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Nearly every sport requires the use of your hands. Swimming, wrestling, golf, tennis, martial arts, football, basketball, and obstacle racing all require the use of your hands. To be successful at these sports you must have good grip strength.
Fitness aside, grip strength is very important for your everyday life. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to successfully turn a doorknob, dress yourself, or open a jar of food. That’s why after an individual has a stroke and their grip strength becomes depleted, grip strength exercises are often prescribed.
There are many products you can use to increase your grip strength. One of our favorite products to use are the CanDo® Gel Exercise Balls. These balls can be used to increase grip strength, dexterity, mobility, and fine and gross motor skills. We like them because they also can be used as a fidget tool.
Below are a couple simple exercises you can do with the CanDo® Gel Exercise Ball. Try them and start increasing your grip strength today.
Hand Squeeze
Squeeze the hand ball with your fingers and thumb. Focus on pressing the pads and tips of your fingers into the ball.
Finger Squeeze
Squeeze the ball between any two fingers you want.
Finger Push
Push down on the ball as it lays on a solid surface, such as a table.
Finger Flexion
Hold the ball away from your palm using your thumb and another finger of your choice. Squeeze the ball, focusing on only pressing the pads and tips of the fingers holding the ball.
Pinch
Hold the ball with your fingers and thumb extended. Press your fingers into the top of the ball and your thumb upward on the bottom of the ball.
Another great thing about the CanDo® Gel Exercise Balls is they are available in six resistance levels allowing for progressive training. After you’ve performed the above grip exercises for a while, your grip strength will increase. However, you don’t have to stop training. Grip a ball of a higher resistance level and continue training!
The CanDo® Gel Exercise Ball is available in six resistance levels:
- Tan, xx-soft
- Yellow, x-soft
- Red, soft
- Green, medium
- Blue, firm
- Black, x-firm
Talk with your primary healthcare provider or hand therapist to determine which resistance level is best for you. They will also help you determine when to progress to the next resistance level as you get stronger.