Product Review - Liquid Grip @liquidgrip

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As a competitive weightlifter, kettlebell athlete and grip specialist I go through some chalk. The other day a mat fell over in the gym and the resulting dust cloud was like a snow storm! The problem with normal chalk is that it does get everywhere and the smallest gust of window can carry particles to all corners of the world. Fine if you train in someone else's gym with a daily cleaner, not so good in your single garage with a swing door that needs to be closed so you can lift big weights and drop them!

"Hoover" I hear you shout! "Dyson" would be my reply and a very good one at that! Then arises the problem - try hoovering a gym that has nearly everything you need for performance with a hoover - even the extendable nozzle - not easy and doing it properly would require a removal team, just for it to get covered again within a few days. So rather than look to minimise the effect, we can now work on eliminating the cause - enter Liquid Grip.

I first bumped in to Liquid Grip at the Bodypower expo last weekend. It was not until I tried it on what was possibly the Sorinex anvil that I realised just how good this stuff really was. With normal hands, you grip tight and just slide right off. Add a small amount of Liquid Grip, rub the hands to spread it and then wave them about for it to dry - the weights flew up and felt stuck to your hand!

I do a lot of grip training as you can see from the link -
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150840683721412.474411.769336411&type=1
I also purchased a small bottle to try at home based on how impressed I was with the anvil lift before and after application. The Rolling Thunder deadlift handle easily added 5kg and again the hand felt clamped on to the handle rather than slowly beginning to slip when trying to lift. Liquid grip is also very effective for plate pinch training, block weight lifts, hub lifts and anything else requiring a grip of steel.

Next week I will attempt to snatch the 20kg weight being lifted below for a genuine "stick" test -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS0h2rrY8Ek

With a comparison on a 48kg kettlebell snatch I actually felt my grip was stronger compared to a normal chalk block and this is probably due to the way that the resin creates a suspension formula to stick to the hands. Compare the difference when clapping your hands and observing the nuclear fallout. Liquid grip remains, a normal chalk block will mostly have disappeared with the essential contact points now only marginally covered.

And so on to weightlifting... As well as Olympic weightlifting I also compete in all-round lifting and cannot wait to give Liquid grip a proper test on the one-arm barbell snatch. Based on the thumb lock potentially being a lot stronger I am hoping to come back in August with the record for the left hand at 70kg with 79kg bodyweight - quite a lift! For standard weightlifting the hook grip is paramount to performance. I have found that the hook has less movement with liquid grip than a chalk block and the contact between the finger tip pads and the outside of the thumb feels much stronger.

If you train grip, or grip is an important part of your sport you will want this product. Not only does it minimise mess, it is far more effective than normal chalk.

The real test will be the single arms championships where I also have my eye on the left hand deadlift of 150kg - time will tell.

Get some as The Strength Academy knows a bit about grip training!

Liquid grip can be purchased here - http://liquidgrip.com/

Liquid grip can be followed on twitter - @liquidgrip

Liquid grip are also on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LiquidGrip

Overall verdict 10/10 I cannot fault this product and it has increased my numbers and decreased my hoover time - bonus!

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Product Review

Gorilla Grips – http://www.gorilla-grips.co.uk/

Product update - use the code TSA-GRIPS at the checkout on the above website to receive a 10% discount and free shipping!

A big thank you to Russell of KB3 Training http://www.kb3training.com for sending me a pair of Gorilla Grips to test and review. They had a full bash today with a set of 200 snatches and I have to say my hands are as good as new. The forearms are a different story and we will get to them later! The idea of the Gorilla Grips is to protect the hands during training. While they are pitched for general gym use as a replacement for gloves, they come into their own with kettlebell training. If you have ever maxed out on a set of kettlebell snatches with either a heavy weight or a high number of reps you will know that they can chew the hands to bits. Add a dab of chalk to improve grip endurance and you have a recipe for a bloodbath. I have to say that if you are serious about improving in kettlebell training then the Gorilla grips will benefit you on 2 levels –

1. They are so durable you actually feel nothing on the hands and your palms remain damage free. This allows you to train with both greater frequency, intensity, volume and without the need for cosmetic recovery. In the same way that straps are used for weightlifting pulls to prevent thumb strain through repetitive use of the hook grip, the Gorilla Grips can be used to greatly increase your work capacity and the ability to train at a very high level without the associated damage. A quick snatch test with a 32kg and then a look at your hands should convince you!

2. The set of 200 actually felt like a set of 500 so your grip is getting a much more intense workout than it would with just some chalk as you now need to squeeze harder to prevent the kettlebell from slipping at the end of the eccentric phase, just before you rip it up. I love my grip training and adding the Gorilla Grips to a kettlebell snatch session makes the workout both easier and harder. Easier because you are not limited by the callus goblins and harder because your grip will fatigue much faster. The bonus is you can perform multiple sets throughout the day or train daily based on your personal level and recovery requirements.

With multiple training sessions per week/day I often found little time to train grip and hands that constantly suffered from weightlifting skin tears. While a very simple device I have now introduced the use of Gorilla Grips into my kettlebell routines as I am certain they will fast track progress and reduce the need to recover from excessive hand damage. I still train without them as you cannot compete with them and toughening the hands is an important aspect of repetition endurance. However, they are a valuable training tool that have breathed new life into my kettlebell sessions.

Overall Verdict 9/10

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www.gorilla-grips.co.uk