The Cougar Ready Guide: #1. Hold Tight

Posted on 02. Oct, 2009 by Elias Boston in Cougar Ready

Now that the summer has checked out lots of cougar hunters think it’s time to do the same. No more beach, no more reason to keep yourself in shape, right? Unfortunately, it’s this kind of attitude that will kill your chances of mounting your next pelt. Remember what a cougar stands for: living well, dressing well, staying in shape and lots of great, full body sex. And you can’t do that with a side of flabs. So sharpen your spear boys, and get ready to hunt cougars the way it’s been done for generations—with the physique of a warrior.

Every cougar has her ideal. Let’s not worry about that.  Our goal is simply to get a body that will appeal to the greatest number of cougars.

Our first installment starts where everything begins. Your grip. With stronger fingers, wrists and forearms lots of other exercises will become a lot easier. No, not those exercises (although your ‘stranger’ might feel better than the limp-wristed zombie you’re used to). Plus you’ll have the added bonus of sinewy vascular forearms that are impossible not to notice and admire.

GRIP (FOREARMS/FINGERS/WRISTS)

1. Find objects around your house that you can hold in your hands (a barbell plate is ideal) with a little bit of a struggle. Hold the plate or the gigantic textbook or 2×4 at your side, really squeezing it and walking around. You can do one hand at a time and work your way up to both. Go for a few reps of 20-30 seconds. You don’t need to train to failure; you’re just getting your hands and forearms used to working together. Eventually you’ll be walking a mile with 45lb plates in each hand, but for now let’s keep it to something you can handle.
2. Get a gripper. Captains of Crush makes the best in the world (ironmind.com). Unless you know you have strong hands, I’d recommend getting the trainer and working your way up from there (each one is around $20). These are great, measurable ways to see progress in your grip strength. And once you can crush a Level 1 (140 lbs of pressure) in each hand, imagine how much easier pull-ups, benches and dips are going to be. Your hands will have a combined 280 lbs of crushing force. So unless you’re a truly big fella you can be sure your grip won’t be a limiting factor anymore.
3. All you need for this one is a ledge or a chin-up bar. Since we’re going for tough hands, an unpadded bar will work best, but use what you have. With both hands, hang from the bar. Point your feet toward the floor, or fold them up if your legs are too long. Keep a tight grip and keep still—the less movement the better. Make sure your shoulders are tight in their sockets—it’s better for your joints this way. Once you have a two-arm dead hang down, drop one of your arms as you hold the bar. After about five seconds switch arms. Repeat.
4. Go to your garage or your local hardware store. Your mission is to find an 8 or 10 pound sledgehammer. There are a few things you can do with this lovely device. Hold the sledgehammer level in front of you with your palm facing upward. In a smooth motion, roll your wrist over so your palm is now facing the floor. If this is too difficult, move your grip closer to the head of the sledgehammer. This makes the exercise a little easier, and you can work your way up as you get stronger. Switch hands. In order to work different muscles you can alter the position of the sledgehammer so it’s in front of you or at your side. Have fun and experiment, but always use good form. You don’t want to break a nose, toe or tooth.

These exercises should have you well on your way to a seriously good grip. You don’t need to do them all (although you should) to see a difference. Just one of them a couple times a week will be enough to feel the pump.

Next time on Cougar Ready: Sculpting the shoulders.

Tags: cougar ready, fingers, fitness, food, forearms, grip, muscles, workout, wrists