Jedd Johnson treats grip as a trainable specialty, not an afterthought. Here's how to program it for clients.
Most people never train grip directly - they assume whatever the bar gives them is all they get, then wonder why their deadlift fails at the hands. Jedd Johnson, the coach behind The Grip Authority and Diesel Crew, treats grip like any other quality: distinct sub-types, matched to the goal, progressed over time. This breakdown covers his method in our own words, adds our take for coaching it online, and turns it into a grip-training menu you can program from.
By Markus Evers · September 2026 · a Coachway video breakdown
the short version
Johnson's case is that grip is a trainable specialty with distinct sub-types - crush, support, pinch and wrist - that don't fully carry over to each other, so you train the type the goal actually needs and progress it like any lift. The one thing a coach should do about it: stop assuming grip takes care of itself, identify the grip type the client's goal demands (support grip for pulls and carries, most often), give it one or two dedicated slots a week, and progress the load or time - because grip is usually under-trained, not genetically capped.
Jedd Johnson - How to Train Farmers for Strongman (Grip Strength)
Source: Jedd Johnson on YouTube - "How to Train Farmers for Strongman (Grip Strength)". Watch on YouTube. We embed the public video and summarise it in our own words; the video, title and channel belong to Jedd Johnson, and nothing here implies his endorsement of Coachway.
Who is Jedd Johnson, and why coaches watch
Jedd Johnson is a grip-strength specialist and coach, known as The Grip Authority and as one half of Diesel Crew. He's a competitive grip athlete and long-time educator who has spent his career on one of the most under-coached qualities in strength training - how the hands and forearms actually get stronger. His content breaks grip down into its component types and shows how to train each deliberately, which is exactly the kind of specialist knowledge most general coaches never pick up. Coaches watch him to fill a real gap: nearly every client has an untrained grip, and grip is often the hidden limiter on pulls and carries. This look at training for strongman-style carries is a clear example, which is the lens this page is written for.
What Johnson actually teaches (our summary)
This is our summary of the ideas in the video, in our own words - not a transcript. Watch the original for his exact framing and demonstrations.
- 1
Grip is a trainable specialty. It's not an afterthought - it has distinct sub-types (crush, support, pinch, wrist) that each need specific work.
- 2
Match training to the demand. A strongman needs support grip for carries and holds; other goals need other types - train the one the goal actually requires.
- 3
Carries and holds build support grip. Farmer's carries, timed heavy holds and loaded holds train the grip that fails in deadlifts and events.
- 4
Progress it like any lift. Add load, add time, or increase implement difficulty over weeks - grip responds to progressive overload.
- 5
Grip is often the hidden limiter. The pull or carry that "fails in the back" often actually failed at the hands - training grip unlocks the rest.
Coachway's take
We like grip as a coaching topic precisely because it's such low-hanging fruit. Almost no general client trains it directly, it responds fast, and it's often the actual limiter on the lifts they care about - so a small amount of deliberate work produces a visible win. The insight that grip has distinct sub-types that don't carry over is the part most coaches miss: they'll throw in a random gripper and call it "grip work," when the client's goal needed support grip. Matching the type to the demand is what makes it real training rather than a gimmick.
For the typical online client, support grip is where we'd start and usually stop. It's the type that limits deadlifts and carries, it's easy to program with equipment most people have (dumbbells, a loaded bar, a pair of kettlebells), and it's easy to progress with load or time. We'd only add crush, pinch or wrist-specific work when a client has a real reason - grip sport, a climbing goal, a specific occupational demand - rather than chasing every category for its own sake.
The one caution we'd add is dose. Grip recovers quickly but the forearms and elbows can get cranky if you spike volume, so a couple of focused slots a week beats a daily scattered pump. And keep it honest about straps: they're a legitimate tool for high-volume back work, but if grip is the limiter and the goal is a bigger raw pull, the answer is to train the grip, not only strap around it.
So our version of his method is: identify the grip type the client's goal actually needs (support grip, most often), give it one or two dedicated slots a week, program carries or timed holds, progress the load or time, and track it so progression is real - not a guess.
Program the grip work, track the progression
Grip is an ideal accessory to run online because it's simple to prescribe and easy to measure. You build the specific grip work into the plan in the workout builder - farmer's carries, timed heavy holds, or an added hold on the last set - with the exact load, time and progression written in, so it's real training rather than a vague "grip it harder." Then the load and hold time come back through progress tracking, so you can add weight or seconds week over week and prove the grip is actually getting stronger. The method is Johnson's; the platform is how you program and progress it for a client you're not training in person.
For the lifts grip most often limits, the companion breakdowns on Mike Boyle on carries and unilateral work and Caveman Training on kettlebell technique pair well with dedicated grip work.
The grip-training menu (program from it)
The four grip types, what each trains, and a simple way to program and progress it. Pick the type the client's goal needs - usually support grip - and give it one or two slots a week.
Grip-training menu
| Grip type | What it trains | How to program it |
|---|---|---|
| Support | Holding a load for time (pulls, carries) | Farmer's carries / timed heavy holds; add load or seconds |
| Crush | Closing the hand against resistance | Grippers / crushers; add resistance over weeks |
| Pinch | Thumb-vs-fingers, no wrapping | Plate pinches / block holds; add load or time |
| Wrist / lever | Controlling load through the wrist | Wrist curls / levering; add load, keep volume modest |
How to use it: for most clients, support grip is the highest-value target - it limits deadlifts and carries. Give the chosen type one or two dedicated slots a week, progress load or time each week, and only add other types when the client has a specific reason. Keep the dose small and progressive; grip recovers fast but the forearms and elbows get cranky if you spike volume.
GRIP-TRAINING MENU (via Coachway) - grip is a trainable SPECIALTY with sub-types that don't fully carry over; train the type the goal needs and progress it like any lift - SUPPORT | holding a load for time (pulls, carries) | farmer's carries / timed heavy holds; add load or seconds [HIGHEST VALUE for most clients] - CRUSH | closing the hand against resistance | grippers / crushers; add resistance over weeks - PINCH | thumb-vs-fingers, no wrapping | plate pinches / block holds; add load or time - WRIST/LEVER | controlling load through the wrist | wrist curls / levering; add load, keep volume modest HOW TO USE: For most clients, SUPPORT grip is the target - it's the hidden limiter on deadlifts and carries. Give the chosen type 1-2 dedicated slots a week, progress load or time each week, and only add other types when the client has a specific reason (grip sport, climbing, occupational demand). Keep the dose small and progressive - grip recovers fast but forearms/elbows get cranky if you spike volume. Straps are fine for high-volume back work, but if grip is the limiter on a raw pull, TRAIN the grip, don't only strap around it.
Training grip strength - FAQ
Is grip strength trainable, or is it just genetics?
It's very trainable. Grip responds to progressive overload like any other quality - add load, add time under tension, or increase the difficulty of the implement, and the hands get stronger. Genetics set some ceiling on things like hand size and tendon insertions, which matter at the extreme end of grip sport, but for the vast majority of clients grip is under-trained rather than genetically capped. Most people never train it directly at all - they assume whatever grip they have from their main lifts is all they'll get - so even a small amount of deliberate work produces fast, noticeable gains.
What are the different types of grip?
Grip strength isn't one thing - it breaks into distinct sub-types that don't fully carry over to each other. The common categories are crush grip (closing the hand against resistance, like a gripper), support grip (holding a load for time, like a farmer's carry or a heavy hold), pinch grip (holding with the thumb opposed to the fingers, no wrapping around), and wrist/lever strength (controlling load through the wrist, like wrist curls or levering). A big pinch grip doesn't guarantee a big crush; strong support grip doesn't guarantee wrist strength. That's why matching the training to the specific demand matters - you train the type the goal actually needs.
Why does my deadlift grip fail before my legs and back?
Because the deadlift's grip demand is a support-grip hold, and for most lifters the hands are the weakest link in that chain - they simply aren't trained to hold what the legs and back can pull. The pulling muscles get direct work every session; the grip only gets whatever incidental holding the bar provides, which plateaus. Adding a little direct support-grip work - timed heavy holds, farmer's carries, or simply holding the last rep of a set longer - usually closes the gap. (Straps have their place for high-volume back work, but if grip is the limiter and the goal is a bigger raw pull, train the grip rather than only strapping around it.)
How do you program grip work for a client?
Treat it like any accessory: pick the grip type the client's goal needs, give it one or two dedicated slots a week, and progress it. For general strength and better pulls, support grip is the highest-value target - program farmer's carries or timed heavy holds and add load or time each week. If the goal is grip sport or a specific demand, add the matching type (crush, pinch, wrist). Keep the dose small and progressive - grip recovers fast but can get cranky if you spike volume - and track the load and time so progression is real rather than guessed. Two focused slots a week beats a scattered pump.
More strength breakdowns
- · Mike Boyle on unilateral training and carries - loaded carries build support grip too.
- · Caveman Training on kettlebell technique - grip-heavy implement work.
- · The full library: fitness creator coaching breakdowns.
Program the details that limit the big lifts
all guidesMike Boyle on Single-Leg Training for Athletes (Coach Breakdown)
Mike Boyle on unilateral training, broken down for coaches: make loaded single-leg strength the primary lower-body method for multi-directional athletes - better sport transfer, exposed asymmetries and lower spinal load than a bilateral back squat.
Read the guideCaveman Training on Kettlebell Swing Technique (Coach Breakdown)
Caveman Training (Taco Fleur) on the kettlebell swing, broken down for coaches: coach it as a hip hinge not a squat, gate progression on a technical standard, then program work as chained complexes - technique before load.
Read the guideMark Wildman on Kettlebell Progressions (Coach Breakdown)
Mark Wildman's kettlebell method, broken down for coaches: progress a skill as an ordered rep-then-load ladder where the client earns each variation, turned into a reusable progression template.
Read the guideFree tools for this: Strength Standards Calculator · Warm-Up Set Calculator · Deadlift Calculator
Program grip, and prove it's getting stronger
Grip is the accessory most clients never train and most coaches never track. In Coachway you write the specific carries and holds into the plan and watch the load and time climb week over week. Start your 14-day free trial and turn the hidden limiter into a visible win.
