Pinch block lifts
5 lifts of 10 s per hand with a pinch block, 2 min rest.
- Slot
- Strength
- Focus
- Finger strength
- Time
- 10 min
- Intensity
- High
- Injury risk
- Moderate
- Intervals
- 5 × 10s on, 2:00 off
- Equipment
- Pinch block, Added weight, Timer
How to do it
Load a pinch block (a block you pinch between thumb and fingers) with a weight. Standing, pinch it with one hand and lift it just off the floor, holding for 10 seconds with a straight wrist, then switch hands. Rest 2 minutes and do 5 lifts per hand. Use the same weight for both hands.
Who it’s for
Pinch strength, which almost nothing else in a normal session trains. If you fall off volumes and pinches while your crimp strength keeps improving, this is the gap.
Common mistakes
- A bent wrist. Straight wrist through the lift. A collapsed wrist takes the thumb out of the movement.
- Squeezing with the fingers only. The thumb is doing half the work. If it isn’t tired afterwards, check your position.
- Different weights per hand. Same weight both sides, and let the weaker hand set it.
- Yanking the block off the floor. Build the pull, then hold ten seconds.
How to progress
Add weight in small steps once ten seconds feels solid on both hands. A wider block is harder than a heavier one, so changing width is a second axis when the weight gets awkward to load.
When it fits
The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.
- Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.
- Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
- Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
Related blocks
Start with a ready-made block
A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.