Reddit mentions of Robert Baraban Black Adjustable Hand Gripper 50/500lbs Resistance

The beginner routines are actually more about building ligament strength. The connective tissues in the hands start out very delicate, but respond well to certain types of training. The muscle building is just a beneficial side effect that will also make you a better climber (but probably not visually bigger unless you were very sedentary and had some atrophy going). Once you have some stronger ligaments (3-4mo of consistent training 3 times per week), you can safely work in any rep ranges you like.

Did you check out SleepEatLift's "Cheap and Free" routine on the sidebar? It's pretty great, and the bar hangs can be done anywhere you can do pull-ups.

You can also add grippers to that if you like them, but they don't have 100% carryover to climbing, and they're $20-$30 every time you get stronger. Most people your age that come here asking about grip can't afford that yet. But if you have that in the budget, we can certainly help! CPW's Women's Starter Set, for example, is really well put together, and comes at a discount. There's also the Baraban Adjustable, which is more expensive, but has adjustable resistance. It's like $300 worth of grippers in one.

And like J3rennan said, /r/climbharder if you can climb consistently.

I am really liking my Baraban Adjustable. I got mine on eBay. Here is a link to one on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Baraban-Adjustable-Gripper-Resistance/dp/B008FR2W7Y I would not recommend using it every day if you are using higher levels, but on lower levels for reps, I use it just about every day. Just pay attention for the warning signs of over training!

Thanks for the reply.

> If you're only good at hangs, that means you have a strong support grip with narrow handles, but weak thumbs and poor ROM on your fingers.

That sounds about right.

> The claw movement will help that, as it's a crush movement, not a support grip thing.

Presumably the crossover here is quite large with a claw grip? I could hold 3 x 30 seconds having never done the grip before which I account to a solid support grip.

> The thick bar work will do well for increased ROM with stating strength.

I don't do any barbell work but I am going to get some pipe insulation for my pull up bar and do some thick grip hangs. My open hand strength/endurance is appallingly bad based on my climbing performance when I need it.

> Towel hangs are great for the thumbs (increase difficulty over time by using thicker and thicker towels, or by gathering more of a thick towel in your hand at once).

I have just finished my first week using a 3" wooden pinch block. I am using Steve Maisch's approach which basically involves working out the max weight I can hold (without my eyes popping out) for 13 seconds (which was 8kg) and then doing three workouts with that weight starting with four sets, then doing five and finally six sets. After that waiting a couple of days and retesting.

> Sledgehammers are cheap, and SUPER versatile as a wrist strengthening tool. By grabbing it at different points along the handle, leverage changes the resistance by many tens of pounds.

I will get one of these from the hardware store. I was there yesterday to buy extension leads and had a go with one: it was pretty difficult to hold it out straight even from halfway along the handle. That one was 3kg. The 5kg one has a longer handle so I can picture years of training between them.

After quite some thought I have decided to get this contraption as my first hand gripper. I think that the ability to increment the load better makes it a good starting place for my gripper training. Once I have got a couple of solid months under my belt I will look at some CoC grippers.