According to Joe Rogan, grip strength is an important yet often overlooked area of overall strength and fitness.
Comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan is a huge advocate for training grip strength due to its benefits for activities like Brazilian jiu-jitsu and overall longevity.
In this post, we will share Joe Rogan’s grip strength routine, recommendations, and workouts.
Joe Rogan’s Recommendations:
Grip Strengthener: Captains of Crush
Pull Up Bar: Ally Peaks
Joe Rogan Grip Strength Workout
Rogan recommends starting with dead hangs from a pullup bar for 30 seconds to warm up the shoulders and grip.
Then, on your next set, try to hold for a minute or longer.
Simply hanging with your full body weight taxes the grip muscles in the hands and forearms.
Rogan aims to do this for two minutes every day.
Related: Joe Rogan Jaw Exercise: Recommendation
Joe Rogan Grip Strength for Jiu Jitsu
According to Rogan, having a strong grip is crucial for many jiu-jitsu techniques and submissions.
Weak grip strength can cause you to get tapped out earlier or fail to lock in submissions properly against stronger training partners.
Buying Guide: Best Grip Strength Testers
Grip Training for Longevity
Joe Rogan’s friend and medical expert Dr. Peter Attia recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Dr. Attia noted studies that show a threefold reduction in all-cause mortality when comparing groups with high grip strength to those with low.
One of Dr. Attia’s favorite general strength tests is the dead hang because of what it represents.
Being able to support your entire body weight with just your hands demonstrates total body tension and strength.
Conditions like arthritis that reduce grip and arm strength are strongly predictive of higher mortality.
Related: Bryan Johnson Longevity Workout: Complete Guide [2024]
Joe Rogan Grip Strength Exercises
While dead hang time is a pure grip endurance test, other exercises can further boost grip power.
Grip Strength Trainer
These handheld devices have been mentioned on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The Captains of Crush brand comes in 11 different resistance levels.
Trainer (100 lbs) is the most popular, followed by Point Five (120 lbs).
Related: Alex Hormozi Workout: Bodybuilding Routine
Farmer’s Walks
Carrying heavy weights like dumbells or kettlebells stresses the grip needed to hold onto them, leading to greater strength.
It’s best to go for distance or time rather than reps.
Plate Pinches
Using small weight plates, squeeze them together with your thumb, pressing against your fingers for a set amount of time.
Your thumb accounts for 60% of your overall grip strength, so it’s also a good idea to pursue targeted thumb strength training.
Plate pinches are a simple way to train pinch grip strength quickly.
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Forearm Curls
Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with dumbbells, low cable machines, or a specialized device isolate the forearm flexor and extensor muscles for grip strength.
This will contribute to improving the muscles related to grip strength.
Wrist Rollers
Attach a weight to a rope-handled spool, then wind and unwind it using wrist flexion and extension to lift and lower the weight.
This inexpensive method is one of the more challenging and targeted forearm exercises.
Thick Bar Training
Fat bar attachments strain grip muscles more than regular bars due to greater diameter.
Wrap these around your existing pull-up bar to increase the difficulty level.
