Simple hand strengthening exercises can be done anywhere at any time because they require little specialty equipment. A hand exerciser can be purchased from some retailers, and this device is specially designed to strengthen fingers as well as the rest of the hand. If a person does not want to spend the money on such a device, a tennis ball works well for hand strengthening: simply squeezing on the ball several times can exercise the muscles of the hand. For a more in-depth workout, it may be a good idea to go to a gym or fitness center to use some of the more specialty equipment.
At the gym, hand strengthening can be done quickly and easily. An exercise known as the farmer's walk can be done by holding heavy dumbbells, one in each hand, hanging down at the person's sides. The person will then walk quickly from one location to another and then back; the idea is to grip the dumbbells until the hands can no longer support the weight. The person can then rest and repeat the exercise. Static resistance will strengthen not only the hands, but also the wrists and forearms.
If a chin-up bar is available at home, other hand strengthening exercises can be done without a trip to the gym. One such exercise involves the use of a towel draped over the chin up bar; the towel should be gripped on either end with each hand, thumbs pointing upward. Then the person will lift his or her feet off the ground so all of the body's weight is being supported by the hands hanging from the towel. Holding this position for as long as possible will provide static resistance once again, strengthening the hands, wrists, and forearms.
Finger push-ups are hand strengthening exercises that will work many other muscles at the same time. This exercise is done just like a traditional push-up, but instead of laying the hands flat on the ground, the person will put all of the body's weight on the fingertips. The push-ups can be done normally, though it is likely that the person will not be able to do as many push-ups as he or she would normally be able to do. Finger fatigue can happen rapidly, especially if the person is new to the hand strengthening workout. To avoid injury, it is wise to start with only a few repetitions before resting.
