Overview and review of the Rogue anvil grip

This is an overview of the Rogue anvil grip including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which grip strength tool to get from Rogue. Follow the links for more details.

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Overview of the Anvil grip

The rogue anvil grip simulates a time old feat of strength. Many attempted to lift an anvil by the horn. The cone shape of the anvil grip simulates this. To increase the weight you can attach it to a loading which Rogue sells separately. The specifications of the anvil grip are:

Made in the USA
Machined from a Solid Piece of Steel
Weight (Unloaded): 12.33 LBS
Length: 11” (Anvil itself), 13.5” (Anvil + Eye Bolt)
Tapered Cone-Shape design: 3” dia. at the base, 0.75” dia. at top
Eye Bolt at the base for attaching weight via loading pin (pin sold separately)
Engraved Rogue branding
Finish Options: Bare Steel or Black Oxide

This is a solid piece of steel to varying your deadlift and grip strength.

Pros of the anvil grip

The pros of the anvil grip are:

Good quality

Simple design

Challenge for the grip

This is a great tool for working on your grip strength. The cone shape gives you a different challenge than the usual bar grippers most people use. A great addition for someone who almost has everything but wants to challenge his or her grip even further.

Cons of the anvil grip

The cons of the anvil grip are:

Needs plates and pin to function
Very specialized equipment
High likelihood to gather dust

While these are a good addition to an existing for someone who is serious about grip strength, for some others this might just be a fun little purchase that is ultimately money down a hole. Be sure you have the plates and you are also investing in a loading pin. Once you are of this mindset you will probably also get the dinnie rings and other grip attachments from Rogue. For someone who is very busy or not dedicated to grip strength this can be a purchase that will lie around in your gym more than you use it.

Alternatives of the anvil grip

Alternatives to the anvil grip are:

For the average Joe, a set of pinch grip and cannonball grip handles are probably the better choices. They are easier to handle with kettlebells or to hang from your rack. Therefore they do not necessarily need a loading pin to function. This gives you more versatility for a little more spend then for the anvil grip.

The dinnie rings are the ultimate hardcore grip strength test from Rogue. If you want to train in the highest levels you will probably get the anvil grip and the dinnie rings. If I had to choose between the two, which I wouldn’t as I am a sucker for complete training sets, I would go for the dinnie rings instead of the anvil grip as it is the cooler record to chase.

Conclusion for the anvil grip

The anvil grip is a must-have for any serious strongman or strength athlete who is serious about their grip. It is cheaper to co nine the anvil grip with a loading pin than to get anvils of different weights. If you want to save money and start out with grip strength training I would recommend going with a combination of pinch blocks and cannonballs first and then graduate to dinnie rings and the anvil at a later point when those get to easy / you have reached your goals on those.