Have you ever heard someone say, “Can you open this jar for me?” or “Can you hold this bag of groceries?” Many types of grips exist in our everyday world without awareness. Baseball batters and golfers (both professional and amateur) must have a tight hold on the bat or club. Seamstresses who thread a needle or carpenters handling screws need a less stronghold, named a “pincer” grip with highly flexed and precise finger work. Woodworkers with hammers, saws, and drills use their dexterous hands while manipulating their tools in various ways. Violinists and pianists have different needs specific to both strength and flexibility for their hands, wrists, and forearms.
Grip strength is often times “assumed” as we mature. Strength from the combination of the muscles of the fingers, palm, wrist, and forearm unconsciously weaken as time progresses. The ability to demonstrate good grip strength is frequently used as a reliable screening tool for diagnosing sarcopenia. It can be a measurement of upper body and overall strength. Also, it is a simple and definable measurement of maximum voluntary muscle strength.
Ways to Support Grip Strength in a Pilates Studio:
Though rarely addressed, the Pilates studio offers a plethora of opportunities for improving grip strength. An alternative to extending the fingers when holding the loops or handles would be to clench them as Joe Pilates demonstrated in the archival videos. He had a “fist-style” of holding the handles similar to a punch.
- The wood and neoprene handles in the Pilates studio, when used with the springs and cords, produces an actual cylindrical grip that can yield a firm flexed grip. With increased resistance, grip strength can be improved. Also, varying the finger position on the handles can focus on specific finger strength.
- Holding the footbar in Pilates movements, such as swan or push-ups, can also produce a flexed finger environment conducive to producing increased grip strength. Altering the resistance can positively influence the tension of the hold.
- Surprisingly, the weighted small balls provide an abundance of opportunities for specific hand strength. Just as the feet have arches, so do the hands: transverse, longitudinal, and oblique arches. The ball allows these arches to flex according to the orientation of the wrist and arm. For instance, if you hold a two-pound ball supine in your palm, it basically rests in your hand with the fingers clutching the sides of the sphere to prevent it from falling. Conversely, if it is held in a prone position with the fingers facing downward, the demand on the five digits is greater creating a firmer grasp. Furthermore, percussive, circular, and linear movements build on increased demand and difficulty.
- The dowel and gondola pole require the hands to work. Depending on the choreography, sometimes the dowel becomes an extension of the arm (as in “Spear-a-Fish”), thus increasing the lever length of the arm. The index finger or thumb can be employed to guide the prop to correct placement.
- Most students extend their fingers when holding the ring. It is a totally different experience when firmly cupping the hands around the circle.
When in the studio next time, think about hand strength as a supplement to your Pilates training. It is a functional outlook toward you and your clients’ lives!
Valentin entered the professional movement industry in 1984 with a history in ballet, competitive aerobics, and group fitness management. Her affiliation with prestigous companies as Nike and Reebok, provided her with valuable experience in group teaching skills.
After a long pilates mentorship with Elizabeth Larkam, Valentin became a Balanced Body Educator in 2004. With her certifications from Pilates Method Alliance and American Council in Education, Valentin opened a successful Pilates studio in Northern California. Her group exercise knowledge provided familiarity with large group training to music. Hence, she was teaching nine students on reformers to move in sync with musical accompaniment.
Since 2005, Valentin has been regular presenter of Balanced Body Pilates on Tour. Additionally, she has traveled throughout the world, including India, Italy, England, Germany, Korea, Israel, and Turkey, to provide ongoing educational credits to other instructors. Valentin has also been fortunate to learn from some of the world’s most renowned teachers, including Lolita San Miguel, Alan Herdman, Julian Littleford, Tom McCook, Karen Clippinger, Eric Franklin, and Brent Anderson.
Valentin’s clientele includes an impressive range of people and ages. For many years, she has worked with athletes of all levels, including all-American swimmers, cyclists, golfers, dancers, ranked tennis players, and even NFL players. Since 2004, she has been teaching Pilates to seniors—a population with whom she loves to work. Having experienced two hip replacements herself and two big toe implants, Valentin understands the challenges that accompany these types of procedures and how they affect the hip, back, knee, and entire body.
In 2018, Valentin opened a home studio for training individuals, duets and online education with emphasis in overall fitness, back care and senior fitness. With the onset of COVID-19, her home studio became a regular and safe activity for her clients.
With 40 years of experience in the movement world and the last 24 years specifically devoted to Pilates, she is committed to sharing her knowledge, experience, and passion with others.
