The Ivanko Super Gripper
Thu, Jun 19, 2008
Our home gym has a small but respectable collection of grip tools. A few Iron Mind Captains of Crush grippers, an Iron Mind Rolling Thunder revolving deadlift handle, pinch-gripping block and 15″ loading pin, and my favorite, the Ivanko Super Gripper. While all of them have their place, if I could only keep one it would be the Ivanko.
The biggest advantage of the Ivanko over spring grippers is the ability to adjust the resistance from about 45 up to 345 pounds in over 50 steps. This exceeds the range of the first nine Captains of Crush grippers, from the 60 pound Sport to the 322 pound number 3.5. Only the Captains of Crush number 4 is harder to close than the Ivanko at it’s hardest setting, requiring a massive 365 pounds of force. This should be of little practical concern to most people, however, since only five people have ever officially closed the number 4
The Ivanko Super Gripper’s longer handle makes it easier to use your free hand to assist with force reps, negatives, max contractions and other techniques, as well as assisting little grip enthusiasts in their workouts. Since my left hand is not as strong as my right because I was stabbed through the forearm years ago (hey Craig, no hard feelings), I always perform several forced reps after failure with the left to match the number of reps performed with the right. This has been much easier with the Ivanko than with other grippers and has helped considerably in bringing up the strength of the left hand.
Although not nearly as compact or portable as other spring grippers, the Ivanko still fits easily in a gym bag, and since it is made of aluminum it won’t rust. At less than $30, it also costs far less than the number of spring grippers you would have to buy for less than 1/5th the resistance levels. For more money some companies sell a variation with a knurled grip attachment with a feel similar to Captains of Crush grippers, but I’ve never had any problem with slipping on the one I have.
If you don’t already incorporate some kind of direct grip work in your training I highly recommend it. Not only will it improve forearm development, it will help you get more out of heavy pulling exercises by allowing you to focus more on the other muscles you’re working and worry less about keeping your grip.
This post was written by:
Drew Baye - who has written 105 posts on Drew Baye’s High Intensity Training.
5 Responses to “The Ivanko Super Gripper”
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10. July 2008 at 10:09 am
Hi Drew, I thought you might find this link useful …it contains a list of resistance levels for each spring setting on the Super Gripper. If you already have it then probably your readers will find it useful.
http://www.cutleryscience.com/reviews/ivanko_gripper.html
22. April 2009 at 5:17 pm
hey Drew, can you tell us how you incorporate your own grip training into your HIT routines, and your rep range for the ivanko?
Dan Beitzel
28. April 2009 at 10:21 am
Dan,
I only perform a few exercises for grip and forearm development – wrist curls, wrist extension and gripping. I use the same rep range for these as I do with the rest of the body. Unless you are training to perform a specific grip-strength challenge, in which case specific work needs to be performed, it is unnecessary to perform a wide variety of exercises to improve grip and forearm strength. Wrist curls and extensions and gripping pretty much hit it all.
29. November 2009 at 8:45 am
Hi Drew,
I have just ordered an Ivanko Super Gripper and it should be with me in the next few days.
Please can you give me some advice advice on how to structure a grip routine?
How many reps and sets? What frequency of training?
I basically bought the Supper Gripper as my grip is very close to becoming the limiting factor on my deadlift.
I was also thinking of doing some static barbell holds as well. Any thoughts on those?
29. November 2009 at 2:04 pm
AC,
For general improvement in grip strength, all you need is one hard set of dynamic or static gripping at the end of your regular workouts. Unless you’re training to perform specific feats of grip strength (tearing phone books, bending nails, misc pinch gripping, etc.), it’s best to keep it simple. I’ve found a repetition range of five to eight with a 3/3 cadence works well for me for most exercises, however some people will do better with higher or lower reps. Start with the same rep range and cadence you’re using for other upper body exercises and adjust from there if necessary.
For static holds, rather than one long hold I recommend doing several shorter Max Contraction style reps:
Set the pins inside a power rack so the bar is just below arms length when standing upright, and load the bar starting with approximately 10% more than you deadlift. You may require more, but it’s best to start conservatively and add more weight if necessary. Keeping your chest high, shoulders back, and back straight, bend your knees and hips slightly and take a full, overhand grip on the bar. Grip the bar as hard as you can, and straighten up, raising the bar off the pins. This is the same as performing the last inch or two of the deadlift. If the weight is heavy enough, you should only be able to hold on for about 5 or 6 seconds. That is one “rep”. Rest a few seconds, reset your grip, and repeat.