Punched in the Face
I’ve written in the past about energy leaks when in the gym, particularly with the big, compound lifts. An energy leak can cost you in terms of maximum lifts, hypertrophy (although more indirectly), and injury. At my gym, I consider energy leaks to occur at the joints the majority of the time, but I suppose the biggest energy leak occurs in a non-joint area—the core. If you have a weak core, all power and strength developed at the foot’s contact with the ground is diminished at the ‘marshmallow’ core before it could reach the upper extremities.
However, this supposition isn’t about the core. I was just using that to make a point. The biggest observable energy leak that I deal with on a weekly basis is at the wrist joint. I joined a ‘fight club’ last summer and learned quite a bit about punching and the true mechanics behind punching. If you punch with a limp wrist, you’ll more than likely break your hand and multiple digits. That was one of the first things they taught me at the club. In order to throw and connect on an effective punch, your hand must be clenched tight. You must get your forearm and elbow in line with the wrist and hand to transfer more power. Interestingly, the harder you squeeze your hand together (not with the thumb in there), the more the flexors of the forearm contract and the more motor units you’ll recruit. Again, this isn’t my area of expertise, but I did learn a bit there.
So when benching, I often have guys perform two good reps. Then they lose mental focus, let up on their grip, the wrists snap back, and the weight crushes them. I always tell my guys to pretend that they’re going to throw a punch and that they need to try and break the other guy’s face. This instantly cues up a firm handle on the bar. Nervous system activity will also be aroused. When I correct this for the first time in a guy, he is amazed at the higher poundage he can use instantly. As an aside, I’m a big proponent of not using an open grip when lifting anything. I was performing dynamic bench last year with this type of grip, and the bar slipped and landed on my head (not fun). In addition, you won’t be as strong or be able to produce as much force with an open grip.
I’m not sure if there is any ‘science’ to back up my coaching lesson, but I have observed it to be true multiple times throughout the last year. I also instruct my guys to ‘break the face’ when they are deadlifting or squatting. Again, more force can be produced. This is another big plus for grip training but a totally different topic.
Remember, for your guys to get instant improvement, have them picture their ‘least favorite person’ and grip the bar like they’re going to throw a punch. It will go right through the least favorite person’s face! I love analogies!
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Kyle Newell is the owner of Newell Strength, located in central New Jersey. To find out more about Kyle’s training insights, visit 
I’ve found that utilizing Fat-Gripz or other thick bar equipment forces the lifter to squeeze with full force to simply hold on to the bar. This accomplishes the same goal without having to use any verbal cues. Good stuff!
The description made me think this article was going to be about something else.
“The biggest observable energy leak that I deal with on a weekly basis is at the wrist joint. “
@Alex – NEVER have anyone use grips of any kind on a barbell. Have them learn to squeeze the bar for dear life and use Tyler Grips with Dumbbells for static holds (as an example) to focus on grip work.
My point is, train your grip separately and give 4 full days of rest from direct grip work before performing another variation of direct grip training. Fat bars, handles, etc can also help but should NOT replace grip work.
I have found only Grip4orce to be effective with fixing this problem. Thick bars will still cause a relaxed grip but with the Grip4orce grips the hands are squeezing the bar tight. I know if my athletes are squeezing the bar now, all I have to do is look to see if the grips are closed around the bar…that simple!
@Brian – Well I’d have to disagree with you on that one. You should NEVER say to NEVER do anything. There is always a time and place for any given protocol (as long as its not contraindicated) if you can justify it with a good reason. Fat-Gripz have increases my grip strength and wrist stability ten-fold since I have started using them about 6 months ago. This has contributed to consistent strength gains with very minimal joint pain. Also direct grip work is very time-consuming for clients who are looking to get a training session done in an hour or even less. Just my humble opinion
@Brian – Pretty much what Alex said. I personally think resting four days for grip is much too long. I include fat bar training with barbells on top of my grip work. I do specific grip work three times per day and this includes stand alone grip feat training. This is all done for five days and then two days of rest. Many grip athletes advocate that grip work should be done relatively frequently, perhaps not twice per day, but daily will not hurt when we use our hands all the time…. Just change up the particular aspect of grip each day.
@Alex – Good point about about timeliness and your clients. One thing I did with my fiance and keeping her training short was to be a minimalist with her grip training, ie: only one grip exercise per session and use a different grip aspect each time for a couple of sets. She needed to just get stronger hands, not bend a bolt….Although that would be awesome if she could.
Alex, I have never heard giving the hands 4 day’s of rest. We train the hands every day. 5-10 min. 2-5 sets depending on what were trying to achieve. I do though agree with Ty about the Grip 4orce grips. The stiff on benching is the key for creating max. tension. I tell my guys the more tension they can create the stronger they will get. Work those hands and work those legs every day. If you want to hit like a Tyson you also better be building up your tendons and ligaments. It’s all about reflex and generating power throughout the body. Add some planks to keep the spine stable and get rid of the wraps when hitting a heavy bag. Once my guys start developing wrist strength and know know how to hit the heavy bag they never wrap the wrists again when training.
don´t like this article,really
Thanks for reading guys! Appreciate the feedback…