Effect of Fat Grip Attachments on Strength and Muscle Activation

A user's guide to gains.

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The study titled "Impact of Fat Grip Attachments on Muscular Strength and Neuromuscular Activation During Resistance Exercise" (PMID: 30694963) investigated the acute effects of using Fat Gripz (FG) on strength and muscle activation compared to a standard Olympic barbell (OB) during various resistance exercises.

Key Points

• Participants: The study involved 15 recreationally active men aged 20-29, who performed two trials: one using a standard Olympic barbell (OB) and another with Fat Gripz attached.

• Exercises Tested: Participants completed one-repetition maximum (1RM) tests for deadlifts, bent-over rows, upright rows, concentration curls, and maximum pull-ups until failure.

• Findings on Strength:

  • Using FG resulted in a significant decrease in 1RM strength across all exercises tested.

    • Deadlift: FG (83.3 kg) vs. OB (141.5 kg)

    • Bent-over Row: FG (66.2 kg) vs. OB (94.7 kg)

    • Upright Row: FG (46.7 kg) vs. OB (61.2 kg)

    • Concentration Curl: FG (47.3 kg) vs. OB (50.2 kg)

  • The maximal number of pull-ups completed decreased by approximately 69.5% when using FG (3.4 pull-ups) compared to OB (11.1 pull-ups).

• Muscle Activation:

  • Electromyography (EMG) data showed increased activation in forearm and shoulder muscles when using FG, but decreased activation in upper arm muscles during deadlifts, bent-over rows, and pull-ups.

  • No significant differences were observed in EMG activity for upright rows and concentration curls between grip types.

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Key Takeaways

• Pros of Using Fat Grips:

  • Increased neuromuscular activation in the forearm and shoulder muscles may enhance grip strength development.

  • Potential benefits for specific populations such as bodybuilders or athletes requiring improved grip strength.

• Cons of Using Fat Grips:

  • Significant reductions in maximal strength performance across various exercises.

  • Lower performance in pull-up tests indicates that while grip diameter may enhance certain muscle activations, it compromises overall strength output.