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GRIP, PINCH AND GRAB STRENGTH MEASURE IN DIII WRESTLERS FOLLOWING SIX WEEKS OF HAND AND WRESTLING TRAINING

T Teigen

Abstract

T. Teigen
Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN

Grappling oriented sports such as Wrestling, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu rely heavily on grabbing, holding and applying submissions to an opponent. Due to the nature of these sports and their reliance on holds, attaining powerful grip strength has often been seen as a necessity for successful participation. PURPOSE: Because wrestling is so dependent on hand strength, it is important to determine viable options to strengthen this aspect among these athletes. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of a sport specific hand-wrist training program combined with wrestling training on grip, pinch, and grab strength. METHODS: Eleven elite (aged 20 + 2 yr) NCAA DIII collegiate wrestlers were assessed on their grip (whole hand), pinch (thumb and pointer finger), and grab (thumb and first knuckle of pointer finger) strength using grip and pinch dynamometers. After the initial testing, the participants completed six weeks of pre-wrestling competition training. Training consisted of wrestling technique practice 5x a week, live wrestling 5x a week, endurance lifting 3x a week, and various cardio workouts 5x a week. Additionally, each subject completed a supplemental grip-specific workout consisting of farmer walks, fat grip pull ups, ball squeezes, plate pinches, and band extenders, 2x a week. Following six weeks of training, hand strength was reassessed. Each strength measure was obtained three times on each hand before and after training and average score derived. A repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to determine significance in hand strength before and after competition. RESULTS: Analysis revealed no significant changes in grip, pinch, or grab strength from pre to post training (p > .05). The hand grip dynamometer pre measures were 124.82 lbs (±26.58) and grip post scores were 124.38 lbs (±24.0). The pinch pre measures were 18.23 lbs (±2.55) pinch post scores were 18.69 lbs (±2.4). The grab test pre measures were 26.45 lbs (±3.33) and post grab scores were 26.5 lbs (±4.35). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that participation in a six week grip-specific training program along with a standard wrestling specific training has no significant impact on grip, pinch, or grab strength. Future investigations could focus on off-season assessments and the inclusion of non-participating control subjects, to better evaluate the potential for enhanced grip, pinch, and grab performance.

NACSM Professional Sponsor: Anthony Clapp

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