Hands and Forearms

On their own, hands don''t have all that much strength. A man''s hand is home to over two dozen bones and at least as many ligaments and joints, all balled up in a space not much bigger than a fist—that doesn''t leave a lot of room for powerhouse muscle.

Not to worry. Although your hand muscles play a big role in grip strength, the true power behind a viselike grip comes from the wrists and forearms, according to Dan Hamner, M.D., director of sports medicine and rehabilitation for the New York State Athletic Association and visiting professor of rehabilitation at New York Hospital in New York City.

"You can certainly strengthen the hand muscles you use for gripping, but doing exercises that also work the forearms and the wrists are going to support and increase hand strength far better than if you tried to focus on your hands alone," says Dr. Hamner.

In fact, one of the fringe benefits of a regular weight-training regimen is that almost every exercise you do helps work your grip.

"All barbell and dumbbell lifts require you to keep a good grip on the weights—otherwise, you''ll drop them on your foot," says Dr. Hamner. "And that in itself is a good grip-trainer. Plus, on many machines that work the legs, you often have handles to grab on to, so you can work your hand strength while you''re working your legs. Each time you inhale, you can give a strong hand squeeze to the hand grips, and each time you exhale, focus on working your legs."

And it doesn''t stop there. "Any sport where you''re swinging a club or bat or racquet is going to be good for hand strength," according to Todd Ellenbecker, P.T., clinical director of Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale Sports Clinic in Arizona and a member of the U.S. Tennis Association''s Sports Science Committee. "And the more you play, the better your grip can get."

Still, there are worthwhile exercises you can do that focus on the hands. Some of these exercises—especially those involving the wrist—do more than bulk up your grip; they also protect your joints from harm. "Wrist rolls and similar wrist exercises, for example, are good ways to work your hand and forearm muscles while pretraining the joint to withstand injury," Ellenbecker says. Unless we specify otherwise, follow a toning regimen for hands—that is, do high reps (12 to 20) of low weights.

Forearm Curls

Sit at the end of a bench with your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Your right hand should be on your right knee, and you should be holding a dumbbell in your left hand, with a palm-up grip. Your left wrist should be slightly over your left knee, so you can bend your wrist through its full range of motion. The top of your forearm should be resting against your thigh, and your upper body should be upright, but you may lean slightly into your left leg for comfort.

Curl the dumbbell up toward your body as far as you can. Don''t let your arm rise up off your thigh. At the top of the curl, hold for a second, then lower to the starting position. Finish your reps, then switch hands.

You can also do this with both hands and a barbell.

Reverse Forearm Curls

Sit at the end of a bench with your legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. Put your left hand on your left knee. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, palm down. Hold your wrist slightly over your knee, so you can bend your wrist through its full range of motion. Rest the bottom of your forearm against your thigh; hold your upper body fairly upright, but you can lean slightly into your right leg for comfort.

Curl the dumbbell up toward your body as far as you can. Don''t let your arm rise up off your thigh. At the top of the curl, hold for a second, then lower to the starting position. Finish your reps, then switch hands.

Use a lighter weight for this lift than you would for a standard forearm curl. Also, you can modify this exercise using both hands and a barbell.

Weight-Plate Finger Raises

This is an excellent grip-trainer and a killer workout for the forearm muscles that power your grip, according to Chip Harrison, strength and conditioning coach at Pennsylvania State University in State College.

Hold a 10-pound Olympic weight plate in each hand by grasping the raised edge of the plate with your fingers with your thumb against the flat side of the plate. Stand straight, palms inward, arms by your sides. Straighten your fingers and lower the plate.

Now close the fingers, raising the plate as high as you can. As you get stronger, switch from 10-pound plates to 25 or even 45.

Grip Strengtheners

For a classic hand workout, get yourself a spring-loaded gripper device that offers moderate resistance. Now squeeze it closed. Release and repeat. How''s that for simple? Go for the most reps possible, then switch hands. The beauty of this exercise is that you can do it while watching television or talking on the phone—anywhere, anytime, for a fast, effective hand workout.

Rubber-Band Stretch

In the midst of all your efforts to work your hands so they can clamp down harder and harder, don''t forget to work the muscles that help you unclench your hands. They''re called the antagonist muscles, and they run along the top of the hand, wrist and forearm. Probably the best way to work them is not with some exotic piece of exercise equipment, but with a simple rubber band.

Make your hand into a "C" shape and wrap the rubber band around the ends of your fingers and thumb. When you relax your hand, the rubber band should pinch the hand closed (if it doesn''t, find a stronger one or wrap the band around your fingers twice).

Now slowly force your hand open. You''ll feel the muscles in the top of your hand doing their thing. Do about ten repetitions, then switch hands. When the rubber band breaks, get a stronger one.