mschatz
Hamma: I has it
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It seems like there are new threads every other day or so about hand or wrist injuries suffered while training in Boxing, Muay Thai, or some other form of stand-up. I also was a victim of that when I first started pounding away on bags, mitts and heads. While the majority of the strains and hand problems may be caused by novices using poor form, it's not always possible to hit your target exactly the way you want to. This is especially true when you're sparring and your opponent just isn't cooperating.
While it may be coincidence, I have not suffered any kind of hand or wrist injury since I began seriously training and improving my wrist and hand strength. I like to think that my improved strength in these two areas help keep my wrists from hyper extending and keep my hands/knuckles from being damaged. You don't hear stand-up fighters talking about this area of training much, but there are some historical references to it. Georges Carpentier, the famous French boxer who lost to Jack Dempsey in what was then the biggest boxing match in history was known to train his hands religiously. He kept a small rubber ball in his pocket and squeezed it constantly though the day. Jack Dempsey was know to soak his hands in brine in hopes of toughening the skin on his hands. Muhammed Ali used to hit the hard canvas bag bare-fisted until the knuckles were scabbed and cut. He would then peel off the scabs and go back to work until he had layers and layers of calluses on the tops of his knuckles.
In my personal opinion, the best way to train your hand and wrist strength is by improving your grip strength. Now, you will not have to grip anything in your hands while boxing, but I have just found that to be the most effective way to improve these areas. I use 5 methods to train my hands, and it takes barely any time. These movements can be added at the end of a workout or just whenever you have an extra 5-15 minutes.
While it may be coincidence, I have not suffered any kind of hand or wrist injury since I began seriously training and improving my wrist and hand strength. I like to think that my improved strength in these two areas help keep my wrists from hyper extending and keep my hands/knuckles from being damaged. You don't hear stand-up fighters talking about this area of training much, but there are some historical references to it. Georges Carpentier, the famous French boxer who lost to Jack Dempsey in what was then the biggest boxing match in history was known to train his hands religiously. He kept a small rubber ball in his pocket and squeezed it constantly though the day. Jack Dempsey was know to soak his hands in brine in hopes of toughening the skin on his hands. Muhammed Ali used to hit the hard canvas bag bare-fisted until the knuckles were scabbed and cut. He would then peel off the scabs and go back to work until he had layers and layers of calluses on the tops of his knuckles.
In my personal opinion, the best way to train your hand and wrist strength is by improving your grip strength. Now, you will not have to grip anything in your hands while boxing, but I have just found that to be the most effective way to improve these areas. I use 5 methods to train my hands, and it takes barely any time. These movements can be added at the end of a workout or just whenever you have an extra 5-15 minutes.
- Heavy-Duty grippers: Don't bother with the plastic grippers you can find at a sporting goods store. You can purchase a great set of grippers at ironmind.com for about $20 per set. The trainer level or the #1 is a good place to start. One thing that has helped me a lot is by using a gripper that is too strong for me to close one-handed. You can use the other hand to get it closed, and then used timed holds for how long you can keep it locked in a closed position.
- Pinch Grip Deadlifts: Take 2 weight plates and set them right next to each other. Grip them with one hand as tight as you can and stand up. That's 1 rep. 2 25 lb plates together is a good place to start for people with decent grip strength.
- Farmers Walks: For Ross Enameit fans, he recommends these as part of his GPP training, but it has an excellent carry-over to grip strength. Grab the two heaviest dumbbells you can lift without dying and just walk until your grip gives out.
- Levering: GREAT for wrist strength. Sledgehammer levering involves holding the hammer upright at arms length and then leaning it back towards you face until it touches you on the nose, twist it back upright using only your wrist strength. Do the same thing only leaning the hammer away from you. (description borrowed from Strength & Power forum's FAQ)
- Hex Grip Dumbbell Holds: Take the biggest hex grip dumbbell you get wrap your fingers around and do timed holds. I can only go up to a 25 lb dumbbell because I have small hands, so Ill do timed holds with this, holding it upside down for 30 seconds or so per set.
