Every so often you come across something and wonder how you could have lived without it. I remember picking up a copy of Miles Davis “Kind Of Blue” and being bowled over. How could I have missed out for so long. That timeless ablum has to be one of the most transcendent pieces of music every catpured on disc. You will thank me if you’ve never heard it.

On a similar note, I recently received a pair of Fat Gripz. (You are only going to appreciate this segue if you are a Jazz fan and like training…apologies).

Fat Gripz are thick rubber sleeves that slip on to any normal sized barbell, dumbell or pull up bar. But they are like kryptonite. Suddenly your strength is halved and everything gets harder! But the pay off is Huge. The Gripz themselves are solid,  grip the bar firmly, are easy to put on and take off and the rubber itself is a fantastic slip free surface to work with. When in place they don’t feel like they are going anywhere.

The Fat Gripz take your average 1 inch bar and instantly turn it into a whopping 2 1/2 inch monster. The benefits of thick bar training have been extolled by the likes of Dave Tate, Charles Poliquin & Jim Wendler all of whom credit thick bars with superior arm development. But we are talking function here, the form is simply a nice extra.

The problem has always been the cost of kitting out the average gym with a set of thick bars. Fat Gripz are the answer. A single pair of  Fat Gripz quickly slip over any conventional bar and turn the simplest drills into a serious challenge.

With Fat Gripz my pull ups literally halved in number. As soon as I took the Fat Gripz off my old numbers rocketed but more importantly, my grip felt incredible. But the benefit goes way beyond amping up your grip strength. Thick bars are taxing on your grip and this transfers to your hands, forearms and upper arms with a vengeance.

I don’t think Fat Gripz are currently available in the UK but at around $40 they cost less than a single thick Dumbell and can be used on all your bars. Stick them on your kettlebells for farmers walks andfor a serious grip challenge.

I am going to see about getting some for friends and family. For many folk working pull ups and kettlebells, grip becomes the limiting factor. This simple tool will certainly address any weakness there. I’m not going to be joining the “cult of bending nails” any time soon but if it helps my training I am happy with that.

In the interests of disclosure, I have no commercial involvement or association with Fat Gripz.

The Simple Strength Tool Box is slowly growing and I will be telling you about the kit we use over the next few weeks…But nothing gets included unless it delivers results. Fat Gripz get 5 Stars