Heavy Grips Hand Grippers - HG100 to HG350 Strength Series

Heavy Grips Strength Series hand grippers give you six fixed resistance levels, HG100 to HG350, in even 50 lb steps. They are built for anyone who wants a stronger crushing grip: lifters losing the bar on deadlifts, arm wrestlers, climbers, and beginners starting grip training from scratch. Each gripper has knurled aluminum handles and a piano wire spring, and the 2, 3 and 6 packs make it easy to own the two-gripper setup GripStrength.com recommends: a working gripper you can close for reps plus a goal gripper one level up.

What It Trains

• Crushing grip: closing a gripper trains the fingers and palm to squeeze, the same strength you use to hold a bar, a handle or an opponent's hand.
• Forearm flexors: the muscles on the palm side of the forearm do the work on every rep.
• Grip endurance: higher rep sets on a lighter level build the staying power for carries, pulls and long climbs.

Grip strength matters beyond the gym, too. A 2019 review in Clinical Interventions in Aging linked grip strength to bone density, mobility, fall risk and overall health in older adults.

Which Level to Start With

Heavy Grips describes each level like this:

• HG100 "Beginner": for grip beginners, younger athletes, people with small hands, and as a warm-up gripper for stronger athletes.
• HG150 "Intermediate": most strong people can do reps with it; a solid goal for newer trainees.
• HG200 "Advanced": where grippers become difficult. People with average strength often struggle to close it for reps.
• HG250 "Professional": if you can close it once, your hand strength is well beyond the average athlete.
• HG300 "The Gripper King": closing it takes consistent, dedicated grip training.
• HG350 "The Grip Monster": closing it puts your hand strength in world-class territory.

Pick a working gripper and a goal gripper. Your working gripper is the level you can close for clean reps today. Your goal gripper is the next level up. The 2 packs are built as working and goal pairs:

• New to grippers: 2 Pack, 100 & 150 lb.
• Already strong or lifting regularly: 2 Pack, 200 & 250 lb.
• Closing the HG250 already: 2 Pack, 300 & 350 lb.
• Want room to progress: a 3 Pack covers three steps in a row, and the 6 Pack covers the full ladder so you always own your next level.

Not sure where you stand? Read Choosing the Right Gripper Resistance Level for Beginners before you order.

How to Use

1. Set the gripper in your hand with one handle across your palm and the other handle at the middle of your fingers, spring on top.
2. Squeeze smoothly until the handles touch. A full close is what counts as a rep.
3. Open the gripper under control instead of letting it snap open.
4. Train both hands, starting with your weaker hand.

Mini protocol:

• Train grippers about twice a week, and skip a session if your hands are still sore.
• Warm up with a few easy reps on a lighter level.
• Do 3 to 5 sets on your working gripper, staying in the 5 to 25 rep range Heavy Grips recommends.
• Finish with 2 or 3 single attempts on your goal gripper while you are fresh enough to squeeze hard.
• Once you can do 15 to 25 reps on your working gripper, your goal gripper becomes your new working gripper and the next level up becomes your goal.

Balance all that squeezing with extensor work. The IronMind Expand-Your-Hand Bands train the opening muscles of the hand alongside your gripper sessions, or use the GripSaver Plus if you want flexion and extension in one tool.

Heavy Grips vs Captains of Crush

Both are excellent fixed grippers, and they suit different needs. Captains of Crush grippers from IronMind are the benchmark in grip sport, the grippers most serious grip athletes measure themselves against. Heavy Grips is the reputable value option: six clearly spaced levels, knurled aluminum handles, and multi-gripper packs that make a full working and goal setup affordable. You can build your base on Heavy Grips and add Captains of Crush as you move into grip sport.

The two brands rate their grippers with different methods, so do not convert numbers from one brand to the other. Pick your level within the brand you are buying. For a deeper look, see Hand Grippers Compared: CoC vs Heavy Grips vs Adjustable.

What's Included

• 1 Gripper: one Heavy Grips hand gripper at the level you choose (HG100, HG150, HG200, HG250, HG300 or HG350).
• 2 Pack: two grippers, either 100 & 150 lb, 200 & 250 lb, or 300 & 350 lb.
• 3 Pack: three grippers, either 100, 150 & 200 lb or 250, 300 & 350 lb.
• 6 Pack: one of each level, HG100 through HG350.

Specs

FAQ

How does Heavy Grips measure each gripper's rating?

Heavy Grips measures twisting force at the middle of the gripper and converts it to inch-pounds, which is the "lb" number on each level. They sell training tools rather than calibrated instruments, so treat the rating as a close guide, and don't expect a bathroom scale test at home to match it.

Why are the handles so rough?

The handles are machine knurled so the gripper doesn't slip in your hand, even when your hands are sweaty. Newer grippers add a non-slip anodized coating that makes the knurl more comfortable. Your skin toughens up after a few sessions.

What is the coil at the top of the gripper?

That is the spring, wound from piano wire. It supplies the resistance. Keep your fingers on the handles, not on the coil.

Do I need a separate gripper for each hand?

No. Grippers are sold singly, and one gripper trains both hands: finish your sets with one hand, then switch. Buy a second gripper of the same level only if you want one for home and one for the gym.

Is there anything lighter than the HG100?

Yes. The Heavy Grips Fitness Series runs from 50 to 120 lb on a smaller frame for smaller hands, and the Heavy Grips Therapy Series comes in 20 and 35 lb for rehab and very light training.

How long until I move up a level?

It varies from person to person. Use the rep target as your signal rather than the calendar: when your working gripper goes for 15 to 25 clean reps, it is time to train toward the next level.

Browse every gripper we carry in the Hand Grippers collection, or see where your grip stacks up in Grip Strength Standards: How Strong Should You Be?