How to Improve Grip Strength: 8 Exercises and a 2x Weekly Plan

To improve grip strength, train it directly two or three times a week with a mix of holds, squeezes and carries: dead hangs and farmer's carries for support grip, a hand gripper for crush grip, plate pinches for pinch grip, and wrist curls plus reverse curls to balance the forearm. Add a little weight or time every week, cut back on lifting straps for lighter sets, and most people see a clear difference within a month. The rest of this guide gives you the exercises, sets and reps, and a simple plan to follow.

Why grip strength is worth training

A strong grip lets you deadlift, row and do pull-ups without your hands quitting first. It also makes everyday jobs like carrying shopping, opening jars or lugging a suitcase noticeably easier.

There's a health angle too, and it's bigger than most people expect. The PURE study in The Lancet measured grip in almost 140,000 adults across 17 countries and found that every 5kg drop in grip strength was linked to a 16% higher risk of death from any cause over about four years; grip was a stronger predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular death than systolic blood pressure. A UK study of half a million UK Biobank participants in the BMJ found the same pattern, with lower grip tied to higher rates of cardiovascular, respiratory and cancer deaths.

Be careful how you read that. Both studies are observational, so grip works as a marker of overall strength and health; the PURE authors say plainly that more research is needed to test whether getting stronger actually lowers mortality. Training your grip on its own won't add years. Building general strength, which grip reflects, is still exactly what the NHS asks adults to do on at least two days a week.

The four types of grip

"Grip strength" is really several separate qualities, and a programme that only uses one tool leaves gaps.

• Crush grip. Squeezing something between your fingers and palm, like a handshake or a hand gripper.
• Support grip. Holding onto something for time, like a heavy deadlift, a dead hang or a farmer's carry. This is the one that fails first in most gym lifts.
• Pinch grip. Holding something between your thumb and fingers, like a weight plate by its rim. It's the most neglected of the lot, and the thumb is usually the weak link.
• Wrist strength and extensors. The muscles that flex, extend and stabilise the wrist. The extensors on the back of your forearm open the hand, and they get almost no direct work from normal lifting.

The 8 best grip strength exercises

1. Dead hang (support)

Hang from a pull-up bar with straight arms and a full grip, shoulders gently pulled down away from your ears. Do 3 sets, building from 20 seconds towards 60 seconds. Once a minute feels easy, hang from one arm at a time with the other lightly assisting. Our dead hang guide covers the shoulder position in more detail, and you'll need a solid bar if you don't train in a gym: see our picks for the best pull-up bar.

2. Farmer's carry (support)

Pick up a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall and walk. Start around 25% of your bodyweight per hand and do 3 to 4 sets of 30 to 40 metres. When you can finish a set without the handles slipping, add weight. The farmer's carry guide explains loading and posture, and a one-sided suitcase carry adds a core challenge.

3. Plate pinch (pinch)

Grab two smooth weight plates (5kg each is a good start) pressed together, smooth sides facing out, and hold them with your fingers on one side and your thumb on the other. Hold for 3 sets of 15 to 30 seconds per hand. Go heavier by moving to two 10kg plates, or pinch a single wider plate.

4. Towel hang (support and crush)

Loop two small towels over a pull-up bar and hang from them. The thick, soft material forces your fingers to squeeze much harder than a bar does. Do 3 sets of 10 to 30 seconds. If that's too much, keep your feet lightly on a box. Climbers and judo players use this one for good reason.

5. Hand gripper (crush)

A spring gripper is the simplest way to train crush grip at home or at your desk. Pick a resistance you can close for 8 to 12 reps, do 3 sets per hand, and hold the final rep closed for 3 to 5 seconds. Adjustable grippers make progression easier than fixed ones; we compare the options in our guide to the best grip strengthener.

6. Wrist curl and reverse curl (wrist flexors and extensors)

Rest your forearms on a bench or your thighs, palms up, and curl a light dumbbell up using only your wrist. Do 3 sets of 12 to 15. Then flip your palms down and do the same with a lighter weight for the reverse curl, which trains the extensors. Our wrist curl guide breaks down the technique, and the full list of forearm exercises gives you more options to rotate through.

7. Fat-grip holds and rows (crush and support)

Thicker handles make your hand work much harder because your fingers can't close fully. Wrap a towel around a dumbbell handle or use clip-on rubber fat grips, then do your normal dumbbell rows or holds. Try 3 sets of 20 to 30 second holds, or swap in fat grips for one back exercise per session.

8. Rice bucket (extensors and endurance)

Fill a deep bucket with uncooked rice, push your hand in up to the wrist and work it: open and close your fist, spread your fingers wide against the rice, twist your wrist both ways. Do 2 to 3 rounds of 30 to 60 seconds per hand. It's a low-impact way to train the extensors and the small muscles of the hand, and it makes a good finisher or recovery-day session.

A sample twice-weekly grip plan

Add these to the end of two existing sessions, ideally a back or pull day, with two or three days between them. Each block takes about 15 minutes.

Day A: support and crush

1. Dead hang: 3 x 20 to 60 seconds
2. Farmer's carry: 4 x 30 metres
3. Hand gripper: 3 x 8 to 12 per hand
4. Reverse curl: 2 x 15

Day B: pinch, thick grip and wrists

1. Towel hang: 3 x 10 to 30 seconds
2. Plate pinch: 3 x 15 to 30 seconds per hand
3. Fat-grip dumbbell hold: 3 x 20 to 30 seconds
4. Wrist curl: 2 x 15
5. Rice bucket: 2 x 45 seconds per hand

How to progress. Each week, add 5 to 10 seconds to your holds or a few metres to your carries. When you hit the top of the range on every set, increase the load (a heavier dumbbell, a stiffer gripper, a bigger plate) and drop back to the bottom of the range. After 6 to 8 weeks, take an easier week with roughly half the volume, then build again.

Common mistakes that hold your grip back

Strapping up for everything. Lifting straps are useful, but wearing them from your first warm-up set takes your grip out of the session completely. Pull without straps until your grip is the limiting factor, then put them on for the heaviest sets. Our sister guide on how to use lifting straps covers when they help and when they hurt.

Training grip to failure before heavy pulls. Wrecking your forearms with grippers and hangs before deadlifts or rows means your hands give out early on the lift that matters. Do grip work at the end of the session, or on a separate day.

Ignoring the extensors. Almost everything in the gym trains the muscles that close your hand. If you never train the ones that open it, the imbalance can leave your elbows and wrists achy. Reverse curls and rice bucket work take five minutes and fix most of it.

Only using one tool. A gripper alone won't help your deadlift much, and dead hangs alone won't do much for a pinch. Cover all four grip types each week.

Adding load too quickly. Muscle adapts faster than tendon does. If you feel sharp pain on the inside or outside of the elbow, back off the volume for a week rather than pushing through.

Recommended reads

1. The best grip strengtheners in the UK
2. Forearm exercises: 8 best moves for size and grip
3. How to do a wrist curl properly
4. How to use lifting straps
5. Dead hang: benefits and how long to hold