95% of human communication is non-verbal. The first time you meet somebody, it is your handshake, among other things, that reveals so many details about you. Originally handshaking is a Yemeni pre-islamic tradition used to show good will by offering a hand “without a weapon”.

Today we use a handshake as a standard form of greeting. A firm handshake is a universal sign of a strong character, fortitude, determination, courage and mutual respect. Since all those things are coherent with the values of BodyTweaking.Com, it is our duty to give this topic a special attention.

Although you’re not always aware of it, your weak handshake gives another person an impression of instability, insecurity and weakness of character. As a result that person will subconsciously develop a distrust towards your person.

On the other hand, a firm powerful handshake shows your inner strength and integrity. A person knows instantly that he/she can rely on you. A mutual trust and respect is developed right from the first moment. That’s the power of a handshake.

And it’s not a male-only thing either. A woman’s handshake doesn’t have to be “crushing”, but it has to be firm. As you think about it, “firm” is the keyword. A handshake is not about who can hurt more another person. A crushing handshake shows that you don’t care for anybody else, that you are a person without principles. The right handshake supports and affirms a person and provides an image of justice, respect and value.

Although it is not requiered, good hand strength may help you a lot to master the art of handshaking. Developed hand muscles increase the area of your hand and make it more firm. Apart from that, strong hands can always come in “handy” in other situations:

• Open a tough can for your girlfriend
• End a conflict in a bar without violence by crushing to pieces a glass of whiskey you’re holding (nobody’s going to mess with that). It’s a clear demonstration of power without the need of hurting anyone.
• Climbing
• Sex

Strong hands depend on the muscles in your hands and your forearms. You can train those muscles with the following exercises:

Dumbbell Wrist Curls (Palms Up)

Ehhhmmm… Ok, and now without the dumbbells, so you can see the actual movement:

Dumbbell Wrist Curls (Palms Down)

And that’s how it looks like (sorry you can’t see anything with those dumbbells):

Those are the basic two, now, for the handshake there’s another hand muscle you have to target separately: interossesus dorsalis. If you wonder what it is, here’s an image:

That’s where most of the physical power of a handshake comes from. There are special “gadgets” out there you can use to target that muscle. I prefer a dumbbell method I call the Thumb Curl.

What you do is: place one dumbbell on your thumbs, make sure it is stable and without moving your arms or hands do the up and down movement with your thumbs. You are moving the dumbbell with your thumbs only, up and down, just one inch. It’s a little bit tricky at first, since it’s difficult to hold that dumbbell with your thumbs. I think I’ll have to make a video of this one, the photo doesn’t reveal much of the actual movement.

Keep it strong, but controled, guys. The true strength comes from your inner self, not your muscle.

Other Resources: Functional Hand and Grip Strength Articles
Note: A real bodytweaker convinces an opponent with a single handshake
Cost: 0$ for a firm handshake