Grip Training for Handgunners

Stronger Hands Shoot Straighter

A weak grip and wimpy wrists are a sure fire way to miss your mark. Targeted training will give you improved recoil control as well as the strength and endurance to squeeze off round after round—you’ll become a better shot and get more mileage from the time you spend at the range and the money you spend on ammunition.

A strong lower arm provides a stable platform for handgun shooting, and stronger fingers and overall grip will make squeezing the trigger easier—resulting in more accurate shooting, round after round. And if part of your challenge is weapon retention, your grip strength will determine whose hands your gun ends up in.

Properly approached, grip training is simple and effective—IronMind has been grip central since 1988, and we have both the training tools and the know-how to give you the edge you need to shoot more accurately.

IronMind recommends three focal points for your handgun shooting-specific training program: grip strength, wrist strength, and muscle balance/recovery.

Captains of Crush Grippers: Build maximum grip strength for handgun recoil control

Grip strength

Your thumb is important in shooting, but when it comes to controlling a handgun, it’s secondary to your other four fingers, so your focus is on what’s called crushing grip (think shaking hands and squeezing). Captains of Crush grippers are your number one choice for increasing your crushing grip and they will be the cornerstone of your training. If you would like to isolate your trigger finger for some additional training, IMTUG is ready to spring into action—IMTUG allows you to train your fingers one or two at a time, including your thumb, which helps stabilize your handgun.

Put a new spin on your lower arm training with the Twist Yo' Wrist: hit everything from your elbows to your fingertips for a stable platform for handgun shooting, endurance, and better accuracy. Give it a turn for strong wrists in all directions and a new way to pump up your forearms, training your grip strength at the same time. The Twist Yo' Wrist trains both your grip, wrist and forearm, and the movement is radial and ulnar deviation--picture opening a jar of peanut butter with one hand on the lid, the other on the bottom of the jar and twisting. It is designed so that you train both concentrically (winding up the cord) and eccentrically (allowing it to unwind under control).

Twist Yo' Wrist: Stabilize your lower arm for more accurate handgun shooting

Wrist strength

The specific forms of wrist strength most important for shooting handguns accurately are best trained with radial and ulnar deviation, fancy terms for rotating your wrist in either a thumbs up or pinkys up direction. IronMind offers three proven training tools that target these movements. The Wrist Reinforcer is the training tool of first choice for heavy-duty, wrist-specific training; the Heavy Hammer II, with its two-inch handle, trains your grip strength along with your wrist; and the Twist Yo’ Wrist provides a complement or alternative to leverage exercises that is well-suited to conditioning or endurance work as well as strength training.

Enjoy sparkling hand health, speed recovery and accelerate your grip strength gains and shooting accuracy and endurance with Expand-Your-Hand Bands—the simple, effcetive way to: Kiss elbow pain goodbye. Develop muscle balance, speed recovery and reinforce full range of motion mobility. Prevent, eliminate or reduce pain from tennis or golfer's elbow, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and related forms of overuse and abuse, such as a long day at the range.

Expand-Your-Hand Bands: Train your extensors for muscle balance, faster recovery, and the ability to shoot round after round without developing elbow pains

Muscle balance/recovery

The fastest way to gain strength is to train as hard as possible within your ability to recover—the same things that speed recovery also help prevent injuries and encourage rehabilitation if you have been injured.

Tennis elbow and a host of related maladies are often the result of overusing the flexors in your hands (the muscles that squeeze your hand shut). Expand-Your-Hand Bands train the extensors, the muscles that allow your hands to open. Training with Expand Your Hand Bands is easy, fun and effective—use them as directed and kiss your elbow pains goodbye; and the more you shoot, the more you benefit from their regular use. The IronMind EGG is substantial enough to give your hands a real workout. Egg-shaped for a natural fit and training from an endless variety of angles, the Green IronMind EGG is soft enough to give you a satisfying range of motion and tough enough for the world’s strongest hands. Use the IronMind EGG for active rest, in between your strength-building workouts.

Grip Training for Shooters by Ron Avery

Putting the pieces together

IronMind is the world leader in grip strength training—each of the training tools listed above comes with training directions, plus we offer a handgun-shooter-specific training course that is free for the asking when you place your first order.

We have additional training materials as well, plus you are always welcome to contact us directly if you have a comment or question: email: sales@ironmind.com; tel: +1 530-272-3579 (8 am to 4 pm PST, Mon.-Fri.).

You'll find Grip Training for Handgunners, including Ron Avery's “Using Grip Products by IronMind” in the IronMind e-store, free with any order. You can also download a copy of this booklet here.