Grip strength is a must in both Judo and Brazilian Jujitsu. A stronger grip simply means a stronger overall game. If you are stronger than your opponent then you instantly have an advantage over
them. I like to perform a range of forearm and finger circuits that will not only have your forearms screaming but also seriously increase the strength of your Judo game.

You can choose whenever you like to perform these grip strength circuits. Some of these circuits are more suited to when you are working out, at home or in the dojo. It all depends on where you
are training at the time. If you are doing these circuits at the gym I suggest you do them at the end of your workout and if you are going to complete these on a Judo day I would advise you to do
them after Judo practice, (unless of course you want to fight with extremely fatigued forearms.)

Obviously there may be some pieces of equipment that you do not have but you can swap and change some of the exercises to suit you and your individual needs.

The whole aim of these circuits is to not only increase the strength of your forearms and fingers, but also raise the lactic acid buffer. Lactic acid occurs when you exercise at a high intensity
and it feel like your muscles are on fire and very lethargic. Put simply the muscle or muscles that are full of lactic acid will fell like they weigh 100 pounds.

These grip strength circuits are designed to put as much lactic acid into your forearms as possible which will assist in raising the lactic acid buffer. If you complete these 2-3 times a week you
will begin to see that your forearms can not only last longer when training, but you can grip harder and break grips easier than before.

Here are a few of my favourite forearm and finger strengthening circuits. I have a variety of circuits that can be completed either at home, gym or dojo.

Circuit 1:

1 Minute Wrist roller
1 Minute Dead Hang (hang off a chin up bar)
Repeat 2 rounds

Circuit 2:

30 Seconds Farmers Walk
30 Seconds Pinch Grip Farmers Walk
30 seconds Dead hang
Repeat 3 rounds

Circuit 3:

Place a newspaper on the floor and time how long it takes you to crush up ten pages using only one hand. Repeat three or four rounds and record your best time. Rest between one and two minutes
between sets.

Circuit 4:

Perform an intense round of grip fighting. Be out the front for 2 minutes but get a fresh partner every 30 seconds. This is the best way to build not only forearm and grip strength, but also help
you use it in a very sports specific way.

I always recommend my athletes to train their forearms on a regular basis because if you can grip your opponent gi really hard your opponent will get an uneasy feeling that they are in for a hard
fight.