How hard should you grip?

How hard should you grip?

Pretty hard I would say. Most people barely use their hands/forearms when they grip weights, and instead allow their hands to be bent 90degrees backwards when they grip weights. Instead, if the fingers are straight then the fingers, back of the hand and forearm should always be in line with one another. When you grip, keep that line intact at the back of the hand and forearm and just grab the weight by wrapping your fingers around it. Here's why:

A trainer named Roger at a gym I worked at in southern California was having his (very strong) client do a chest press while laying on a stability ball (the big round bouncy ones) utilizing 60lbs. weights in each hand. They had focused mightily on grip and proper posture in general, so his forearms were strongly gripping the weight. After a few reps, the ball popped and the client fell to the floor! He easily could have broken both wrists and had the weights fall on his face/shoulders/chest/abdomen and break something. Luckily the client had a strong grip and just fell to the floor while still gripping the weights, only annoyed that the ball broke. He was totally fine with no injuries.

This is why stressing proper form and posture is so important! When gripping weight, make sure you're gripping the weight strongly and that your wrist is straight in-line with the rest of the forearm. Let's prevent injuries.