I have really weak crush grip but good support grip. I can barely close a COC #1 (can’t budge the #2) but have no problem holding on to a 750 lb rack pull (alt grip of course). Can someone please explain the physiological difference between these two types of grip and why there is no carryover? Anyone else have similar probs? Thanks.
could just be the size of your hands
i have really small hands and wrists… but if i use a mix grip i can hold onto quite a bit…
A mixed grip really doesn’t test your grip much. Try both overhand and see how much you can hold on to then. Or you could try farmer’s hold, or something like that.
thanks for the suggestions. my farmer’s grip is good, but the double overhand is horrible.
don’t use the double over hand grip, stay with the power grip
I remember reading about how your hand is like anything else… If you can’t open your fingers (ie place a band around them and sorta push out if you catch my drift) then you’re crushing strength isn’t gonna be great because of muscular imbalances.
Might be something to think about.
I can’t pull 700, but the first time that I tried the COC #1, I nearly closed it and the second time I smoked it. I never did any pinch training before. I don’t know why you are so weak in this regard.
[quote]dead_lifter5000 wrote:
I have really weak crush grip but good support grip. I can barely close a COC #1 (can’t budge the #2) but have no problem holding on to a 750 lb rack pull (alt grip of course). Can someone please explain the physiological difference between these two types of grip and why there is no carryover? Anyone else have similar probs? Thanks. [/quote]
You are comparing two different types of muscle actions, an isometric one (the grip and hold) and a concentric one (the crushing grip). While they are related (I am betting your crushing grip is stronger then average) there isn’t a perfect correlation. Lifting weights does a good job of training the isometric grip because of all the holding we do, especially with back and deads. However it doesn’t do too much for crushing grip.
Isometrics have the best carry over to the same ROM, but in crushing sometimes your fingers are wide open and sometimes almost totally closed. To get good at this you have to keep working at it. You have to train specific crushing stuff regularly and it is also useful to use wider and thinner bars in the gym. There is a stronger genetic component to grip strength then the typical measures of strength, but you can still improve a lot.
The concept is similar to someone saying “I can hold a plank for 2 minutes but I can’t do 50 situps in a minute”, it is 2 different actions for the same muscle, not always a perfect carry over. Hope that clears it up a little for you.
thanks for all of the posts. the thing that makes the most sense is the fact that it is a dynamic vs an isometric movement. other than that, I am still curious as to why my crush strenght is so weak. will try to work on it more.
If you are really into developing crushing strength see if you can work with some arm wrestlers when they do their forearms (or actual arm wrestling if you want to go crazy with it). That will introduce you to a whole different world of forearm training - just don’t get hurt in the process 
Take it easy
hahaha! its funny you mention it- no matter how strong I am in other lifts, I can get beat really easy at arm wrestling. thanks again for advice.
[quote]dead_lifter5000 wrote:
hahaha! its funny you mention it- no matter how strong I am in other lifts, I can get beat really easy at arm wrestling. thanks again for advice.[/quote]
It’s not just strength. There’s a lot of technique involved. If you do it make sure you don’t break your arm, or tear something.