Black Diamond Forearm Trainer

So one of my new fascinations lately has definitely been rock climbing, and primarily bouldering. As some of you may know I work from home at my computer almost all day long so it can be hard for me to get out and exercise much. I wont say that this is any extreme workout but it definitely helps to get a little grip training while im at my desk thinking or trying to relieve some stress. There are a few ways I have found that work pretty well on holding the trainer like you would normally grip a hold so hopefully it helps in the long run. Anyway thats enough about me so lets get to a few of the exercises I do with the Black Diamond Forearm Trainer I picked up from REI.

Palm Squeeze Exercise

Exercise 1 – Palm Squeeze
This is the most simple exercise that I expect just about everyone does when they first pick this up and try it out. This is done when you rest the trainer in the bottom palm near your thumb and then wrap your fingers around the top and just squeeze. This can also be done using only a few fingers instead of all four fingers like show in the picture to the right. There is a variation I have done with this squeeze that just involves squeezing the trainer ring closer to one side to pinch it so it almost forms an egg shape in the inside of the ring.

Thumb Squeeze Exercise

Exercise 2 – Thumb Squeeze
This is almost identical to the ‘Palm Squeeze’ except for the fact you use your thumb instead of your palm to squeeze against the trainer ring. Again this can be done with less fingers to improve your grip with limited finger capability. There is a similar variation to the ‘Palm Squeeze’ in that you can also do the same squeeze but closer to the side so its a different angled pinch on the trainer ring. This will do more work than the ‘Palm Squeeze’ and I have found to be a better variation.

Table Squeeze Exercise

Exercise 3 – Table Squeeze
Same idea as the other holds except you rest the trainer ring against the edge of a table or desk and can push down on it with your fingers. This can have a couple variations depending on the table you use. With my desk I can place my thumb underneath the lip to do it a bit differently. Be careful with this one just because the trainer ring can slip out but I havent had any major accidents with it yet.

Variations
Heres a few of the variations I mentioned for the different type of squeezes. I am more of a fan of the ‘Thumb Squeeze’ variation as it tends to be something you would be more likely to do at the gym when your pinching a hold.

Palm Squeeze Variation

Thumb Squeeze Variation

Well thats it, if you guys have any other ideas for exercises feel free to shoot me a message or comment on the post. I am always open to more ideas and I will update the post with anything I receive. Thanks!