Ah, but there is a second half to this. Very few humans can just start full-blown daily grip training from day one. When you first start, listen to your body. Aim at training daily, but when your hands feel painful (and they will), take a day or more off until they feel good. Then again, don't get to set on taking it easy. Your hands will be tender and will fell sore some days. Learn the difference between "sore" and "injured" and your hand strength will benefit greatly.
Finally, every 4-6 weeks, take upto a week off. Relax, and let your hands heal. Volume training will beat up your hands, as it's suposed to, but some injuries are unnoticable and can get sever over time. This week off ensures you recover fully. More so, it at anytime during your volume training your hands hurt too bad, take those days off. You'll develop the ability to tell when you've overtrained, and when you do, act accordingly.
Second big question: how should I train. It is my opinion that if you want to train grippers, you will need to get a good variety of grippers. Below is the optimal gripper selection. BB = Beefbuilder IM = IronMind (Robert Baraban grippers are also a great option)
IM Trainer
IM #1
BB Super Advanced (1.4)
BB Master (1.9)
IM #2
BB Super Master (2.3)
IM #3
BB Elite (3.3)
It is in my opinion and experience that there are only two good gripper exercises. The first is the standard close and mini-reps, the second is the Cheat-Close (CC), something that others may call negatives. The normal close is obviously for the gripper you can close, the CC is for your goal gripper. With the above list, and the two techniques, here's how to set up a training program.
First of all, I suggest training casually with the grippers for a few weeks. Find your strength level and learn the technqiues. Once you found where you are and have toughened the hands and learned technqiue, start serious training for volume. Here's how I recommend training: Take your goal gripper and set it in your hand, and close it. Close it as far as you can, and when you can't close it any more, use the free hand to cheat the gripper closed. As the gripper forces the hand open, there should be a fair ammount of discomfort, but not pain. This exercise teaches the hand what type of strength you'll need, and toughens the hand greatly. Now, in a few minutes, when you feel strong again, CC your goal gripper again. Repeat until you know that another set would be useless, impossible, or counter-productive.
When that happens, pick up the highest you can close, and close it fully. From here, open and close it no more than 1 cm, each time the handles touch, squeeze as hard as you can as quickly as you can. These mini reps and increases in crushing force will start to develop your ability to close the last cm of your goal gripper. Thats It!!! That's a work out! No more!
Now, wait until your hand feels good again. For me, it's anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours to 2 days, all depending on what gripper I'm palying with. For now, shoot for 4 hours. 4 hours later, CC your goal gripper as many times as you can. For me, it's usually twice, but sometimes once, and some times 5 times. Then, do some mini-reps with intensity. Stop. Wait 4 hours. IF you feel strong again, train. If you feel sore, don't train. Now wait until you feel strong again, and train again. It's an ongoing process of awareness and training.
This system based largely off of Awareness. Being aware of what you Are and Are Not able to do. Listen to your hands, and train accordingly. Somedays you'll feel strong and will train all day long. Other days, you'll feel stiff and sluggish and won't be able to train. That's great. Just learn to listen to your body.
That's about all you need to know for high-volume gripper training. Get a good selection of grippers. Buying more than one of each is good too, as you will have more training variety. Next, start slow and attempt to train daily. As you get stronger and smarter, your volume will slowly increase until you are pushing your self a few times a day. If you are doing it once a day. That's fine. If you are doing it twice a day, every other day. That's fine. Just keep pushing your self within your limits and you will be amazed by your results.
This type of training has you doing more sets during your one work out. Try as many CC as you can. Try negatives, strap holds, and all of the other fun little gripper tricks. For this type of training, I highly recommend some higher rep work at the end of your work out so you will have some muscle growth during the next 4-5 days.
This program will revolve around block weights. Personaly, the picture shown below is the ideal set up the type of training I recommend.
Again, start out with one work out, and train again as soon as you feel strong. If it's 2 days, that's fine. If it's 2 hours, that's fine too. Soon enough you'll be able to get in 6-12 good solid work outs a week and your hands will start to transform.
With this back ground of intense "king of all hand strength exercises", now it's time to throw in a few gripper attempts. For this type of training, you will wait untill the end of your block weight training, wait a few minutes, and make 1-2 CC attempts with your goal gripper OR do some mini-reps with the smaller gripper. Do the CC's 3-5 times a week, or as you deem necessary. Personally, I did it twice a week, until I noticed the gap closing down, and then increased it to 6 times a week and I finally closed the #3. Strongly. With athority.
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