How to Train Both Crushing and Supporting Grip Strength
My deadlift was stuck at 315 pounds for months, and I couldn't figure out why. My back was strong, my legs could handle more weight, but the bar kept slipping out of my hands. Meanwhile, I was crushing Captain of Crush #2.5 grippers like they were made of paper. The disconnect was maddening – how could I have such strong hands but such a weak grip?
That's when I learned one of the most important lessons in grip training: there's a massive difference between crushing grip and supporting grip, and being strong in one doesn't automatically make you strong in the other. Most people train only one type and wonder why their "grip strength" doesn't transfer to other activities.
Understanding and training both types of grip strength completely transformed my training and my daily life. My deadlift shot up to 455 pounds within six months, and suddenly everything from carrying groceries to rock climbing became easier.
Source: Lifehacker
The Great Divide: Understanding Two Different Animals
The first thing that blew my mind when I really started studying grip strength was how different crushing and supporting grip actually are. They use different muscles, different neural patterns, and different energy systems. It's like comparing sprinting to marathon running – they're both running, but they're completely different athletic demands.
Crushing grip is what you use when you squeeze something – closing a gripper, crushing a can, giving someone a firm handshake. It's about generating maximum force in a closed-hand position, typically for short periods. The muscles primarily involved are your finger flexors and the small muscles in your hands.
Supporting grip is what you use when you hang onto something – holding a deadlift, hanging from a pull-up bar, carrying heavy suitcases. It's about maintaining grip force over time while your hand is in an open position around an object. The muscles involved include not just your finger flexors, but your thumb, your forearm extensors, and your entire kinetic chain.
Here's the kicker: being incredible at one doesn't automatically make you good at the other. I learned this the embarrassing way when a rock climbing friend who could barely close a #1 gripper absolutely destroyed me in dead hangs and thick-bar holds. His supporting grip was phenomenal, while mine was garbage despite my impressive crushing numbers.
My Crushing Grip Obsession (And Its Limitations)
Like most people who get into grip training, I became obsessed with grippers. There's something addictive about the simple challenge of closing progressively heavier springs. I spent two years focused almost exclusively on crushing grip, working my way up from a Guide to a #2.5.
I felt incredibly strong. My handshake was bone-crushing. I could demolish stress balls and impress people at parties. But when it came to functional activities that required supporting grip, I was surprisingly weak.
The wake-up call came during a hiking trip when I couldn't maintain my grip on trekking poles during a long descent. My hands kept cramping and losing their hold, despite having "strong" grip strength. That's when I realized that crushing strength and endurance supporting strength are almost unrelated.
The problem with focusing only on crushing grip is that it creates a very specific adaptation. You get really good at generating maximum force for brief periods with your hands in a closed position. But most real-world grip challenges require you to hold onto things for extended periods with your hands open around objects of various sizes.
Source: Amazon.com
The Supporting Grip Reality Check
The day I decided to test my supporting grip was humbling. I set up a thick bar in my gym and tried to dead hang for as long as possible. Despite being able to close a #2.5 gripper, I could barely hang for 45 seconds on a 2-inch bar. Meanwhile, I watched a climbing buddy who couldn't close a #1 gripper hang for over three minutes.
That experience taught me that supporting grip is an entirely different beast. It's not about peak force generation – it's about maintaining adequate force over extended periods while dealing with factors like grip fatigue, forearm pump, and the mechanical challenges of holding onto different-sized objects.
Supporting grip involves your entire kinetic chain in ways that crushing grip doesn't. Your shoulders, lats, and core all play roles in maintaining your grip during deadlifts or hangs. Your breathing affects your ability to maintain grip force. Even your mental state and pain tolerance become factors during long holds.
The muscle recruitment patterns are completely different too. Crushing grip primarily uses your finger flexors in a shortened position. Supporting grip requires these same muscles to work in lengthened positions while coordinating with your thumb, forearm extensors, and stabilizing muscles throughout your arm and shoulder.
Why Most People Only Train One Type
The reason most people end up training only one type of grip strength is simple: they gravitate toward what feels productive in the moment. Grippers give you immediate feedback – you can either close them or you can't. Progress is obvious and measurable. Supporting grip work, especially endurance-based training, can feel boring and uncomfortable.
I fell into this trap because crushing training felt more like "real" strength training. Heavy resistance, short sets, clear progression markers. Supporting grip work felt more like cardio – longer time under tension, burning sensations, less obvious progress markers.
There's also an equipment issue. Good grippers are relatively inexpensive and portable. You can train crushing grip anywhere. Supporting grip training often requires pull-up bars, thick implements, or heavy weights. It's less convenient and requires more planning.
The grip training community itself tends to emphasize crushing strength because it's more dramatic and easier to demonstrate. Closing a #3 gripper is impressive and makes for good social media content. Hanging from a bar for three minutes is less visually exciting but arguably more useful.
The Integration Breakthrough
My breakthrough came when I stopped thinking of these as separate types of training and started viewing them as components of complete grip development. Instead of crushing OR supporting, I needed crushing AND supporting.
The integration approach changed everything. I started each grip session with crushing work when my nervous system was fresh, then moved to supporting grip exercises when fatigue set in. This allowed me to train both qualities in the same session while respecting the different demands of each.
Within three months of integrated training, both my crushing and supporting grip improved dramatically. More importantly, the improvements transferred to real-world activities in ways that my previous crushing-only training never had.
The key insight was that these two types of grip strength actually complement each other when trained properly. Crushing strength provides the foundational force-generating capacity. Supporting strength provides the endurance and coordination to apply that strength in practical situations.
Source: Warm Body Cold Mind
The Practical Session Structure That Changed Everything
After months of experimentation, I settled on a session structure that effectively trains both types of grip strength without creating conflicts or excessive fatigue. The key insight was respecting the different neural and energy demands of each type.
I start every grip session with crushing work. This requires the highest neural drive and benefits from being performed when I'm fresh. I'll typically do 3-4 sets of heavy gripper closes, focusing on perfect technique and maximum effort.
After the crushing work, I transition to supporting grip exercises. By this point, my peak force capacity is diminished, but that's actually perfect for supporting grip training, which is more about endurance and maintaining submaximal force over time.
The transition between the two types serves a purpose beyond just training efficiency. The crushing work potentiates the supporting work by activating the neural pathways and warming up the grip muscles. The supporting work then extends the training stimulus and builds the endurance component that crushing work lacks.
A typical session might look like:
- Warm-up: 5 minutes of light grip work and mobility
- Crushing: Heavy gripper closes, 3-4 sets
- Transition: Moderate-weight thick bar holds
- Supporting: Dead hangs, farmer's walks, thick bar deadlifts
- Finisher: High-rep light crushing work for endurance
This structure allows me to train both qualities in a single session while ensuring that each gets appropriate attention and intensity.
The Equipment Distinction
One thing that became clear during my integration journey was that different equipment emphasizes different types of grip strength. Understanding this distinction helped me choose the right tools for the right goals.
Grippers are obviously crushing-focused, but even within grippers, there are variations. Spring-loaded grippers emphasize peak force production. Adjustable grippers can be used for both crushing strength and crushing endurance depending on the resistance setting.
For supporting grip, the equipment options are much more varied. Pull-up bars, thick bars, farmer's walk handles, pinch blocks, and even regular barbells all provide different supporting grip challenges. The key is matching the equipment to the specific adaptation you're seeking.
Thick bars were a game-changer for my supporting grip development. The increased diameter forces your grip muscles to work harder to maintain the same relative force, building both strength and endurance in the supporting position.
Farmer's walks became another staple because they combine supporting grip with functional movement patterns. You're not just holding onto something – you're holding onto something while moving, which adds coordination and core stability demands.
The Transfer Insights
The most valuable lesson from training both types of grip strength was understanding how they transfer to different activities. This knowledge completely changed how I approach grip training for specific goals.
For powerlifting and strongman, supporting grip is king. Your deadlift is only as strong as your ability to hold onto the bar for the duration of the lift. Crushing strength helps with initial bar break from the floor, but supporting strength determines whether you can finish the lift.
For rock climbing, you need both, but in different ratios depending on the style. Bouldering (short, powerful routes) benefits more from crushing strength. Sport climbing and trad climbing (longer routes) require more supporting grip endurance.
For daily life activities, the balance depends on what you do. If you're carrying heavy objects regularly (moving boxes, groceries, luggage), supporting grip is more important. If your job involves gripping tools or shaking hands professionally, crushing strength might be more relevant.
Understanding these transfer patterns allows you to prioritize your training based on your specific needs rather than just training everything equally.
Common Integration Mistakes
After helping dozens of people integrate both types of grip training, I've seen the same mistakes repeatedly. The most common is trying to train both types at maximum intensity in the same session. This leads to rapid fatigue and poor results in both areas.
Another frequent mistake is not allowing adequate recovery between grip sessions. Because people assume grip muscles are small and can handle more frequency, they often train them too often when working both crushing and supporting strength.
Equipment selection mistakes are also common. People often try to use the same tools for both types of training, which limits the effectiveness of both. Grippers aren't great for supporting grip development, and thick bars aren't optimal for crushing strength training.
The biggest mistake, though, is not being patient with the integration process. It takes time for your hands and forearms to adapt to the increased training volume and variety. Rushing the process leads to overuse injuries and frustration.
The Long-Term Development Pattern
What fascinated me most about training both types of grip strength was how they developed over time. Crushing strength tends to improve quickly at first, then plateaus unless you use very specific progression methods. Supporting grip tends to improve more slowly but more consistently over longer periods.
The interaction between the two types also changes over time. Initially, they seem almost independent. But as both develop, they start to reinforce each other. Better crushing strength provides a higher baseline for supporting grip activities. Better supporting grip endurance allows for more volume in crushing training.
After three years of integrated training, I've found that my grip strength feels more "complete" than it ever did when I focused on just one type. Activities that require quick bursts of grip force feel easy. Activities that require sustained grip endurance are manageable. Most importantly, I rarely encounter grip-limited situations in daily life.
The Mental Aspect
Training both types of grip strength taught me something unexpected about the mental side of grip training. Crushing work is mentally demanding in the way that heavy lifting is – you need to psyche up, generate maximum intent, and push through resistance. Supporting grip work is mentally demanding in a different way – you need to relax, manage discomfort, and maintain focus over longer periods.
Developing both types of mental toughness made me better at both types of grip training. The intensity mindset from crushing work helped me push through plateaus in supporting grip training. The endurance mindset from supporting work helped me stay consistent with crushing training even when progress was slow.
This mental cross-training effect was unexpected but incredibly valuable. It made my overall approach to training more resilient and adaptable.
For a systematic approach to building complete grip strength, check out Nutrition for Optimal Grip Strength: What to Eat, which covers how proper nutrition supports both types of grip development.
The bottom line is that training both crushing and supporting grip strength isn't just about being more complete – it's about being more functional. Real-world grip challenges rarely fit neatly into one category or the other. They require the force-generating capacity of crushing strength and the endurance and coordination of supporting strength.
Stop limiting yourself to just one type of grip training. Start integrating both, and watch your functional grip strength explode.
Complete Grip Development Tools:
🔥 RNTV Power Classic Set - Adjustable Hand Gripper - Perfect for crushing grip development with adjustable resistance for progressive overload
💪 RNTV Professional Hand Gripper Set 6-Pack - Complete crushing grip system from beginner to advanced levels
🏆 RNTV Gold Hand Gripper Set 100-300lbs - Premium grippers for serious crushing strength development
Continue Your Training Journey: 📖 Nutrition for Optimal Grip Strength: What to Eat
