A great way for an individual to develop the forearm strength and conditioning that is beneficial for all athletic activity is the Popeye’s Puppet workout.
Using a handle grip with a rope that is tied to a free weight, unwind and wind using your hands to raise and lower the free weight - and feel the burn in the forearms.Try raising the arms with elbows slightly bent, then with the arms outstretched, repeat the drill. To give the shoulders a rest, an athlete can lower their arms and repeat the exercise.
This is a valuable strength and conditioning drill for athletes 13 years of age and older. It’s very important for an individual to use the appropriate weight in this exercise. This will prevent injury and ensure that an athlete is getting the best workout possible.
With the rope in it's extended mode, the player can verify they are using the proper weight by holding Popeye’s Puppet for one minute straight. This drill is good to do every day, and like all strength training exercises, it is best to be performed either really early in the day or in a best case scenario, after all the athletic training has been completed.
Another benefit of this drill is that an athlete’s grip will get stronger and stronger as they utilize this exercise, and others being featured on the MaxBP website. The beauty of this concept for baseball and softball players is the stronger your grip becomes, the looser you are going to be able to hold the bat during the swing process.
\This may seem backwards or counter intuitive; however, when it comes to hitting, a player should never consciously grab the bat with a tight grip.
A tight grip only slows down the swing process and a hitter’s bat speed. With the strong hands developed through these drills, a hitter will automatically be sturdy at the point of contact, while featuring that whip-like bat speed with a loose grip before and after contact.
Developing athletes should take pride in their hand and forearm strength, aside from the benefits in athletics, it’s a great feeling to shake hands with someone and have them compliment you on a strong and sturdy grip.
There is no better device to strengthen the muscles from the tips of the fingers to the tops of the elbows then Popeye’s Puppet. So if you want to look like Popeye or Steve Garvey in his prime, invest in a handle grip, some rope and a couple barbell free weights.