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Bodyweight Fingertip pushups for the extensors?

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the hansenator

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Is it true that the forearm extensors are worked with fingertip pushups?

I read in a book that fingertip push ups work the extensors in the forearm and I can't figure out how this can be so. It seems like it would be the flexors working to keep the hand supported?

Thanks.
 
Hansenator,

They are worked in the fingertip push up, altough it seems counterintuitive. Try this: go to a countertop and place your hand on it in the fingertip push up position. Raise it up a couple inches and then pretend that you are going to strike the countertop with your fingers(don't actually do it). You'll find your extensors tensing to stabilize the fingers/hand, much as in the fingertip push up. If you do them, recommend that you start very easy, easier than you think you should, and build up slowly.

Jon
 
@the hansenator I've been wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking.

@JonS so it sounds like the extensor are worked in finger tip push-ups the way the Lats are worked in a press or a getup. Is that the right way to think about it? If so perhaps it pays to explicitly focus on firing the extensors while practicing?
 
I saw an article by a strongman who specializes in grip strength saying he actually thinks it is detrimental to progressively load finger extension exercises with bands. He said that those are good with light resistance, but training them that way is unnatural. Think of a crocodiles bite. Its strong clamping down, but not opening, and that's how the muscles are meant to function for it. Same with the human hand. You get extensors stronger through their stabilization function. He mentioned that pinch grip also helps with this since the fingers are extended. He also like opening the hands in a container with sand, that it was more natural than the motion using bands.

None of this is from experience, so take it for what its worth. I use a light IronMind band inbetween sets of swings sometimes but I don't move up in resistance.
 
This thread reminds me that I bought a pinch hub from Ironmind on Black Friday and that my pinch grip is terribly weak.
 
I am one band away from the Red Ones from IronMind. Someone please tell me I'm not wasting my time! I was very excited
to almost max out the extensor bands.
 
Benedictine Monk,

I don't think you are wasting your time. Don't recall which book, but remember reading a recommendation by Pavel to work the extensors with bands. They work them differently than the fingertip push up, but that's ok in my book. The most important takeaway is to not neglect the back of your hands when training ones' grip.

Jon
 
JonS said:
remember reading a recommendation by Pavel to work the extensors with bands.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's to buy broccoli, throw away the broccoli, and save the bands for extensor training. I think it's in S&S.

-S-
 
Hey,

To work your forearm flexors, you can also hang yourself to a push up bar. Then, you change your grip : from a chin up grip to a pull up grip, then a chin up grip, then a pull grip. You can repeat this until your forearms are "paralyzed" (it comes quite quickly).

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
pet' said:
Hey,

To work your forearm flexors, you can also hang yourself to a push up bar. Then, you change your grip : from a chin up grip to a pull up grip, then a chin up grip, then a pull grip. You can repeat this until your forearms are "paralyzed" (it comes quite quickly).

Kind regards,

Pet'
Click to expand...
I am going to give this a try. I suspect the pull grip is what I need to work to unglue or unstick my persistent nagging elbow issue on my right arm.
 
jca17 said:
I saw an article by a strongman who specializes in grip strength saying he actually thinks it is detrimental to progressively load finger extension exercises with bands. He said that those are good with light resistance, but training them that way is unnatural. Think of a crocodiles bite. Its strong clamping down, but not opening, and that's how the muscles are meant to function for it. Same with the human hand.
Click to expand...

While I agree with the premise that there is a certain natural ratio of strength in a joint/movement that may favor greater strength in one action over the opposite, I think the crocodile analogy to humans is false. The crocodile doesn't do exercises to purposely increase its jaw closing strength. If it did, it would eventually throw off the strength ratio between opening and closing the jaw.
 
I think that the point was that just from a mechanical standpoint, we shouldn't expect to be able to train finger extension to the degree we can train crush grip. We are in a sense working against the structure and function of the hand and forearms to load that movement too much. I bet that point of diminishing returns is way farther than most of us are at though, so its probably irrelevant.
 
Anyone big into extensor training? I use the ironmind expand your hand bands.

I rotate between 3 (switch every day). Sets with yellow 10-15 reps, green 20-30 reps, white 40-50 reps.

Seems to keep my elbow tendonitis at bay but I'm not sure it's doing anything else besides making my firearms tired. I do sets throughout the day. I wonder if I'm overdoing it.
 
MattM said:
Anyone big into extensor training? I use the ironmind expand your hand bands.

I rotate between 3 (switch every day). Sets with yellow 10-15 reps, green 20-30 reps, white 40-50 reps.

Seems to keep my elbow tendonitis at bay but I'm not sure it's doing anything else besides making my firearms tired. I do sets throughout the day. I wonder if I'm overdoing it.
Click to expand...
Stop and see if you notice a difference. I do the motion without the rubber band during the day sometimes - seems just as effective to me, and a few reps here and there seems plenty.

-S-
 
Extensor work with rubber bands is a good compliment to gripper training. I do a few high rep sets, between warmup sets with the lighter grippers. As a finisher I will superset the 100, and rubber bands for near max reps.

I just use rubber bands I find around my mailbox.
 
MattM said:
Anyone big into extensor training? I use the ironmind expand your hand bands.

I rotate between 3 (switch every day). Sets with yellow 10-15 reps, green 20-30 reps, white 40-50 reps.

Seems to keep my elbow tendonitis at bay but I'm not sure it's doing anything else besides making my firearms tired. I do sets throughout the day. I wonder if I'm overdoing it.
Click to expand...

Pesky elbows...
I use the IM bands off and on. Usually more so when I am doing phases of focused grip training and/or endurance pull-up work. I don't do near as many reps as you seem to do, but I do them as a warm-up and cool-down to the grip work. Sometimes I do them GTG style throughout the day. Very rarely I will do fingertip push-ups for the finger extensors, but I waffle back and forth on the risk/reward ratio of them.

I also have a big pail of rice that I use from time to time, when my fingers and elbows start barking at me too much.
The best tool I've found by far for elbows however is doing weighted wrist pronators. These are gold!
 
i recently got a three pack of grippers: the CoC trainer, 1, and 2. and also the ironmind extensor bands. using the grippers and bands has made my hands feel stronger and make my wrists feel great. only closing the #1 so far, and using mostly the green and yellow bands but they seem to be working well. i don't know how doing a lot of fingertip pushups would make your hand and wrists feel though
 
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