Author: Tomislav G

Introduction If your knees cave in during squats, you’re dealing with one of the most common technical breakdowns in the gym — and one of the most misunderstood. You’ve probably heard someone shout “knees out!” across the gym floor, but that cue alone rarely fixes anything long-term, because knees caving in during squats isn’t one single problem. It’s a symptom that can come from several different places. As a coach, I’ve seen knees cave in during squats for completely different reasons in different lifters — stiff ankles in one person, weak glutes in another, a stance that doesn’t match their…

Introduction I see this constantly in the gym: someone sets a new deadlift PR on paper—the bar comes off the floor, the hips and back do their job—and then it rolls right out of their hands before they can lock it out. The back wasn’t the problem. The legs weren’t the problem. The grip gave out first, and it cost them the rep. If you’ve ever wondered why your grip is so weak despite training hard everywhere else, you’re far from alone. As a coach working with lifters of every level, I hear this complaint most often—and it almost always…

Quick Answer What Are Grip Strengthening Exercises? Grip strengthening exercises are resistance training movements that target the muscles of the hand, fingers, and forearm responsible for crush grip (closing the hand around an object), pinch grip (pressing the thumb against the fingers), and support grip (holding a load against gravity without actively squeezing). A complete grip training program addresses all three, since each one tends to fail under a different kind of demand. Introduction I see this constantly in the gym: someone hits a new deadlift PR on paper — the bar comes off the floor, the hips and back…

Quick Answer The Towel Pull-Up is one of the best bodyweight exercises for developing dynamic grip strength while simultaneously building the back, forearms, and arms. Unlike standard pull-ups, gripping a soft, unstable towel forces the hands and forearms to work continuously throughout every repetition, making it highly effective for climbers, grip athletes, and anyone looking to improve pulling performance. Introduction The Towel Pull-Up takes a standard pull-up and removes the bar from your hands entirely — you drape a towel over the bar and grip the two hanging ends instead, then pull up as you normally would. It looks like…

Quick Answer The Barbell Hold is one of the best exercises for developing support grip strength. Simply hold a loaded barbell with a double overhand grip for time while maintaining an upright posture and active shoulder position. It strengthens the finger flexors, forearms, and upper back, improves deadlift grip performance, and helps prevent grip from becoming the limiting factor during heavy pulling exercises. Introduction The Barbell Hold is as simple as grip training gets: load a barbell in a rack at hip height, grab it with a double overhand grip, and hold on for time. It’s not flashy, but it…

Quick Answer The Fingertip Push-Up is an advanced push-up variation performed on the fingertips instead of the palms. It develops finger strength, hand stability, wrist control, and upper-body pushing strength by loading the fingers in an extended, weight-bearing position. Because it places direct stress on the finger joints and tendons, beginners should first master standard push-ups, incline fingertip holds, or kneeling fingertip push-ups before attempting full floor reps. Introduction The Fingertip Push-Up is exactly what it sounds like: a standard push-up performed balanced on the tips of your fingers instead of your flat palms. It rounds out this category in…

Quick Answer The Captains of Crush Gripper is one of the most effective tools for building crush grip strength. By repeatedly closing a standardized spring-loaded gripper, you strengthen the finger flexors, forearms, and hand muscles while tracking measurable progress through progressively heavier resistance levels. Introduction The Captains of Crush gripper, usually just called a CoC, is a hand gripper built around one simple idea: close the handles all the way together against a known, standardized spring resistance. Unlike most of the exercises in this category, there’s no pulling, no carrying, no bodyweight involved — just your hand closing a fixed…

Quick Answer The Fat Grip Pull-Up is an advanced pull-up variation that uses a thick bar or Fat Gripz attachments to dramatically increase grip demand. The larger diameter places the fingers in a mechanically weaker position, making it one of the most effective exercises for developing crush grip strength, forearm endurance, and upper-body pulling power while maintaining the same movement pattern as a standard pull-up. Introduction The Fat Grip Pull-Up takes a standard pull-up and increases the diameter of the bar you’re gripping — either with slip-on Fat Gripz attachments or with a thicker bar — and then has you…

Quick Answer The Plate Pinch Hold is one of the best exercises for developing pinch grip strength by training the thumb to generate force against the fingers. Unlike crush-grip exercises such as grippers or support-grip exercises like deadlifts, it specifically targets the thumb muscles responsible for holding flat objects securely. Perform 3 sets of 15–30 second holds per hand, gradually progressing toward 45–60 seconds before increasing the weight. Introduction The Plate Pinch Hold is exactly what it sounds like: gripping a weight plate (or two stacked together) between your fingers and thumb and holding it for time. It looks almost…

Intoduction Ask most people how they train their abs, and the answer involves crunches — maybe cable crunches if they are more experienced. What they rarely mention is anything that specifically targets the lower portion of the rectus abdominis. That gap shows up visually: well-developed upper abs with a soft, underdeveloped lower midsection that no amount of floor crunches will fix. The lower abs are not a separate muscle. The rectus abdominis runs as a single sheet from the sternum to the pubic bone. But the lower portion responds most strongly to exercises where the pelvis moves toward the sternum…