Strengthening Your Thumb

 Your thumb is your weakest finger, so why not help it out a little?
  Here are a couple good ways to get a stronger thumb and increase its size as well. A stronger, bigger thumb muscle will help keep the gripper handle in it's place while closing tough grippers.

 
Telegraph Key
 A telegraph key is a very straightforward piece of equipment. Its design is very similar to the old see-saws you used to see at school playgrounds, except much smaller in size :) I've temporarily lost my data cable for my camera, but I will post pictures of mine once found. Until then, go check out Ironmind's telegraph key.

 Workouts with the telegraph key are very simple. Make fists with both your hands and place your four clinched fingers under the bottom paddle. Now, using your thumb, grab the top paddle and squeeze hard to bring both paddles together. You can do reps by releasing pressure with your thumbs and squeezing again. You only need a small amount of movement for this exercise. To perform a negative, load the telegraph heavier than usual and do the above so you have both paddles squeezed together and then slowly let go with one thumb and force the other thumb to fight the paddles back together. In order to perform a proper negative you MUST fight the weight!
 You may find it more productive if you wrap your thumbs with some sort of tape. I prefer friction tape because of its stickiness. Cut a length about 3-4 inches long. Starting on the bottom of your thumb, wrap around the end pulling hard and ending on top. Next, cut another piece of the same length and wrap around the circumference of your thumb and on top of the other piece of tape. This will keep it all together for the duration of your workout.


A Regular Gripper
 You can do reps or negatives with a regular gripper positioned in such a way as to work your thumb. You will have to use a super easy gripper or an Imtug from Ironmind to perform the workout. Just position the gripper in your hand so one handle is in your four fingers and your thumb will be on the other handle. If you're using a normal size gripper, you may have to cheat the handle closed to parallel or so for effective usage.

                                                                 Here's an Ironmind Imtug #7 - It's a tough little bugger!