Perhaps the man who knows the most about developing strong arms and hands is former strongman and Mr. America Mike Dayton, who won the wrist curl event against Lou Ferrigno in the CBS 1977 "World's Strongest Man Contest" still being shown on cable channels. Dayton's other feats of strength, breaking baseball bats and police hand cuffs, also involved his incredible arm and hand strength.Squeezing Grips
Resistance grips for the hands are a very realistic way to increase hand strength, but the hands are dependent on the wrists as well. Dayton, who was also a martial artist, would hold a heavy barbell in a curled first, then slowly release the barbell until it rolled to his finger tips, where he used his hands to curl it back. He also used Chinese balls in this type of training and to increase finger dexterity.
One of the most unique aspects of his hand training was to simply hang from a chinup bar. He would hang until he finally dropped and performed this after most of his workouts. He also used the shoulder shrug, in which he could put 1,000 lbs. on the bar, hold it in his hands and lift it two to four inches by shrugging his shoulders.
Incorporating the Wrists
Dayton also used wrist roller devices in the gym. The wrist roller has a heavy weight at the end of a cable, and must be wound up with the hands and wrists. You don't see these machines at many health clubs, but they are still popular in wrestling and martial arts clubs.
Another move Dayton used from wrestling was get down on all fours on a padded judo mat. He would curl his hands then jump up and down on his knuckles, like an ape. As a martial artist, his hand and ankle strength also benefited from landing punches and kicks into the heavy bag.
Upper Arm Strength
You are only as strong as your weakest body part. Therefore, training the arms also means training the triceps and shoulders. Biceps curls, in their many varieties, are a gym favorite, however, the biceps account for only one-third of the upper arm's girth and strength. The triceps needs as much, if not more, attention.
Perform at least as many triceps exercises as biceps exercises, maybe more. When bench pressing, moving the hands closer together gives your triceps some extra work. Old fashioned pushups work your entire shoulder region and triceps.
Lower Arm Strength
Many weight trainers forget that their forearms need strengthening as well. Forearm pulls from the cable machine work well, if you keep your upper arms stationary and pull the cable from your side, in front of you. Reverse wrist curls also help develop the lower arms.
For superior hand, wrist and arm strength you need a combination methods, and then some practical applications. Wrist wrestling is a great sport to keep those muscles toned, as are tennis, golf, rowing and rock climbing. The more practical activities you engage in, the longer and stronger your hands, wrists and arms will become.
