How to Strengthen Your Grip to Prevent Elbow Pain

I have noticed that my elbow pain flares up whenever I do heavy pulling movements where my grip is the weak link. I am looking for how to strengthen your grip to prevent elbow pain and improve my lifting performance. I have heard that weak forearms can lead to a lot of issues in the elbow joint.

I am thinking about adding some farmer walks and some plate pinches to the end of my workouts. I am also looking at using fat grips on the bar to make my hands work harder. I am in the US and I want to have a crush grip that helps me handle heavy weights safely.

Do any of you have a specific grip training routine? I am curious if you find it is better to train grip every day or if it needs as much rest as other muscle groups. I would also love to hear if you noticed your elbow pain going away once your forearms got stronger. I would appreciate any advice on the best tools for grip strength!

I had the exact same issue last fall. My 'tennis elbow' was actually caused by my flexors being way stronger than my extensors. I started using those rubber finger bands to train the opening of my hand, and the pain in my elbow cleared up in about three weeks.

Spot on, TXguy. Balancing the extensors is massive. Over here in the UK, a lot of climbers use a bucket of rice for 'rice bucket' drills to strengthen the whole forearm and wrist complex. It’s a bit messy for a flat, but it’s brilliant for rehabilitating the tendons around the elbow.

I’m a big fan of Fat Gripz for this. They force you to engage more of the forearm muscles during rows and curls. Just be careful not to jump straight into your max weight with them or you'll aggravate the elbow further.

Totally agree! I find that simple Farmer’s Walks are the best way to build 'real world' grip strength. I do them at the end of my session with heavy kettlebells. It really helps stabilise the elbow joint under load.

I've been looking into this myself and honestly the options are overwhelming. Has anyone had hands-on experience with those heavy-duty hand grippers (like Captains of Crush)? I'm wondering if those actually help with the elbow or just make it worse.

Careful with the CoC grippers, Mike. If you already have elbow inflammation, high-intensity crushing can be like throwing petrol on a fire. I’d stick to high-volume, low-intensity work until the pain subsides.

Thanks for the advice everyone! TorontoTech, what do you mean by high-volume work? Just holding onto things for longer?

Exactly. Dead hangs from a pull-up bar are perfect. Aim for 3 sets of 30-45 seconds. It decompresses the spine and builds that 'static' endurance in the forearms that protects the elbow during heavy pulls.

I’ve started using a towel for pull-ups instead of the bar. It’s an old wrestling trick. The neutral grip is much easier on the elbows than a standard overhand grip and it hits the grip ten times harder.

Towel pull-ups are nails! I can only manage a few before my forearms give out. Definitely a great Canadian suggestion there.

Has anyone tried the 'hammer curl' for this? I found that strengthening the brachioradialis helped take the pressure off the inner elbow (medial epicondylitis).

Yes! Hammer curls with a slow eccentric (the lowering phase) are amazing for tendon health. I do them with a 3-second count on the way down.

Does anyone else get pain when using a straight barbell for curls? I had to switch to an EZ-bar because the 'colour' of my form was just off and it was wrecking my wrists and elbows.

Totally agree with VancouverDave. Straight bars are the enemy of my elbows. Dumbbells or EZ-bars only for me now.

One thing people forget is soft tissue work. Get a lacrosse ball and roll out those forearms. If the muscles are 'glued' together, it doesn't matter how much you strengthen them, the tension will still pull on the elbow.

I’ve never tried the lacrosse ball thing. I'll give it a go tonight. Is it normal for it to be super painful at first?

Yeah, it's 'good pain'. Just don't go too hard over the bone. Focus on the meaty part of the forearm.

Another quick one—check your typing posture. If you’re at a desk all day in a London office like me, that repetitive strain builds up and then manifests when you lift heavy.

That's a great point. I switched to a vertical mouse and it helped my 'off-ice' recovery a lot.