Why is Grip Training Important:
Grip training is where it all starts, going back to the fundamentals. The first point of contact in any fight is the grip. How can you win a fight if you can’t hold onto your opponent?
How do you grip train?
This type of training often overlooked by BJJ players. Grabbing metal bars at a gym isn’t exactly the same as grabbing the sleeve of your opponent’s kimono in a fight. And it is not exactly subtle to carry and wrap a giant kimono around those bars, which is also extremely dangerous.
You can practice the spider grip, the pistol grip, or the lapel grip with all the integrated options in the sleeve. You can fix the Iron Fist to kettlebells and training swings, snatches and cleans. Another favorite exercise is the static farmer walk where you basically hang on to the collar grip for as long as you can. This usually starts to burn your grips after about 20 secs!
If you are in a gym, you can attach the Iron Fists to the cable row to work out at the same time the pulling shoulder muscle as well as your grip. There is also the old fashion pull up using the sleeve grips. It is pretty tough!
Check out this BJJ specific grip training circuit using the VO2 Max Iron Fist:
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