"Finger Fitness: The Complete Hand Workout" and
"Finger Fitness: The Advanced Finger Fitness Guide" DVDs by Greg Irwin
Suggested Retail USD$29.95 each
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

There are two DVDs without a single magic trick, routine, gaff or gimmick, bereft of any discussion of performance theory, business practices, or anecdotes of the good ol' days, and yet they may very well be the most essential videos a manipulator ever sees. I'm talking about Greg Irwin's "Finger Fitness" volumes, "The Complete Hand Workout" and "The Advanced Finger Fitness Guide" and, for my money, they are worth every penny to anyone who makes their living with their hands.

That's not hype; that's just common sense. As performers, we have to do more than concern ourselves with clean nails and pushed-back cuticles. We have to work our digits to keep them strong, coordinated, supple... but we seldom do. And when we do, we never get results we, by all rights, should get. It could because, really, we don't know what we're doing so we mimic the exercises of pianists and guitarists (if we think that far ahead) or randomly just keep doing the sleights we know thinking that'll keep our hands sharp. Eventually, we get bored and stop doing them as often as we should and, before long, we're back to square one before we ever got to square two.

I speak from experience. Been there, done that, with a lot of money going to physical therapists to get some much-needed flexibility back into my hands. Once I got near the results I wanted, I just fell out of the habit and that was that.

So, enter Greg Irwin and his videos. Irwin was a musician but found himself in dire straits when it came to playing certain instruments: his fingers just wouldn't do the work. He began thinking about and applying ideas to it and "Finger Fitness" was born.

On both discs you'll find workouts for the fingers to promote strength, flexibility, and coordination, in addition to finger independence (so you can move one finger... and just the one finger) and motor skills. Now I know that a good physical therapist will give you the same results, but with a hefty dent in your pocket book as well as to your brain when the exercises take too much time, become boring, or require some gizmo or the other to accomplish the goals.

"Finger Fitness" is none of that. First, the discs are far less expensive than a trip to a therapist. Second, the routines are quick and -- if you're the competitive type -- challenging and fun. Third, all you need are your hands; there are no gadgets to carry, no balls to squeeze, no nothin' other than the digits you've got and the info on these discs.

As to the exercise routines themselves, they are easy to remember if not always easy to do. "The Complete Hand Workout", the first disc a newcomer to this type of conditioning should probably start with, consists of only four movements (not counting the three-phase warm up segment). They fit together smoothly and logically so wherever you are you can give your fingers a good, solid workout without struggling to remember what comes next in your calisthenics. From there, the movements get a bit more intense as the same movements are altered to increase finger isolation movements (that "finger independence" I mentioned), but it's all still those same movements.

But if you've got the time, pop the disc in, pick one of the "dance routines" (think aerobics for your fingers), and really work them to death.

"Advanced Finger Fitness Guide" builds from "The Complete Hand Workout", but the movements are much more difficult to work through smoothly -- they are "advanced", after all. Again, the movements are simple to remember and build on each other logically. If you've got the moves from "The Complete Hand Workout" down, then "Advanced Finger Fitness Guide" is the next step up to keep your fingers in solid performing condition.

If it's sounds like I'm really high on these discs, it's because I am. I know it's anecdotal, but in just three weeks I saw dramatic improvement in the movement of certain fingers (and a good three inches added to my muscle pass) from nothing more than doing the exercises a few times a day, whenever I noticed my hands weren't busy: watching a video, sitting in traffic, and the like. I'm even seeing improvement in what is usually the weakest of the fingers, the ring finger (and my pass is improving right along with it).

Yes, I'm a believer in Irwin's work because it works.

Now I'm going to hit you with a couple of caveats (there are always those, aren't there?). Nothing major, but they should be mentioned at least as a public service.

First, no exercise program should ever be done without first consulting a physician. Normally, that's to keep someone with a heart condition who never exercised in his life from going into marathon running exercises and the like, but it applies here as well. "Finger Fitness" is an exercise program and works things that usually don't get worked all that much; check with a doctor to make sure you don't mess yourself up without even knowing it... until it happens. This is especially true if you have a pre-existing condition such as RA that might be adversely impacted by the exercises. So, again, check with a doctor first.

Second, and Irwin touches on this himself, this is not something you want to rush headlong into. You'll need to take your time, let your fingers learn what you expect of them slowly. Just because Irwin can do some downright frightening stuff at blinding speed doesn't mean you have to start off that way. You'll get results regardless, and by taking it easy you'll get them without pain or aggravation (of your mind or your joints).

So, with those two things in mind, I still wholeheartedly recommend these two discs. Pick up "The Complete Hand Workout" and, when you've mastered it, move on up to the "Advanced Finger Fitness Guide"; between the two, your fingers and hands will take care of you for far longer than you take care of them.

Color these discs "highly recommended".

Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.