Lonsdale Hand grips are one of my pieces of keep fit / exercise equipment that I keep in my garage, and use from time to time in attempt to tone my body a little and keep the weight off, especially as Christmas time approaches, and all the food and drink that gets consumed throughout the festive period.



Lonsdale Hand grips are basically a bit of kit that is designed to exercise and strengthen the forearms, hand muscles and the tendons. This is ideal for anyone wanting to build up their thin or weak forearms and at the same time will give a generally improved hand grip, which will come in handy for day to day issues, such as opening a jar of jam!

These hand grips are also used by a lot of people to help with certain health problems such as tennis elbow, and also my late grandad used to use these to help keep his arms strong whilst he battled with multiple sclerosis.


These grips from Lonsdale are basically a strong spring, covered with a plastic casing in a shape that fits into the hand. This plastic cover is then covered in a nice soft black coloured foam, and it is this foam covered plastic shape that you hold onto and squeeze in order to close the two handles together, and then let them spring open again, to complete 1 repetition.

This exercise is not as easy as it sounds, and depending on your initial strength, you will feel a burning / aching sensation creeping into your forearms after perhaps just 10-15 reps when first using these.

I have had my set for about six months now, but I don't really count how many reps I do. Instead, I just keep squeezing the grips in and out until my forearms feel like they are about to explode, at which time I stop for a rest, then I repeat the process again. I can always see that I am working my forearms straight after I have done a workout with the hand grips, mainly by just looking at my forearms, and I can see that my arms look like they are bigger, as the muscles have been working so hard, that they kind of swell up slightly, but only for a short while. The next day the arms will ache a little if you have been putting a lot of effort in, but after using them a few times, the aches become less obvious.


These grips are ideal for working out with pretty much anywhere, such as when watching TV, or out walking, or maybe even during a lunch break at work. I did keep mine in my car for a while, and used to get them out of my glove box, and use them if I was stuck in a bad traffic jam, or if I was waiting to pick someone up etc.


In terms of price these Lonsdale hand grips are very cheap compared to the other brands available which generally cost around £5 - £8. My Lonsdale set however cost me just £1:50 from my local Sports Direct store which is a real bargain. This low cost however does not give way to a low quality product in my opinion, as the grip is comfy and smooth, and the resistance that they offer is pitched just about right.
A few months ago I had noticed that my set were starting to squeak a lot when in use, so I sprayed a tiny amount of WD40 into the spring which instantly stopped the squeaky noises.

Overall they are a great little piece of kit. They really work the forearms, and I can definitely tell that my arms are a little more bulkier - not like the famous Popeye arms, but there is a little more substance to them compared to the twig like forearms I used to have!


Thanks for Reading.


© L500589 2012