Sponsored By
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Grip is key, whether you're screeching round a tightening bend at the
limit of adhesion, high up on a mountain pass in the Alps, a 2000 foot
plummet waiting for you to lose traction and burst through the wall
and soar into the bright morning air on a delirious parabolic arc of
doom... or climbing.
Your rock-body interface occurs at mainly four points (unless you're
sat on your smug arse at the top watching your mate struggle on the
crux that you've just cruised - don't you just love that?). Forget about
your feet - they're for sissies. Your hands are the most important part
of the equation and to climb really hard you need the strength of a pair
of mole grips - you can have biceps the size of bulldozers and lats like
Batman but if you ain't got grip you ain't got shit.
Your grip is controlled by the relatively small muscles in your
forearm which is good news from a training point of view - it means
you can train them using relatively small equipment - like these hand
exercisers. and you can use them virtually anywhere - in the
classroom, in lectures, in bored, sorry, board meetings, converting
down-time to training time.
We thrust five grippy things at our tame tester to grapple with.
Some say he's got hands like a bunch of melons and his mum tells
him not to squeeze the pips else theyÕll take somebody's eye out. All
we know is that heÕs called the Sprag...
 GRIPMASTER
Lyon Equipment - £11-16
www.lyon.co.uk
Springs provide resistance, three colour-coded
models from easy to hard, plus new Pro
model for extra heavy
tension. Individual springs
to work fingers separately.
Virtually silent, hooked handle for thumb work
except Pro model. Can be used in pocket.
 POWER PUTTY
www.Allcord.com - RRP £7.99
Squidgy putty with a million uses - can
be used in compression and stretching,
so can be therapeutic for injury
recovery or prevention as well as for
strengthening the grip. Silent. Messy if
not stored in bag or tub.
Two resistances, medium (green), hard
(blue). Can be used in pocket.
 POWERBALL
Neon Blue - RRP £17 www.powerball-gyros.com
Awesome! Flashing lights, digital
rev counter, power generator noise,
competitive, the dog's doodahs of
grippy things. Start the gyroscope up with
the string provided (like starting an outboard
engine) then turn your wrist to speed it up to maximum RPM -
great fun. Can be used slowly to aid recuperation from injury or
at max power for grip strengthening. Functions include current
RPM, Max RPM, number of revs per 30, 60 or 90 secs.
Can't be used in a pocket. Loseable string (but can be started
with deft thumb work). Various other models and prices.
 BOREAL FOAM GRIPPER
www.e-boreal.com -RRP: £1.50
Piece of foam with finger and
thumb indentations. Too basic
to get excited about but good
for warming-up prior to
climbing. Better than nothing.
Very light. Silent. Can be used in
pocket. Occasionally given away by
shops when you buy Boreal boots or chalkbags .
 METOLIUS GRIPSAVER
www.metoliusclimbing.com - RRP £16
Mainly for injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Spongy ball to squeeze then rubbery cord with
finger and thumb loops resist extension to
work opposing muscles. Silent. Cannot be
used in pockets. No strength gains. Better at
working opposing muscles than Power Putty but
lacks its strength training possibilities. Cords can
break but will be replaced free of charge.
LEADERBOARD
RATING MODEL PACE NOTES
9.9 Powerball Anything to do with the conservation of angular momentum gets our
vote. Will give you forearms like Pat Littlejohn.
9.3 Gripmaster Pro You had me at Extra heavy tension. Squeeze and hold, don t pump it.
Pat on the back.
8.5 Power Putty Very versatile but a bit messy. Not mechanical enough. More Patt-a-cake
Patt-a-cake baker's son than Pat Littlejohn
6.7 GripSaver Better for your elbows than your grip strength, but that's not a bad thing.
More Postman Pat than Pat Littlejohn
6.1 Boreal Gripper Cheap and cheerful. More cow pat than Pat Littlejohn.
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