gymnastic grips for wakeboarding

I know this is strange, but can the gymnastic grips they use on the uneven bars be used for wakeboarding? My forearms get tired after two sets and it would seem this would relieve the need for a tight grip.

They have gloves for skiing that 'hook' onto the handle, but I personally would have no desire to use them. Maybe you are holding the handle too tightly? In my opinion, using a 'crutch' like that only leads to poor form/laziness...as opposed to being able to ride longer and get better.

if your forearms are getting tired then you are probably riding too slow.

what handle are you using... there may be a possibility that the handle you are using is too thick of a diameter for you. I have a friend who complains of the same pains when using my handle, 'cause he is used to a thinner diameter handle

"complain" may be too strong of a word though...}

(Message edited by wakerider111 on August 19, 2008)

Are you expecting your arms not to be tired after 2 sets? If the sets were only 5 minutes each, I could understand your concern. But if you ride 2 normal 20 minute sets, then yeah, I would expect your foreams to be pumped. And no grip is gonna help that.

no pain no gain

Those grips don't do anything but protect your hands from blisters. No good for what you want.

One thing you could try (I used to do this for TKD training) is get a broomstick or something similar, cut off a handle sized section, drill a hole in the middle through the handle and tie a can filled with rocks or cement to it, then wind and unwind the rope by twisting the stick in your hands, 2 feet of rope is about all you need. Inexpensive and easy to scale up when you're ready, just add another can...

Really helpful exercise for building strength in your wrists and forearms.

(Message edited by jtnz on August 19, 2008)

HOw long ya been ridin? the muscles will build if not too long.

Also, handle down at your hips. \

yea, check for a rediculous 3-stage rocker, riding too slow, or a really thick handle, gloves that hook would be horrible for handle passes etc.

no pain, no pain.

Riding for 2 years three days a week. 23 mph. correct size handle for my liking. Probably 2 20 minute sets is the max my forearms can take. Its just a shame as the rest of my body seems eager to keep going. Will try the can exercise though. Thanks for the input.

I find that if I'm riding with a slippery handle my forearms get destroyed because I have to re-grip the handle so often. Try washing off your handle and your hands with soap right before you get in the water and it will grip up your handle a little bit.

OK- there something that BMX riders take called Cyro???. to keep their forearms from getting tired during a race. It gets rid of the lactic acid or something. A 20 minute race can kill your arms from gripping so hard and this really does the trick I have been told. I will get the name of it.

Jim, I rock a ski glove called the Clincher. Takes the stress off of your forearm. You need a hard thick handle, otherwise its useless. Or you can rep 12 oz daily to build strength. You choose!

PUSH UPs, Pull-ups and Curls that will fix you up. I also hold 20lb weights and roll my wrists up.

i heard that the murray handle makes it a whole lot easier on your forearms because of its squared of shape.

I get like that at the beginning of the year... Then just suck it up for a while and it goes away. Maybe that's just me though

Just get married and you will get plenty of forearm exercise flogging the dolphin.

Take some Vitamin S, lift lots of weight while working out and you'll inevitably get huge... and your forearms will stop hurting. Guaranteed to work. All though you may put on twenty to thirty pounds of freakish size, the girls will fall for you, your forearms won't hurt anymore, you may start roid raging, you'll be the envy of everyone in the weightroom and everyone will be amazed at your forearm size, it's definitely worth it.

How about using all your fingers but dont wrap your thumb around, this will cause you to not overgrab/squeeze the handle. I am sure the weightlifters on this board know what I am talking about.

Actually, the "real" gymnastics grips are for more than just protecting the hands from blisters. The ones that are used with high-level gymnastics have a "dowel" type rod attached to them to improve the ability to hold the bar during rotations around it. I wouldn't use this for wakeboarding because it almost "hooks" your hand onto the bar/handle. When you need to let go of the handle the grip may not release as easily and you might get dragged or pulled over (and I'm sure we all know what it is like when we don't let go of the handle in time and the boat wins the tug-of-war ) I would go with the exercises.

The gloves are Clinchers. They do not "hook" you onto the handle. I have seen them used at cable parks when you ride all day long. They do make handle passes more difficult, but not impossible.

In general, the smaller the handle diameter, the more "leverage" you have on the handle, but the harder it is on your skin (blisters and calouses). The larger the diameter, the fewer blisters, but it is more fatiguing over time.

If you "palm" the handle, you will fatigue faster even though you feel stronger for a short while. It takes time before you get the muscle memory to hold the handle right.

Although not really popular, the harder rubber handles (Fly High is the one I use the most) are easier for long runs than the cushy handles. That is because the foam is not trying to expand inside of your hand while you are holding on.

Get your a$$ in the gym!

Bret, he said his "arms" were tired.

lol, humor in the early morning....