke my forearms and leave me gasping for air

I like Derek's idea. rolling thunder is really taxing without much using much weight at all...probably a good economy of effort. a bunch of rest pause singles at 135-150 would probably give good carryover to a lot of fat bar lifts.

One thing I liked to do as well at the gym was put together multiple plates and hold them out in front of me or to the sides like the cheese block holds at the strongman events or the two towers. Pretty much anything that requires a strong link in the kinetic chain with the hands being the linking portion is going to work grip. Heck do a deadlift then hold it isometrically in the up position as long as possible, your forearms are going to be absolutely toast if you do that for sets.

Thinking more about this I often like to hold KBs out to the side for sets.

Involves unique equipment, but walking with the rickshaw is great for grip. Especially using the largest grip which is 2-3/8".

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elit...d=114&pid=1354

The more i am experimenting, the more i am finding that my weak link is my wrists. i've started bending and doing slow sledge hammer descents (where you hold your arm out straight in front and then lower the hammer to touch your face). i guess i'll try a wrist roller.

i'm normally against such specific work, but it seems necessary now. i've been doing ballet drills to get my feet stronger now as well hah.

Hammers are probably the number two slot here.

I do twists though not the upright to nose thing.

1) Arm stretched out to side in half an iron cross other hand on hip or whatever. Hammer starts perpendicular to the deck. Roll forward to parallel with deck pointing forward, then roll back to parallel with the deck pointing rearward. Very slow light high reps at first. Warm up with some type of curl, full twist standing dumbbell curls are best warmup for me.

2) Arm at side bent 90 degrees pointing forward other arm on hip or whatever. Hammer starts perpendicular to the deck, roll outward to parallel to deck pointing outward, then roll inward to parallel to deck pointing inward. Same cautions.

These built up my wrists as well. Feel a lot stronger on the bench and press wrist\grip wise since starting them.

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