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Kettlebell Grip training for the 1 hand swing

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El Cid

El Cid

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I was out of town this week and paid a day use fee at a gym where I was pleasantly surprised to find Kettlebells: a 24kg pair, a 32kg and a 44kg bell (the last being nice and dusty).

My collection stops at 32kgs, as I stopped adding when I hit Simple. I took the opportunity to swing a heavier bell and after some 2H swings with the 44 decided to hit some sets of 5 with 1H swings. Grip was not fully there for me so my back swing and height of the upswing were muted.

Now I'm eager to 1H Swing 44kgs and am looking for grip training tips. I'd prefer to use the equipment I already have which is: KBs in 4kg increments up to 32kgs; a barbell and plenty of plates; Jumpstretch Bands from about 15lbs resistance up to a single ~120lb band; some Steel Clubs and Maces (but these I use for mobility and endurance so I doubt they're heavy enough for my needs here).

Any advice on how to prep my grip for heavier 1H swings with the above *before* I invest in a heavier bell? (It's not in the budget for about 4-5 months I believe). Thanks.
 
Longer sets with the 32 - sets of 20, 25 or 30 with the KB one or two sizes down from my current working weight really work my grip. It's more on the grip endurance side of things, but I believe it helped with overall grip strength aswell.

+

Carries and holds with the barbell (going really, really heavy)

Together this should do the trick without the need for new equipment.

Edit: You also got several options with the plates alone. Pinching two plates together with only one hand, flipping and catching a heavy plate with only one hand*** etc.

***
 
Heavy DL lockouts will help, but I haven't found much of anything to be a good substitute for a heavy swing. You might try increasing the reps with your 32 kg, e.g., instead of sets of 10, try 15's and eventually 20's.

-S-
 
As much as I really like all sorts of grip training; I find that it is very specific in nature. More so than other forms of strength training. So I agree with what @Steve Freides was saying about there not being many good substitutes. So like he was saying and @Kettlebelephant was saying... more reps. Maybe some carries and holds as well.
 
Great suggestions guys.

Kettlebelephant, I've never seen the plate flip before...and I always wonder, what is Klokov saying?? hahaha.

Steve, thanks for all the input you've given with my training lately. I really appreciate it. I think I've got some good things coalescing with the DL, Snatch and Swings :)
 
offwidth said:
As much as I really like all sorts of grip training; I find that it is very specific in nature. More so than other forms of strength training. So I agree with what @Steve Freides was saying about there not being many good substitutes. So like he was saying and @Kettlebelephant was saying... more reps. Maybe some carries and holds as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've always trained my grip for a new bell by using that new heavier bell. That darn S.A.I.D. principle. Some things with physiology can't be circumvented.
 
Why not try just hanging from a pull up bar? If you want to make it really hard, hang from a towel from a pull up bar.
 
Towel hangs are awesome, they target slightly different areas than the swing grip. At certain times of the year when I focus on grip I always incorporate towel hangs as a part of a holistic approach. @El Cid ... you probably wouldn't do any harm in trying them. With all hangs however... please keep your shoulders engaged to avoid injury.
 
@El Cid

The practice of tension and relaxation technique has helped me the most with improving my 1H Swing grip endurance.

Similar to with high rep snatch practice, if you can practice relaxing your grip at the top of your swing you will give your forearm extensors and fingers a fighting chance at performing with a higher work capacity.

An additional benefit to this technique is preserving your calluses. As you know, healthy hands are nearly everything in kettlebell training.
 
This thread isn't complete until @Geoff Chafe steps in! :D

I might had farmer holds with the heavies kettlebell you have, done for time. If you intend to improve your grip for kettlebell use only, this might very well be sufficent. Do them loading both sides, beacuse , again, if you want to train grip only, I don't think there's much need to a counter ballance effect from the core. I tried them once to see why everybody was so pumped about them and quickly discovered it.
Good ol' farmer walks are a nice addition if you don't want to stand in a vertical static plank all the time.
 
Hello,

To improve your grip, there is no better option than using longer sets with your 32 I think.

Otherwise, you can try some farmer carries or even "pinch" like in rock climbing : Intermediate Moves ("pinchers" paragraph)

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Pinch grip training is an important aspect of overall grip work. (Especially for climbers) It will have less carryover for the overhand grip required for swings however. But it should be considered integral to a comprehensive grip programme. Pinch gripping should be approached with caution, as overly wide gripping incurs a risk of hyperextending the thumb; which can take a long time to recover from. As @Frank_IT indicated, I respect and would defer to @Geoff Chafe on grip training.
 
Was long feeling "compromised" by grip at 24 kg. and never able to swing up past bottom of rib cage Last several weeks have been swinging (mostly cleans to jerk and snatches) w/ 12 kg (much longer sets i.e. 30 reps or more each hand) and a few sets w/ 16 kg. Once in awhile some with 20 kg . This morning did only actual swings and after some warm ups w/ the lighter bells went 10 reps X 8 sets each hand (16 sets), with 24 kg, most of them mid chest high one handed and a couple sets shoulder high w/ 2 hands So I would call this a strong vote for lots of reps w/ lighter weight
 
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I found Captains of Crush grippers, done throughout the day in GTG fashion, very helpful when I was working on Simple.
I also added in farmer's walks with 2 KBs (32K, 40K,) at the end of the S7S session, and this helped with grip endurance.
 
What helped me the most are lazy swings. hereby the bell swings only to naval height so the arm is almost constantly in contact with the torso. lazy swings are technically easier but helped me a lot with technique and grip strength. I do them up to 100 reps with hand switches every five reps.
 
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