Before the Christmas break, a buddy of mine had mentioned that he just got his hands (so to speak) on some Fat Gripz. They're grips that you can put on barbells, dumbbells, cable attachments, just about any standard 28mm training implement you can find, and turn it into a 2 1/4 inch challenge. As always, I'm skeptical of gimmicks and "groundbreaking" developments in the S&C world. I did a little reading about thick bar training, and was eventually sold on buying these:
If you're unfamiliar with them, they're made of strong durable rubber, and have a lengthwise slice so you can get them onto whatever you feel like pressing, pulling, rowing, or hanging off. For about 30 bucks I figured I had nothing to lose, and have so far been pleased with the challenge. The science behind them is relatively simple and not exactly NEW, but this has made it easier to employ. I've read about "Irradiation" being the key principle that makes them effective. In the simplest terms possible, Irradiation is essentially the neural recruitment of surrounding musculature. This gives us the opportunity to work more than just the main movement we're performing.
Initially, I only planned to use them for presses, rows, and some vertical pulling, and have so far been happy with my experience. I feel it would be senseless to use them for deadlifts as I would be compromising the load to accommodate new inability to hang on to the bar. Barbell rows, pull ups, pull downs, benching, and some dumbbell work have been my best experiences with Fat Gripz so far.
In addition to using these grips with my lifts, I tried taking them off for my last few sets and felt like I was just crushing the bar. I have relatively short fingers so this feeling was a welcome one. It'll be a while before I know for sure if they're paying off other than psychologically, but if that's the best that comes from them, I'll be all aboard.
-Alex
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