Fitness Gear Review: Pro Hands Gripmaster Hand Exerciser

This guy is a beast

Opening: This review is on a tool to improve gripping strength for whatever reason one would need, in my case Jiu Jitsu! Well any grappling for that matter. There are various ways to train your grip strength; plate pinches, fat grips, towel/Gi pulling exercises like rows and pull-ups. On with the review.

I have no affiliation with Pro Hands, nor am I being financially compensated for this review. All thoughts expressed are my true and honest opinion.

Pretty straight forward packaging

Initial Impressions: I was not really expecting an earth shattering product when ordered it off of amazon.com for about $13.00. Here is the link if you are interested Pro hands by Gripmaster . But when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised how hefty and solid this thing felt. It is primarily plastic with dense rubber grip pads and metal springs/ guide pins. I purchased the heaviest tension they make. Here is the breakdown of the options:

Children's Hands (Very Light Tension) 3lbs per Finger
Women's Hands (Light Tension) 5lbs per Finger
Average Hands (Med Tension) 7lbs per Finger
Strong Hands (Heavy Tension) 9lbs per Finger
Very Strong Hands (X-Heavy Tension) 11lbs per Finger
Extreme Strength (XX-Heavy Tension) 13lbs per Finger

The tension is controlled by the thickness of the springs

Performance: So honestly I wish I had purchased a step down, however I am determined to persevere! This little devil lights my forearms on fire and makes my fingers hurt (in a good way) like after a hard roll. I feel like I have decent grip strength from doing dead lifts and practicing Judo and Nogi/MMA for several years. Hence why I bought the XX-Heavy tension. Since starting BJJ recently I find that my gripping power is above average but my gripping endurance is not so good.

Ability to isolate fingers

I wanted this tool to help me maintain my grips longer than grip fighting and going for a throw. I noticed that my forearms would blowout faster in BJJ than in Judo or Nogi. I liked this style because it can fit in my pocket unlike some other products out there. I also thought it was cool that you have the ability to isolate finger unlike a the old school nutcracker style grippers.

Contoured palm pad

Rather that doing lets say 100 squeezes I have been gripping in 30-60 second intervals to better simulate the isometric contraction of grabbing the Gi. Overall I was very impressed with the product.

 Final Thoughts:  For under $13 this little monster is a steal. Nothing is better for gripping stamina than mat time in the Gi, but for a tool you can take virtually anywhere and squeeze away on this is a good supplement. I know a lot of people like to use an old Gi or Jits grips for pull-ups but those require additional things to get the most of and are much harder to fit in your pocket! This is a definite recommend.