There are many types of expanders, including for different muscle groups. Distinguish: carpal expander, "butterfly", rubber band, skier expander, chest expander.
Hand expander is a simulator with one or several springs, you can also find a simulator in the form of a rubber ring. He is one of the most popular simulators of small sizes. With it, you can increase the grip strength to 165 kg. Exercise machines can be of various types and from various materials.
Expander Benefits
If you use the carpal expander correctly, you can pump up the muscles to the level you need. The simulator strengthens the muscles of the forearms and hands, it can also be used to rehabilitate muscles after injuries. This subject is also useful to athletes, with its help they can achieve better results by strengthening the grip force.
For massage therapists, this is also a necessary thing, using an expander, their hands will always be in good shape. Yes, and this simulator will be useful to any man.
Why aren't all expanders suitable for strength training?
Unfortunately, not every hand expander is capable of producing results. There is nothing complicated in this subject. But you need to choose it, knowing some of the subtleties. There is one most important point - this is the level of rigidity, in good exercise machines it is from 50 kg and above, in not very good ones it does not even reach 25 kg.
The figure below shows a rubber expander that does not indicate stiffness. Using such a ring, you can’t increase muscle strength.
Why exactly a professional expander?
Often in a sports store you can find expanders with pimples in the form of a rubber ring, theoretically - for additional massage, or exercise machines with soft handles. But will there be a necessary effect from them?
Those who go to the gym every week, practicing with the barbell, during training, perform up to 15 bar lifts, no matter how long a person is engaged, he will not perform 100-200 repetitions in one approach. The same principle applies when working with an expander.
Ordinary rubber rings and simple expanders from stores usually have insufficient load for a good result, 30-40 kg. For an adult male, this load will not be enough, such species are more likely to suit a child or a woman.
These simulators can still be used by a man, but only as a warm-up, to warm up the muscles, and then use a professional expander with a higher load.
How to choose an expander for training?
This simulator can be of various types, but there is one most important characteristic that you need to pay attention to is the degree of rigidity. This value is measured in kilograms. If the stiffness is 30 kg, then in order to completely compress the expander, it will be necessary to apply just such a weight application. Here are the main types:
- Classic expander or rubber rings. It used to be very common in the Soviet Union, today it has almost lost its popularity. Very easy to use and not expensive. Such a simulator has a fixed stiffness, which usually does not exceed 25 kg, which is very small for a full-fledged training for an adult man. It is inconvenient to squeeze such a ring, at first there will be pain. It can be used by children or for warming up.
- Expander with a spring. The appearance resembles ticks. It is two handles that are connected by a spring. This carpal expander can be both adjustable (the ability to change stiffness) and not adjustable. A big plus of the adjustable one is that it can be used both for warming up, exhibiting low stiffness, and for a full workout, setting the stiffness higher.
- Steel expanders. These simulators are used mainly by professionals. Stiffness can reach 160 kg, of course, such a simulator will not be possible for a beginner. Their stiffness can also be adjustable and not adjustable. It is more difficult to purchase this hand expander; it can be found either in large sports stores or in specialized online stores.
Torsion and adjustable expanders
All types of expanders can be divided into two main groups - torsion and adjustable. Torsion types have one fixed load, rarely there are exceptions, and adjustable ones have several load levels. Let us conduct a comparative analysis of these groups.
Dimensions
Torsion in this case is more convenient, they weigh less and are easily adjustable. You can easily take them with you wherever you go.
Load
For full training of torsion expanders, you will need three different models - warm-up, training and target, since they have a fixed load. To warm up, you can use the cheaper option - rubber - in the form of a ring. By purchasing a rubber expander, you will receive a simulator for both warm-up and training and target approaches.
Price
The cost of an adjustable simulator is higher than the cost of a torsion, but one adjustable will replace you with a lot of torsion.
Convenience
Torsion expanders have one drawback, its handles and springs are in different planes, for this reason it is always more convenient to squeeze it with one hand than with the other, although you can get used to everything. The adjustable simulators springs and handles are in the same plane, so it is convenient to use them with any hand.
Varieties of expanders
Differences of simulators in material and design:
- Rubber expander (photo below). The rigidity of these simulators are different, on average, from 5 to 25 kg.
- The simulator is made of metal and plastic. The first option: two plastic handles are interconnected by a spring or a special mechanism. This simulator is convenient and easy to hold. The stiffness is also not very high, usually up to 25 kg, since the plastic is not very hardy, perfect for warming up. Often met with a repetition counter. The second option: the tool handles are parallel to each other, and the mechanism itself is between them. This expander (manual) looks like a standard hand dynamometer.
- Steel expander. The shape of the simulator resembles tongs. The degree of stiffness can be different, from 45 kg to 160 kg. Because they are subjected to a large load, a less durable material such as plastic or rubber will not work.
Hand Stiffness
Rigidity is the most important characteristic that describes the hand expander, it is expressed in kilograms. That is, rigidity is the force that needs to be applied in order to fully compress the simulator - so that the two simulator handles touch, or the two sides of the rubber ring.
If you set a goal - to increase the grip force, then, choosing a simulator, you must definitely watch the degree of rigidity. A tool on which it is not indicated will be useless to you.
Exercise technique
Using an expander, the exercises can be performed very simple, and to be more precise, the exercise is only one - the complete squeezing of the simulator. But there are rules that should be followed when performing exercises:
- Expander stiffness choose the maximum according to your capabilities.
- It is not necessary to do a large number of repetitions if the stiffness is chosen correctly enough 10-15.
- It is always necessary to warm up the brushes; a simple rubber expander ring is perfect for this.
- Take breaks between workouts so your forearm muscles have time to rest.
- You should not do workouts to strengthen the hands before or during a regular workout, it is better to perform these exercises after the entire workout to strengthen the body or in general on other days.
Starting a workout to strengthen the grip, you need to understand that one expander can not do. Minimum - you will need two simulators. The first simulator should not have high rigidity, usually rubber rings are perfect. Then the degree of rigidity needs to be increased, for this it is necessary to purchase another expander. You can take an adjustable one. If you increase the grip strength so as not to drop the bar from your hands, then you will need to purchase another simulator - with a grip force of more than 65 kg. It should be made of steel, it is also better to choose an adjustable one.
There is one rule: when you use an expander, exercises should not be given to you too easily.
conclusions
An expander is a simulator to increase grip strength. It is useful to any man and even a woman, professional weightlifters will also find it a very useful simulator. It has different degrees of rigidity, so children can use it - an expander with minimal femininity.
In order to use the hand expander, you do not need to know many techniques for training, there is one main exercise that must be performed periodically. However, there are rules for doing this exercise that should be followed.
The cost of such simulators is not straightforward, the simplest rubber ones are very cheap, but they can’t be dispensed with, plastic and steel are much more expensive, but the effect of them is much greater. The price may also vary, depending on whether the expander is regulated or not.
The expander is a small and easy to use simulator, choose the appropriate load for you and feel free to use it.