How to Improve Your Grip Strength for the Army

​The majority of female applicants for the ADF face the same problem; their grip strength is far from what is ideal for the demands of the Army. If your forearms are always on fire and preventing you from picking heavy weights up, then this blog post will definitely help you out. 

 
Even if you are not aiming for the Army, maintaining a strong grip will make your life easier in many ways. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that having a strong grip is a good indicator for muscular endurance and overall strength. You will need plenty of that during your training and throughout your ADF career, which ever path you choose.

When you think about your training routine, deadlifts, pullups and any exercises where you are gripping heavy weight will require your grip strength to improve as you get stronger. Many people we have trained found that their poor grip strength inhibited further overall strength development. Besides, grip strength assessments are often used to measure overall health, especially in the ageing population. The bottom line is that you want to have a strong grip.

Why Grip Strength Is Important For ADF Applicants

If your end goal is to join the Army, grip strength should be in your focus from the start. Although it won't come into play during the initial Physical Fitness Assessment, but once you’ve been enlisted, it’ll be a crucial part of the Physical Employment Standards Assessment (PESA) you need to complete in addition to your BFA (Basic Fitness Assessment).
 
If you plan to deal with that once you passed your PFA, you might not make it through the grip strength assessment in your PESA so we strongly recommend that you work on it consistently throughout your training by incorporating exercises that will slowly but surely make your grip stronger. 

How Grip Strength Is Assessed

The PESA includes one specific exercise that assesses how strong your grip is. This consists of the fabled jerry can carry! Essentially, you’re tasked with carrying two 22kg jerry cans for 25m. But, there are a couple of twists.

For one, you have to do this at least 6 times (11 if you want to get into the Combat Arms) and you must complete each leg in accordance with cadence which means you can't just run through it. Most women find their grip is really having a tough time after just three or four legs. 

What can you do to ensure you can complete all required legs and still feel your forearms after? I suspect you already know the answer. Include exercises that involve some heavy weights with dumbbells and barbells and/or working with your bodyweight as a start: deadlift variations, pull-up, inverted row, kettlebell workouts, etc.

How To Strengthen Your Grip

Here are a few expert tips on how to target your forearms to improve your grip strength. Some of them may sound unusual but they will work a treat. Keep in mind that as your forearms get stronger they will gain size too.

• Don't Use Alternate Grip For Deadlift: Many coaches recommend this grip as it may allow you to lift heavier weights. But, the reason for this is that it takes the strain off your forearm by getting your shoulder and biceps involved on the underhand side.  If you want to strengthen your grip, then only use pronated grip when doing deadlifts. Not to mention that many strength coaches claim that the mixed grip poses higher risk of injuries onto the shoulder, biceps and hips.  
• Farmers Carry: This is the best way to strengthen your grip for the PESA as you mimic the main assessment exercise. With a farmers walk, you should hold a variety of objects in both hands and try to walk 25m at a steady pace. You could use a trap bar, heavy kettlebells and build the weight up until you’re comfortable carrying 22kg in each hand. If you want to work your grip hard, try this exercise while pinching two weight plates in each hand between your thumb and the rest of your hand. This seriously works all the muscles in your forearms and wrists to supercharge your grip strength.  
• Dead Hang: This one is pretty simple and can be done nearly anywhere so long you have a high enough bar from which you can hang. This is a huge grip strength tester as you’re trying to hold your entire bodyweight. Track how long you are able to hold it and aim to hold it longer each week.
• +1 - Physio's Recommendation: This exercise can be done at home. All you need is a big bowl of dry rice and 2 mins of your time, 4 if you do the two arms separately. Make sure the bowl is big enough and you have enough rice so you can submerge your whole hand in it. You put your hand into the rice so it's covered, then you start squeezing it so the grains slide through between your fingers. Repeat it for 2 minutes with each hand ideally every day and notice the difference it makes.

 
Include these tips in your training routine several times every week and reap the benefits by completing the grip strength assessment of the PESA with flying colours. If you have any questions on any of the tips above or need more directions on how to pass your PFA, BFA or PESA, feel free to get in touch.