When you are performing hand strengthening exercises to improve your punching power and hand speed, you need to have a multidimensional view of things. The selection of exercises and training parameters should be varied to get the best results. Here are some exercises which will strengthen your hands and be very beneficial if you are into martial arts or boxing.
5 Hand Strengthening Exercises
Flat Barbell Press
The motive of this exercise is to develop as much strength as you can. Do remember that punching power comes from a combination of speed and strength. If possible attach resistance bands or chains to the ends of the barbell. This will add to the resistance when you drive the barbell upwards.
Do 5 sets of this exercise and gradually increase the weights. You can start with 2 repetitions and go up till 10 as the strength of your hands increases. The rest required for this exercise is 2-4 minutes, and more if the load is really heavy. This is one of the most popular hand strengthening exercises.
Smith Machine Throws
This exercise is done in an explosive manner and hence is very good for improving hand speed and punching power. In this exercise you will end up using only 25% of what you would use for regular sets. For the execution you can toss it up as high as you can catch it and speedily lower the barbell towards the chest.
Make sure not to go beyond 90 degrees. Toss the barbell up again and perform the movements as quickly as you can to improve the speed of the hands and punching power. Perform 3 sets with 6-8 repetitions in every set. Take a rest for 3 minutes.
Plyometric Push Ups
This is one of the great hand strengthening exercises for increasing speed and punching power. For this you will require two steps used in aerobics exercises and place them 4-6 feet apart. You do the push up with each hand placed on one bench.
When you can push off place your hands between the steps. Move upwards and move the hands back on the steps. Perform 3 sets of this exercise doing as many repetitions as you can. Take a rest interval of 3 minutes.
Resistance Band Punches
To do this exercise wrap a couple of resistance bands around the bar on anything that comes to your shoulder height. Take hold of the handles and make sure that the bands are under your arms. Once this is done, start shadowboxing, and if you have a partner ask him or her to hold pads.
When you start becoming tired drop one band and continue the exercise. Do 3 rounds of these hand strengthening exercises for one minute each and take a rest for 1 minute.
Freemotion Hooks
Not all gyms have a free motion cable machine so you will have to look for one. This exercise aims at training your hand speed and punching power, especially for hooking. Do three sets of this exercise with ten repetitions and take a rest for 1 minute.
