it's mostly in the wrist

September 15, 2010 8:30 PM

Please recommend some good exercises for my arms and my grip, mainly so I can cook better with a wok. Here's the main motion. I can do it with a little 10in wok, but I'm just too weak to get that explosive little flick at the end with my new 16in wok, even if I use both hands. It'd also be nice if I could hold it slightly above the burner for 5-10 minutes at a time and swirl it rapidly to stir the food. (In terms of necessary torque, we're talking about maybe 3lbs of pot and definitely no more than 3lbs of food, on a 14in stick.)
posted by d. z. wang to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

Why not use the pot food free to simulate the motion to start and add resistance (a bag of frozen vegetables or something) as you get better? I suspect that that is by far a better task-specific exercise than using weights or some other classical gym exercise. Practice makes perfect, you know.
posted by drpynchon at 8:38 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Why do you need to toss food in a 16" wok? I was a professional cook and really only flipped food in smaller pans. With anything bigger, I will use a spoon or tongs.

If you really need to get your forearms/wrist stronger to do this, then wrist curls will be best for this.
posted by TheBones at 8:38 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Kettlebells! Not only will heavy KB swings allow you to develop mad endurance, you'll end up with a fearsome grip. Hardcore Russian special forces types soap up the handle before they swing to REALLY get that hear-the-other-guy's-hand-bones-snap-when-you-shake-hands grip strenf.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:53 PM on September 15, 2010

Grip exercises will naturally recruit forearm strength.
Heavy Grips are about the most awesome gripper on the planet.
Kroc Rows are amazing for building up grip and upper back strength.
posted by zephyr_words at 8:58 PM on September 15, 2010

There are lots of effective grip and forearm exercises, but I agree with drpynchon. I think you should practice what it is you're trying to get better at. Is there a wok between 10 and 16 inches that you could progress to? If not, slowly add weight to the smaller wok and practice with it, like he said.
posted by JohnMarston at 9:38 PM on September 15, 2010

You could probably just invent something along the lines of shovelglove using woks.
posted by creasy boy at 10:20 PM on September 15, 2010

Response by poster: Why do you need to toss food in a 16" wok? I was a professional cook and really only flipped food in smaller pans. With anything bigger, I will use a spoon or tongs. (TheBones)

One of the unsung benefits of an underpowered domestic burner: plenty of time to finish up the mise en place while your onions cook. At least with a 10in wok, I found it a lot easier to put the knife down, grab the wok for a quick flip, and then go back to whatever I was doing, especially if I forget where I left the spoon.

But this might also be a matter of tradition. I've noticed that Chinese cooks toss a lot more frequently and vigorously than westerners. I know this one mostly Italian guy that actually browns meat by going around a frying pan and turning pieces over one by one.

Is there a wok between 10 and 16 inches that you could progress to? If not, slowly add weight to the smaller wok and practice with it, like he said. (JohnMarston)

Not only do I not have anything in between, I don't even have the 10in wok. But I could start with the 16in wok empty, and eventually build up to a proper flick. This does seem like the most hassle-free and direct way to start.
posted by d. z. wang at 11:21 PM on September 15, 2010

I regularly use that motion with my 12 inch wok, but I doubt I would try it with 16 inches. For that, maybe just using a bamboo spatula would work just fine.

On the other hand, if you're really wanting to do it, I remember seeing, years ago, the process for new cooking trainees/aprentices in a Japanese restaurant. To master the motion, they were sent out back with the wok and a bag of rice. They were training to master the motion (i.e. not spill the rice) but it was also to build the muscles. You might, since you have the wok, fill it with some dry rice, head out to your back yard or somewhere where spilled rice won't be an issue, and practice away.
posted by Ghidorah at 11:22 PM on September 15, 2010

Powerballs are often recommended for grip strength, if you're looking for something you can do in a slightly more portable way. There is a bit of a learning curve though so if you don't know anyone who has one you will probably find it REALLY ANNOYING to get the hang of starting it spinning.
posted by Lebannen at 4:06 AM on September 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

Seconding a Powerball. Great for wrist/forearm strength.
posted by Tu13es at 5:49 AM on September 16, 2010

Maybe it's because my Chinese family cooked in restaurants all those years with woks you can hardly lift, but we always use the chow (wok spatula) instead of flipping. Come to think of it, my parent's wok doesn't even have the kind of handle you'd need to flip...
posted by advicepig at 7:09 AM on September 16, 2010

I agree with drpynchon; if you want to build up muscle strength and endurance for a specific task, trying to incorporate that task into the "workout" seems most logical.
posted by quin at 8:57 AM on September 16, 2010

nunchucks. cheap. fairly easy to master the basics and good for anything involving hands and arms. not just your flipping action
posted by Redhush at 7:42 PM on September 16, 2010