I thought of including a pic from the new GI Joe movie, but I couldn’t resist. Only grown men and beer could have come up with this idea!
I think every guy in America owned a GI Joe when he was a kid. Being that my Dad is a gun toting modern day John Wayne, I owned several. My favorite was the GI Joe with the kung fu grip.
What can you do to build a grip like Joe? While most conventional training (pull-ups, dead lifts, etc) takes care of building adequate grip strength, you can add some specific grip training to your program.
In feeding my odd obsession with constructing my own exercise equipment, I came up with these guys.
Equipment list: 2 baseballs, 2 carabiners, 2 chains, 2 eye bolts
Have you ever wondered what is at the center of a baseball? No? Well, I can tell you that it takes more licks than a Tootsie Pop to get to the center (I recommend a power drill) and it tastes terrible.
Hang them from the ceiling
Hope they hold up!
These guys are actually very comfortable in your hands and very challenging for your grip. You could also use them for rows, farmer carries or anything that requires gripping. Easy, cheap, and effective! One of my favorite homemade tools to date.
Goooo.. Joe!
