Post #81173 by Swanky on Tue, Mar 16, 2004 11:57 AM

fishy, you might just get you one of those grippers things to exercise your hands. Keep it around and on off days (not the day you carve, but before that as much as possible) do a few "sets". Squeeze the thing as many times in a row as possible and rest a few minutes and do it again and again. That's one set. That should be enough for a while. If you are able to squeeze it closed more than 10-15 times in a row on the first try, maybe a stiffer gripper is in order. Smaller muscles can be worked more often (like abs) so you could do 3 sets a day, spread out, on off days and be okay. Just listen to your body and don't have your hands feeling the effects of the gripper when you hit the chisel. So try it and see how fast your hands recover from the exercise so you can be fully recovered when you carve.