(Thanks to P Kinski)
The handshake. The ubiquitous greeting used by businessmen, new neighbors, and good friends has been poorly represented in recent years. Too many limp, un-firm “finger shakes” have left me questioning the content of a person’s character long before I even know them.
My mother has never had this problem, as many of my high school teachers can attest. And while my mother is in fact strong, having a strong handshake has nothing to do with being strong. A simple body hack makes the different between a wet noodle and a warm vice.Our bodies are incredibly efficient, as British scientist Charles Scott Sherrington discovered. On top of postulating Sherrington’s Law of Reciprocal Innervation, he also noted that tension generated in one muscle spreads to neighboring muscles, a process called irradiation. This is what we’re going to use to strengthen your handshake:
1. Contract your abs as hard as you can.
2. Tighten your glutes.
3. Shake.
Simple, yes, but very, very effective. All that tension generated from your midsection will spread up into the chest and, as you shake, down the arm. Find a willing partner, give it a try, and go forth knowing that you’re no longer contributing to the wet noodle phenomena.
Skyler Tanner 