Few things are more frustrating than training hard for a race only to get stuck at an obstacle because your grip keeps giving out.

Most obstacle course races will require you to climb and swing using ropes, bars, rings, balls, pipes, and other grips designed to test your ability to grab and hold on (a feat that becomes even more challenging when your hands get wet, muddy, and/or cold!).

So if you’re coming in to race day with the goal of 100% obstacle completion, then you’re going to need to work on your grip strength.

It seems like there are a million different ways to train your grip, but here are my top three:

1.) Hang Variations

One of the most simple, yet effective ways to train your grip is just to grab a bar (or an I-beam, a tree branch, etc.), lift your feet off the ground, and hold on. If you’re just starting out, try holding for sets of 10 seconds and then slowly work your way up to hanging for a full minute.

I really like using this exercise to train my grip because it also opens up my shoulders and gets them used to a loaded, overhead position. Both grip strength and shoulder mobility are key when it comes to any kind of swinging obstacle.

You can make hanging easier by lightly putting a foot on the ground to take some of the weight off your hands. Or you can make it harder with the one-handed variation.

I also like to throw in some bent-arm hanging by holding my chin above the bar for time. This focuses more on the muscles in your back and arms than your grip, but you’re going to want all of those working together for those tough rigs.

2.) Climbing Rope

Another way to work your grip strength together with your pull-chain muscles is to climb rope. The rope is going to give you a different challenge than hanging from a bar because it’s vertical, it’s flexible, and it can swing in all directions.

That means you’re going to have to squeeze with your hands to avoid slipping down and you’ll also have to engage your core and other stabilizer muscles to counteract the extra movement of the rope.

The standard technique is to pinch the rope with your feet, move your hands up, bring the feet up and pinch higher, then repeat. However, if you can work up to the legless rope climb variation, you’ll be well on your way to developing both elite grip strength AND upper body strength.

3.) Get Some Grips

One of the best ways to train grip strength for OCR is to simulate the obstacles you’re going to face and then practice on them.

I highly recommend making or purchasing some ninja or OCR-type grips to hang in your basement, garage, yard, etc. (Click here for a sample of the grips you’ll face at the Abominable Snow Race) Rings, handles, and ball grips are great to play around on, but it’s the vertical pipes and ropes that are really going to challenge you.

Once you have a few grips up, you can hang from them, do pull-ups on them, and practice making your way across them without touching the ground. You can either swing from grip to grip with straight arms, or pull your elbows down and make your way from grip to grip in a bent-arm position. The second option requires a lot more upper body strength, but it usually makes it easier to hold on (especially with the vertical grips).

Whatever method(s) you choose to train your grip, make sure you’re consistent with it. As long as you don’t overdo it, you’ll likely be able to train your grip 5 or 6 times per week. But if you want to play it safe, stick with every other day. Just give it enough time and you’ll be pulling, climbing, and swinging your way through your next race!

For more tips on OCR training, click HERE to follow Mark on Instagram.