How to Exercise Fingers

Get a grip! Few people likely ever think about exercising their fingers. Rock-hard abs, bulging biceps and a powerful chest are what most bodybuilders work toward. But improving your grip by exercising your fingers can have many benefits. Here are some ways you can exercise your fingers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Stretch your fingers before exercising as you would any other body part. Grip each finger individually and slowly bend slightly back toward the wrist until you feel a stretch. Do the same for each thumb as well.
2. Use devices specifically designed to exercise the fingers and wrist. Squeeze balls and spring-loaded gripping devices are great instruments for exercising your fingers.
3. Adjust the form of some exercises to put more emphasis on your fingers. Do pull-ups using your fingertips, or do push-ups on your fingertips instead of on the palms of your hands. Or simply hang from a chin-up bar for as long as you can by your fingertips.
4. Hold a sledgehammer (head down) straight out in front of you with only your fingertips on either side of the handle. "Walk" your fingers down the handle until you reach the head of the sledgehammer.

Tips & Warnings

• Try rock-climbing to exercise your fingers. Rock-climbing requires finger strength and dexterity. This is a great way to exercise your fingers.
• Select hand grippers that work best for your fitness level. Grippers offer a wide range of resistance, staring with as little as 10 pounds of resistance and some going as high as 300 pounds. Choose a hand gripper accordingly and work your way up to more resistance.
• Do not jump into finger exercises if you have never done them before. You can injure tendons in your fingers if you put too much strain on them too quickly. Start slow and increase tension and repetitions gradually.