Grip strength and racking the slide

[Backlighting]

As I get older I have noticed my racking the slides of my semis becoming more difficult. A few months ago I sought to rectify that by purchasing a grip strengthener. The improvement has been quite noticeable. I leave it on a table next to a recliner and use it in the evening while watching tv. It's only $7 or $8 on Ebay.
Hand Grip Trainer Gripper Strengthener Adjustable Strength Power Gym Exerciser | eBay

 

[ContinentalOp]

Interesting. Never seen that one before.

Strengthening one's grip also helps with shooting in general.

I like Captains of Crush grippers, and Iron Mind rubber bands to work the opposing muscle groups. Unfortunately, hand issues keep me from using them as much as I'd like. Fortunately, I still have enough hand strength/mobility to rack slides, manipulate my guns, and shoot.

 

[ggibson511960]

I'm creeping into that same category, especially with tiny .380 autos. A trick I find useful is to push the slide, not pull it. This tends to cam the fingers together instead of relying solely on muscle tension to grip the serrations. We're all different, but that technique helps me.

 

[prairieviper]

Captains of Crush grippers have a good reputation for building grip strength but they are also expensive. I use Heavy Grips hand grippers which are less expensive. Ebay is a good place to look for deals on grippers.

 

[Backlighting]

What I like about it most is that as it becomes easier over time to squeeze it you can increase the tension on it.

 

[fiasconva]

A good cheap way to help with your grip strength is to get yourself a tennis ball and squeeze it just like one of those grip strengtheners. You'll be surprised at just how well they work when you use it faithfully.

 

[pawngal]

Thanks for the tip, I need something like that to strengthen my hand to operate the H&K P7 I bought awhile back. Currently it is a bit of a struggle.

 

[beaverislander]

I bought a M&P "EZ" awhile back just for that reason, but I don't care for it. I keep going back to my 1911, maybe I better get a tennis ball out.

 

[jbtrucker]

I used a gripper to rebuild strength after surgery , It also helps lower high blood pressure

 

[ContinentalOp]

In addition to tennis balls, there are some other options that work well. For anyone who still reads newspapers, you can grab a sheet by the corner in your fingers and crumple it up with one hand.

If you lift weights, you can do forearm dumbbell curls, palms down and palms up. You can do a farmer's carry, which is just grabbing a plate in each hand and just walking back and forth across the room, or do the same with a gallon bottle of milk (or juice, water, etc.). Some old school gyms might have a gripper that works by using your hand to raise plates off the floor.

I do prefer grippers, though, as they strengthen your fingers dynamically through a range of motion.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Captains of Crush grippers have a good reputation for building grip strength but they are also expensive.

I got mine as a set several years ago, with the Sport, Guide, Trainer, No.1, and No.2. I also have a set of Iron Mind bands and IMTUGs, which are smaller grippers used specifically for increasing pinching strength. I can't remember how much I paid.

I visited the Iron Mind site and they don't seem to offer the set I got anymore. However, I did find they have a free training guide on using grippers specifically for handgunners. While it's geared towards Captains of Crush and other Iron Mind products, I'm sure the principles can be applied with other training equipment.

Grip training for shooters by Ron Avery - IronMind-www.ironmind-store.com

 

[ancient-one]

I had not used my tennis ball for awhile(must have been quite awhile) and I was going to start again and the ball was solid as a rock. Now I have to find a new ball.

 

[BigBill]

Try this it works for me,

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Handi-Racker-Racking-Pistol-Leverage-Stripping/dp/B084T8KLL3"]Amazon.com : Handi-Racker- Tool to Help Assist in Racking a Pistol- Gives You Leverage to Rack, Clear Jams, Load or Unload Rounds, and Field Stripping- Safest Way to Rack Your Pistol- Compact (Green) : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

 

[AJ]

An old match shooter's exercise that I was taught utilized grippers (grip squeezers). We would turn them upside down in our hand and just squeeze them with your trigger finger. This helped very much with trigger pull and trigger control.

 

[prairieviper]

I got mine as a set several years ago, with the Sport, Guide, Trainer, No.1, and No.2. I also have a set of Iron Mind bands and IMTUGs, which are smaller grippers used specifically for increasing pinching strength. I can't remember how much I paid.

I visited the Iron Mind site and they don't seem to offer the set I got anymore. However, I did find they have a free training guide on using grippers specifically for handgunners. While it's geared towards Captains of Crush and other Iron Mind products, I'm sure the principles can be applied with other training equipment.

Grip training for shooters by Ron Avery - IronMind-www.ironmind-store.com

Thanks for the link! I'm a believer in keeping fit and that includes grip strength. Working with good quality grippers has really helped my handgun shooting.