Well, It Really Depends On Who You Ask
Last night, on YouTube, I watched a short of amrwrestlers and their respective grip strength.
What I found to be even more interesting is the grip strength varied considerably with some experts having lower grip strength than other less experienced armwrestlers. I was thinking about it all day and I think it merits a post: How much does your hand strength matter in a match?
It Depends On Your Experience Level
I think the best way to look at this is hand strength or grip strength is like a logarithmic function with the x-axis being strength level and the y-axis being skill level. As you increase in skill level, your grip strength evens out with the rest of the pros, and at that point it is far less about actual grip strength, but more about armwrestling techniques, i.e., hooking and cupping, or even the toproll. At a certain point, you can have an upper limit grip strength of 300lbs and still lose to Devon Larratt who sits at about 180lbs to 200lbs of gripping force.
However, for beginner to intermediate armwrestlers, grip strength can absolutely assist in helping you brute force a win. What is even sillier is Devon Larratt does not have the strongest grip strength in all of the top greatest armwrestlers of all time yet he is still by far the best. So, what is Devon using instead?
Pronation Is Over The Top
The real king of the table is your wrist strength as it leads into your brachioradialis. This is known as the one and only pronation strength. Pronation bicep strength goes by many names, like monkey grip.
In reality, it is the simple practice of gripping things neutrally with a slightly overhand grip, or an overhand grip altogether. It is so strong because it recruits your hand, wrist flexors, brachioradialis, and the long head of your bicep — it’s an immense amount of muscle recruitment for the movement of pulling something with an overhand grip. Just like our primate days of swinging branch to branch, bicep pronation is one of our strongest innate bicep movements. Devon Larratt has absolutely outrageous pronation strength, which is one of the biggest factors that makes him the armwrestling GOAT.
In Closing, Should I Still Train My Grip Strength?
Honestly? Absolutely. If you are starting out, growing your grip strength will, at the very least, allow you to pull heavier dumbbells, allowing you to train harder for armwrestling. As a Grip Gladiator, I firmly believe grip strength is a key component of winning armwrestling matches. But is it the end-all-be-all? No. Keep training safely and have fun! Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] — I would be more than happy to answer any armwrestling questions you might have!