Bass Strength Training?

I’ve been using that D’Addario hand exercise device since I started B-to-B last October and my strength and dexterity have improved immensely. My pinky was very weak and inflexible before I started using the exerciser; fretting the E string now is much easier. Highly recommend it!

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Facepull are very underrated!

I’m a weightlifter and since I discover the facepull (cable, band, dumbell) my shoulder joints are healing (rotator cuff!!!)

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You can do face pulls with some inexpensive exercise bands, and for Romanian Deadlifts, a pair of dumbells will suffice. WARNING - if you use bands, make SURE the band is properly anchored, and maybe even wear safety glasses… Former Senator Harry Reid lost a eye when an exercise band he was using popped loose.

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What a way to lose an eyeball! Good grief! Thanks for the tip. And the warning!

I strength train pretty heavily, and as a newbie to the course so far I’ve found I have zero issues with physical fatigue, especially in the hands. I think doing heavy pull type compound lifts like heavy cable rows or deadlifts, combined with more forearm stimulating exercises like shoulder shrugs, farmer walks, or using a weighted forearm roller will massively improve forearm and grip strength, it certainly did for me. You’d still need to actually practice bass to improve finger stretch and coordination, but fatigue will be less of an issue. Just make sure to train with progressive overload in mind like you do with learning music, try to go a little harder every time you train in order to keep improving and building.

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Wrist curls and other forearm strengthening exercises will do a lot more for you (and be a lot safer and more healthy) than grip trainers for sure. Grip trainers can add to RSI risk - in fact I actually have harmed myself with them in the past (way before my bass days).

Wrist curls are also good therapy and preventative for several wrist-related RSI’s and so you get double benefits there. In fact I may start some up again, need to get back in to my workout.

Also, fantastic user name, @Spamuel_L_Jackson :rofl:

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Thanks!

As for getting the maximum burn and bang for your buck on forearm and wrist strength, I’ve found something like this has done more for me than barbell/dumbbell wrist curls. Amazon sells them for like $20 and you can attach pretty much anything to them and even a little 8lb weight has my arms burning after just a few cycles of up and down.

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Cool. I might try that with dumbells but it would probably get all squirrelly after the burn set in.

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Oh yeah, you definitely struggle once the burn sets in and need to rest a bit between sets, but you can really feel it hitting the all muscles and is one of the few really good exercise I’ve found that can be used to stimulate wrist extension and not just flexion, so you can really develop the whole forearm.

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I do need to up my grip strength a bit, currently feeling some burn on guitar barre chord practice.

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If you want to torch your forearms / grip strength, try this. Lay a full sheet of newspaper flat on a table. Put your hand in the middle, and then crumple it all up into a ball with just the one hand. Repeat on the other side. Doesn’t sound like nearly the workout it is.

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For the younger BassBuzzers: it doesn’t work with a kindle! :slight_smile:

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it does if you try hard enough

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