Hand-strengthening excercises

[MetalSearGolid]

Are there any good hand exercises that can help me to build my fretting-hand strength while I sit at my desk at work? I have a problem with endurance, my fretting hand frequently cramps up during technical songs where my hand moves around/stretches a lot. It's getting better the more I play, but I'd like to accelerate the building of muscles in my hand while I'm doing things other than playing bass (I have a work and social life lol). I perform various stretching exercises at my desk, but am unaware of any strength building exercises I can do while sitting down. Any suggestions?

 

[maxiegrant]

Are there any good hand exercises that can help me to build my fretting-hand strength while I sit at my desk at work? I have a problem with endurance, my fretting hand frequently cramps up during technical songs where my hand moves around/stretches a lot. It's getting better the more I play, but I'd like to accelerate the building of muscles in my hand while I'm doing things other than playing bass (I have a work and social life lol). I perform various stretching exercises at my desk, but am unaware of any strength building exercises I can do while sitting down. Any suggestions?

A tennis ball is cheap and you will definitely know when you reach Bionic Hand strength and can actually collapse it.

There are these little hand-exercisers that I've tried but I never saw much benefit from them. You can spend $8 for a can of tennis balls, or $15 for a spring exerciser.

The best exercise is on your bass, IMHO. I do scales like this:

do re mi do re mi fa re mi fa re mi

and so on all the way from the lowest note of the scale to the highest. I mean, you can get some benefit not playing the bass, but the kind of muscle movement you're doing is very specific. I've sat at a desk for a living for 18 years, and I've yet to discover any office item that was any help with that, and believe me I've tried.

 

[Rockin Mike]

IMO strength is not what you want.

Cramping up during playing is usually a sign that you are not relaxing your hand.
It doesn't take much actual muscle to push a wire down a fraction of an inch to the fretboard but if your arm is clenched it will get tired quickly.

The best (only?) way to develop endurance is to play a lot. Take a challenging part and sit in front of the tv with your bass and just do it slowly, then faster, then slower, until your hand starts to get tired. Do this every day and in a week or two that part will seem a lot easier. I'm sure this is a process of the arm learning to relax and play the part in a controlled way versus building strength.

Stretching exercises will help. I do this after a practice session:
1. Slowly extend your arm with your hand in a relaxed fist. Feel the arm muscles stretch and how they fit together. Slowly open your hand and extend fingers as far as they want to go. Feel how the muscles & bones & tendons all fit together.
2. Gently shake the arm & hand as if flinging water off the fingertips.

The whole arm should feel vitalized and invigorated after a practice, stretch & shake.
Never stretch anything further than it wants to go.
Never push anything into pain.

Grip strengtheners, including tennis balls, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

You want speed and control in your hands, not strength.

 

[Rockin Mike]

Oh yeah also check how you hold your hands. Wrists should be mostly straight and everything should line up into a natural position with no extreme flexes.

 

[MetalSearGolid]

IMO strength is not what you want.

Cramping up during playing is usually a sign that you are not relaxing your hand.
It doesn't take much actual muscle to push a wire down a fraction of an inch to the fretboard but if your arm is clenched it will get tired quickly.

The best (only?) way to develop endurance is to play a lot. Take a challenging part and sit in front of the tv with your bass and just do it slowly, then faster, then slower, until your hand starts to get tired. Do this every day and in a week or two that part will seem a lot easier. I'm sure this is a process of the arm learning to relax and play the part in a controlled way versus building strength.

Stretching exercises will help. I do this after a practice session:
1. Slowly extend your arm with your hand in a relaxed fist. Feel the arm muscles stretch and how they fit together. Slowly open your hand and extend fingers as far as they want to go. Feel how the muscles & bones & tendons all fit together.
2. Gently shake the arm & hand as if flinging water off the fingertips.

The whole arm should feel vitalized and invigorated after a practice, stretch & shake.
Never stretch anything further than it wants to go.
Never push anything into pain.

Grip strengtheners, including tennis balls, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

You want speed and control in your hands, not strength.

I find that on my Epiphone Les Paul, I have to press harder to produce a clear note on the fretboard. This was one of the reasons I upgraded to my Schecter, but since I no longer have that, I have to make do with the bass I first started on. I tried adusting the neck for better action, but then I have problems with fret buzzing, so other than buying a new bass or working on my fretting technique I've tweaked the action about as far as I can.

I wonder if the bridge is adjustable on it though... haven't tried tweaking the bridge on my Les Paul yet, that might help a bit with producing clear notes with less effort.

EDIT: Also, thanks for the stretching suggestion. I do stretch after playing but it was far from a relaxed stretch. I'll try this out and see if this helps to regain some energy after I've been playing for a while.

 

[fearceol]

IMO strength is not what you want.

Cramping up during playing is usually a sign that you are not relaxing your hand.
It doesn't take much actual muscle to push a wire down a fraction of an inch to the fretboard but if your arm is clenched it will get tired quickly.

The best (only?) way to develop endurance is to play a lot. Take a challenging part and sit in front of the tv with your bass and just do it slowly, then faster, then slower, until your hand starts to get tired. Do this every day and in a week or two that part will seem a lot easier. I'm sure this is a process of the arm learning to relax and play the part in a controlled way versus building strength.

Stretching exercises will help. I do this after a practice session:
1. Slowly extend your arm with your hand in a relaxed fist. Feel the arm muscles stretch and how they fit together. Slowly open your hand and extend fingers as far as they want to go. Feel how the muscles & bones & tendons all fit together.
2. Gently shake the arm & hand as if flinging water off the fingertips.

The whole arm should feel vitalized and invigorated after a practice, stretch & shake.
Never stretch anything further than it wants to go.
Never push anything into pain.

Grip strengtheners, including tennis balls, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

You want speed and control in your hands, not strength.

I agree 100% on all points.

 

[Phil Smith]

Strength is exactly what you need. Here's what Tiger Woods has to say:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

My weight-training program is designed for balance, control and endurance. I lift to enhance my entire body because golf requires upper and lower symmetry. I also develop my right and left sides equally because it improves how I strike the ball.

The idea is to build the strength I need to crush a golf ball rather than develop big muscle volume. I lift sub-maximal weights at higher reps, sometimes 25 to 50, because I'm going for tone and endurance instead of bulk. Bodybuilders usually lift heavier weights in sets of six to 12 because they're going for mass. Sometimes, I add plates to break up the routine and challenge myself, but I rarely lift a lot of weight.

My program works all of my muscle groups, but there are a few areas that need extra focus. Golfers are always hunched over, so it's important to strengthen the back and shoulders to support good posture. Legs are the platform for every swing, so my goal is to create a strong power base.

To keep things interesting, I use a mix of weights, resistance and isometric training. If you keep your muscles guessing, it makes them work harder. Whatever I'm doing, I'm careful not to overstress my muscles. I push to the point of muscle failure, not pain.

 

[Rockin Mike]

It takes a fair amount of muscle to heft a several-pound golf club from the ceiling to the floor and send that little ball flying a good distance.

That's not remotely similar to playing bass guitar.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Play a bass with high action for several hours a day. Just playing in general really. There are no "hand exercises" to make you a better musician.

 

[gavinspoon]

You can't do them at your desk, but pullups will sort your hand strength out.

 

[Spaldo]

Get an upright and gig a lot.

 

[groooooove]

the only thing that will build endurance is playing a lot.

nothing else.

 

[fearceol]

You can't do them at your desk, but pullups will sort your hand strength out.

We are talking here about the strength required to press down on a string to make a clean sound. This strength is possessed by all healthy people from an early age. A minimal amount is required to fret a string.

Stamina and dexterity however, are a different thing altogether and are best achieved by gradually building up the playing time.

Pull Ups and all round general fitness will help with the likes of holding the bass for long periods at a gig etc., but IMO is overkill when we are talking about fretting a string.

 

[MetalSearGolid]

I think I figured out my problem when I was playing yesterday. I'm using too much energy when I use my pinkie to fret, so I've just been working on tapping my fingers in the same fretting pattern I do on my bass while at my desk to build the strength in my pinkie. I only recently started using it to fret and I haven't really used it like this before.

Of course playing is the best way to get better, but my boss would be pretty sore at me if I brought my bass in to fret while I'm compiling. xkcd.com/303 only goes so far, I just want to master bass as quickly as possible even when I'm not able to practice.

 

[maxiegrant]

IMO strength is not what you want.

Yes, it is. You must have some muscle strength to do all that repetitive motion.

My left hand, on the pinky side, is about 1/2" fatter than my right, and it's muscle. And the muscles that move your fingers actually go all the way down your arm. If you play for a long time reach down sometime and feel your forearm, on the inside right above your elbow. It actually will get quite warm from all the movement.

It's not about lifting, it's about being able to continually do those fine movements over and over again, and that most certainly is, point blank, end of discussion, strength.

I have noticeably stronger hands than most people, and it has helped me enormously in being able to hang with practice sessions that are required to build good technique. But it is again, and most definitively, something you need to build up your muscle strength to continue doing.

If you don't have good stamina in your hand and arm muscles, you can't keep playing long enough to learn anything.

 

[bass geetarist]

I've tried the tennis ball thing and (to a much lesser degree) those hand grip things you can buy at a music store. IMHO they don't help, and force you to strain your hand in a fairly unnatural way. I stopped doing the tennis ball thing as it was doing nothing more than giving me hand cramps. Stretching is definitely good tho, especially if you're sitting at a desk all day. Also, if you don't have them already, wrist pads for the mouse and keyboard can save you some soreness.

Slightly off topic, but I will say that I noticed an improvement in my playing when I started working out, about 10 years ago now. This was mainly due to proper forearm strengthening exercises (involving movement of the wrist or forearm at the elbow, but NOT the hand itself) and back strengthening exercises (my posture improved immensely).

 

[fearceol]

Yes, it is. You must have some muscle strength to do all that repetitive motion.

My left hand, on the pinky side, is about 1/2" fatter than my right, and it's muscle. And the muscles that move your fingers actually go all the way down your arm. If you play for a long time reach down sometime and feel your forearm, on the inside right above your elbow. It actually will get quite warm from all the movement.

It's not about lifting, it's about being able to continually do those fine movements over and over again, and that most certainly is, point blank, end of discussion, strength.

I have noticeably stronger hands than most people, and it has helped me enormously in being able to hang with practice sessions that are required to build good technique. But it is again, and most definitively, something you need to build up your muscle strength to continue doing.

If you don't have good stamina in your hand and arm muscles, you can't keep playing long enough to learn anything.

I think people are confusing strength with dexterity and stamina. Of course a certain amount of strength is required to fret a string. As I mentioned earlier, this strength is there from an early age.

The weight lifter is strong, but he does not have the agility or stamina of the gymnast.

Check out what Gary Willis has to say about finger pressure :

 

[MetalSearGolid]

I think people are confusing strength with dexterity and stamina. Of course a certain amount of strength is required to fret a string. As I mentioned earlier, this strength is there from an early age.

The weight lifter is strong, but he does not have the agility or stamina of the gymnast.

Check out what Gary Willis has to say about finger pressure :

I agree with bass geetarist. I know the difference between strength and dexterity/coordination, but I'm not talking about making my hand or arm "ripped" lol. I need to build the muscles that haven't been used in my hand and arm so I can play longer. Yes, playing on the bass helps with this, but as an example, I don't use my pinkie, period. For anything. I don't have the muscle strength to use it for prolonged periods and that's what I need to build muscle for.

Both the lifter and the gymnast build their muscles, but their size/agility is more akin to the differences in their workout regiments. Lift heavy and do less reps, you'll get noticably larger in a few months. Less weight and more reps means your muscles will still become stronger, but the tears in your muscle are smaller and heal more finely, sacrificing raw strength for more control over your body.

 

[fearceol]

I agree with bass geetarist. I know the difference between strength and dexterity/coordination, but I'm not talking about making my hand or arm "ripped" lol. I need to build the muscles that haven't been used in my hand and arm so I can play longer. Yes, playing on the bass helps with this, but as an example, I don't use my pinkie, period. For anything. I don't have the muscle strength to use it for prolonged periods and that's what I need to build muscle for.

Both the lifter and the gymnast build their muscles, but their size/agility is more akin to the differences in their workout regiments. Lift heavy and do less reps, you'll get noticably larger in a few months. Less weight and more reps means your muscles will still become stronger, but the tears in your muscle are smaller and heal more finely, sacrificing raw strength for more control over your body.

This clip might help :

 

[MetalSearGolid]

This clip might help :

Perfect, I have a shot glass at my desk I can do some of these with. Thanks man