You may have noticed there’s an article or two floating around the Internet talking about modern day millennial bro’s being weaker than our fathers. Hell, we’ve even talked about it here at BroBible.
Typically I try to stay away from what can come across as blatant millennial bashing because it feels old and like an easy way out. Every generation has their shortcomings, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look back in history and see that each and every generation has looked down on younger generations as pathetic, lesser versions of themselves.
Because, well, that’s been going on forever. For example:
Whither are the manly vigor and athletic appearance of our forefathers flown? Can these be their legitimate heirs? Surely, no; a race of effeminate, self-admiring, emaciated fribbles can never have descended in a direct line from the heroes of Potiers and Agincourt…
That’s a quote from a French magazine that was published in… 1771.
So yeah, the complaining about the millennial generation gets old, real fast. Especially when it’s by the very people who raised the millennial generation. But this is not an article about why millennials don’t suck because in our own ways we obviously do.
One of those ways is the fact that we’re weaker than the fathers that raised us, specifically when it comes to grip strength. Which is exactly why the Internet has been flooded with articles about young men today having weak handshakes, grips, etc.
Today we’re going to fix that shit.
So the next time you know you’re going to see your pops and shake his hand, here are the tools you need to squeeze the shit out of his hand and break his brittle bones.
A bit dramatic? Maybe. But you get the point.
Farmer walks.
These are by far and away the best grip strengthening exercise you can do. There’s nothing that builds vice like grip strength quite like picking up something heavy and forcing yourself to walk with it.
Snatch grip row.
I love the snatch grip row for grip strength because by widening the hand placement you’re placing an inordinate emphasis on the forearms and hands to stay tight on the bar.
Just be aware that you’re not going to be able to use near as much weight as you would with a normal barbell row.
Deadlifts.
There really isn’t a better exercise for building massive strength throughout your entire body than the deadlift. The primal nature of picking something that is heavy as fuck up off the ground is unlike anything else.
And when it comes to building grip strength they really shine. By forcing you to hold something heavier than any other exercise, you’re training the muscles in the forearms and hands to fire at a level that most other exercises can’t begin to touch.
But wait, why no direct forearm or grip training?
Tools like grip strengtheners and forearm curls are awesome, but when it comes to building pure strength in the hands and forearms they aren’t exactly the best option. Look at them more as a secondary option above all else.
Another way to view it is like this: when you do your back and bicep work, you know that your rowing and pulling provide the biggest bang for your buck. That’s where pure strength is built.
Doing direct isolation work just adds a bit of size and shape, without providing much impact to overall strength levels.
Do these and then go crush some grown as man’s hands and then ask him how weak millennials really are, bros.