Building hand strenght

[el_bajista]

Hi guys:
Aside of being a musician I'm into martial arts, weightlifting and some other sports. I've always heard that building BIG strenght in your hands is very good for sports, so I was thinking of fitting excercises of this kind into my daily routine.
My question is: has anyone had bad experiences with too much hand strenght? May this end up in a loss of dexterity of my fingers? By the way I'm not talking about exercising with a Gripmaster or things like that but with heavy dumbbells.
Thanks a lot.

[MichaelScott]

The chances of you building enough bulk in your hands (by conventional methods) is pretty slim. You'd have to use some of the crazy strongman/highlander game grip equipment from www.ironmind.com

Given that- I frequently work out with the #1 Captian of Crunch grip master they sell. It is probably way more grip stregth then anyone will ever need and I don't feel like it limits my dexterity when playing my bass.

[Bassist4Life]

The hand strenght that you need for playing an instrument can be achieved through practicing your instrument.

I believer that you don't need "strength" as much as you need coordination.

Joe

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by Bassist4Life

The hand strenght that you need for playing an instrument can be achieved through practicing your instrument.

I believer that you don't need "strength" as much as you need coordination.

Joe

I believe he's after hand strength for other reasons, and wondering if it will adversely affect his playing.

I think that as long as you continue to play the bass regularly it will all sort itself out. If you need the speed, playing the bass will keep you up to par.

[Bassist4Life]

Originally Posted by lemur821

I believe he's after hand strength for other reasons, and wondering if it will adversely affect his playing.

I think that as long as you continue to play the bass regularly it will all sort itself out. If you need the speed, playing the bass will keep you up to par.

Yup, you're right. I should have read a little closer. Sorry 'bout that.

I saw hand strenght and went with a stock answer. My bad.

Joe

[cowsgomoo]

Originally Posted by el_bajista

Hi guys:
Aside of being a musician I'm into martial arts, weightlifting and some other sports. I've always heard that building BIG strenght in your hands is very good for sports, so I was thinking of fitting excercises of this kind into my daily routine.
My question is: has anyone had bad experiences with too much hand strenght? May this end up in a loss of dexterity of my fingers? By the way I'm not talking about exercising with a Gripmaster or things like that but with heavy dumbbells.
Thanks a lot.

I don't think you need to worry... it'd have to be unbelievably extreme hypertrophy to affect your hands' mobility... I do weight training too & have found that it's benefited my bass playing quite a bit, in terms of strength & stamina

the only drawback is occasionally picking up niggly things like straining a wrist or shoulder through training on the eve of a gig, but that's no reason not to do it

[Marley's Ghost]

I took up weightlifting several years ago after receiving physical therapy to treat Trigger Points related to RSI injuries from bass and keyboard use. It has had a profound improvement in my bass playing and stamina. Plus, I can carry my rig and PA equipment with ease.