Strength and Physique

Thor's Hammer is a great tool to build grip strength, develop the forearms and strengthen the rotator cuff. Here are 8 of my favorite exercises using Thor's Hammer: 1) Forward Lever 2) Reverse Lever 3) Side to Side Lever 4) External / Internal Front Rotation 5) External / Internal Side Rotation 6) Helicopters 7) Hammer Pullover 8) Shoulder Cast

Q:  You had mentioned in a previous blog post a site to purchase thick bars. Can you remind me the name of this site again? Thank you. My best, Larry K. My Answer:  It was the  Heavy Handle . I don't think they make the Heavy Handle anymore.  Which is unfortunate, because it was truly a unique and effective piece of equipment for thick bar training. You may want to consider Fat Gripz.   It's an inexpensive way to do fat bar training.

Q: I recently purchased Strength and Physique: The Articles and love it! I can't believe what a few tweaks to my workout has done. Do you plan on releasing the other books as e-books? It's great to have it with me on my e-reader. Thanks! Peter My Answer: Glad the book helped you out. Tactics and Strategies is also available on the Kindle Reader as an E-book, so check that out when you get a chance. Neo-Classical Bodybuilding and Training for the Busy Bodybuilder are not available as E-books, but that may change. I'll keep you guys posted. Q: I want to thank you for your articles on Bodybuilding.com. They have been a big help in developing the body I've always wanted.  With your tips on Wingspan Workouts, I'm having difficulty due to my forearms failing before I feel a burn in my back muscles. Is there anyway to overcome this problem, or should I persevere with the expectation my forearms will adjust over time? Any help you can provide will be ...

Q: I have a few questions concerning forearm size and grip strength. I remember that you mentioned thick bar exercises in one of your blog posts. I haven't been able to find information on those exercises. What are some thick bar exercises? Another article suggested that doing compound lifts such as deadlifts and snatches will strengthen your grip and increase forearm size without the need for isolation exercises. Is that something that you would suggest? My Answer: Do yourself a favor and get a pair of thick bar Heavy Handles. Thick bar exercises just mean you do regular exercises with thick bars and dumbbells, so no matter what exercise you do, you're working the forearms. Heavy Handles allow you to work most of the conventional bodybuilding exercises with a thick grip.

  I recently received a set of "Heavy Handles," a rather unique training tool. It's basically a double-pronged adjustable dumbbell handle. You can add weight to either of the threaded shafts, creating a dumbbell with an offset center of gravity. Thus you can change the angle of resistance for many conventional dumbbell exercises and make them much more difficult.  The Heavy Handle requires standard, one-inch hole plates and comes in 2 grip sizes: a one inch ergonomic handle and a two inch thick bar handle. The Heavy Handle also has a cable ring attachment for use with pulley machines.  I've definitely noticed a difference in using the Heavy Handle. Dumbbell flyes, rows, curls, laterals and triceps extensions all feel very different and more difficult with the Heavy Handle. I actually had to use weights lighter than I use with conventional dumbbells. I've also noticed that my upper body musculature has thickened up quite a bit, especially in my forearms and b...

"Mr. Chan, I have to send this to you through email, because I don't know how to post on your blog. Your advice for developing grip power for pull-up and dead hang purposes was great. As a fitness junkie, I believe that we all are meant to be strong, [but] our society is messed up in a way that we don't let ourselves be. I have done over five years of personal experimenting and research on how to go toward the potential of the human threshold for stamina, muscular endurance, and functional strength, and I have never found a way to build forearm stamina [other] than the advice you gave me. My dead hang time is up to 7 minutes and increasing. I'm shooting for 15. Ha-ha, wish me luck, and thanks for the great advice." J. Winkler My Answer: Hey J.W. Good to hear you're making such great progress. I have to agree with you: our society is messed up and frowns upon men and women who want to be stronger, unless they are professional athletes. Even then, only cert...

Q: I hope I caught your attention with the subject heading, and you did not proceed to jab at the delete button. First off, I just want to thank you for your Strength and Physique Volumes One and Two . I believe your books work, because you are catering to the crowd who unabashedly train for mainly aesthetic reasons. Unlike the ridiculous Men's Health workouts, your methods/principles simply work. I am a medical student and the fact of the matter is that patients unconsciously trust fit doctors. Also, as a young man, I'm still very much interested in impressing the ladies.  That being said, what are your opinions on performing high intensity interval cardio during the decompression weeks? I understand that the weeks are purposely less intense and so will the cardio take away from the results? I just can't stomach the idea of non-intense exercise. Also, what are your opinions on forearm training? Since I wear scrubs in anatomy lab, I wouldn't mind huge, bulging ...

As bodybuilders and strength athletes, we tend to exert a lot of grip strength. Because of this constant gripping, we end up with strength imbalances that can result in aches and pains in our hands and lead to arthritis and carpal tunnel. Finger extensions can alleviate these strength imbalances and are easy to do.