I don’t really know. They may help a little but they may cause more strain than they’re worth. I’m 66 and any heavy repetitive exercises cause me strain. I think it’s better to focus on good posture in your left hand (& right hand) and gradually increase practice time and gradually ramping up the speed.

I agree. I think they might do more damage than good.

Have you ever tried Stress balls?

I have some and they feel like a good way to warm up your hands. 
At least I can say they don't do any harm. 

Some exercise is usually better'n none... IF you can feel muscle soreness on the day after, then slack off  a bit ... IF not, you're good to go [IMNSHumbleO.]

I have no experience with the Varigrip exerciser, but think one would have to go at it pretty hot-and-heavy to cause appreciable "strain." 

I took Pat Cloud’s advice - hold them out palms down & open and close your hands 20 times,, then turn them palms up and do the same. You’ll be surprised how difficult it is to do.
I read that Earl squeezed a sponge ball repetitively

There are no muscles in your fingers. You can work on building up strength/flexibility in your hands and especially forearms - basically the entire chain.

Assuming your posture is correct and the banjo is well-balanced (your left hand is there to fret the string, not to hold up the banjo neck).

When I'm practicing on the couch, I'm kicked back, and I use cushions to prop up my left arm

I tried everything on the planet to rehab both my hands, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for time and playing/practicing with intent. Hand exercises do help, and a warm up always helps.

Is it pain in the finger joints, tips? Stretching exercises help too. Kind of in the same boat, at 63, I have pain in my left thumb and wrist that limits dexterity. I have read that this is called "guitarists thumb or hand". I tried acupuncture, because it really helped my back years ago but not with my hand. I am trying to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic doctor to see if any thing can be done. Unfortunately I am afraid that after years of working with my hands and playing that it just might be old age creeping up . If you aren't having pain in the joints you may just need to slowly increase your playing time and build muscle memory. Holding chord shapes and playing rolls cleanly up and down the neck in those shapes will help too.

Thanks for all the replies. I reckon I'll just use a squeeze ball and start a daily excercise/stretch.

Dave

Get a NEE DOH cube ...Amazon has it. Exercises your fingers and palm. Check it out.

.... using one of these when you're grocery shopping should provide lots of reps.

[Fwiw, my wife tells me she used one when she was a student .... so it comes highly recommended.  ]

Avoid the baseball bat grip that so many use for banjo, or the 'thumb over' grip. Keep your thumb on the back of the neck, center or just above center, curl your fingers so the that tips fall straight down on the strings, and use gravity (the weight of your arm) to aid in barre chords.

Sit up straight in a straight back chair and put your banjo on your right thigh. Don't drop it between your legs and slouch over.

Eat well and exercise (with resistance).

.... and a few drops of innate ability can be a b-i-g boost. 

I’ll spare you my before and after stories. Join a gym or get some weights and a chin up bar. Get on YouTube and research physical aging tests and exersizes. Especially grip strength and hanging from a bar or rings. This has changed my life, and there are no longer any issues with playing a heavy tone ringed banjo, standing, for several hours a day. I’ll be 66 in a few months, med free, and feel better than I have in over 30 years. The time to get a handle on it is now, with early signs of decline. Rather than waiting until stuff becomes a mess.

In a nutshell, in the last few years, medical researchers are discovering that grip strength is the leading indicator of premature aging, decline, and early death, even more reliably than blood pressure. Because if you do the things to maintain grip strength, it keeps others things in check. If other things start going down hill silently, grip strength is one of the first things to go. But don't rely on a hack banjo player on a banjo forum... do your own research. It's a huge eye opening rabbit hole, that could save and possibly extend the time and quality of our later years.

Do the ^^ Youtube videos give guidance on overcoming foot neuropathy, wonky knees [with/without knee replacement surgery, elbows that fluctuate between pain and discomfort with any movement, etc.?   It isn't always a lack of will, though in general ^^ sound advice. 

Mention of grip strength reminds me of 'way back when I entered the BPE program at U.  We were all given a battery ot tests of the various components of fitness.  Most of my results were well down on the scoresheet, except for grip strength, which was near the top of the class.  One of the profs "wondered" about this .... the only plausible thing I could think of was that on our farm we hand-milked about half a dozen cows

I’ve just ordered 6 cows from Amazon to help with “grip strength”.

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Originally posted by Owen

Do the ^^ Youtube videos give guidance on overcoming foot neuropathy, wonky knees [with/without knee replacement surgery, elbows that fluctuate between pain and discomfort with any movement, etc.?   It isn't always a lack of will, though in general ^^ sound advice. ...

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I'll just leave it at this. The morning hours I go to the gym, is mostly older folks my age. Some much older. The stories of what some folks have gone through, what got them there, and outcomes is quite amazing. Not to mention the general fitness of the older crowd there. I also play a lot of music for seniors these days, and see a lot of walkers, canes, wheel chairs, and power chairs. Life can be cruel and unfair. I'm not judgmental, but I'm not blind. Life is what it is, and we all do what we gotta do, to get through it. And... YouTube might surprise you... almost no stones left unturned. 

I think Dean T is onto something. I only add that arthritis can play havoc with your grip too.

Fwiw, I like how the masses are called to order (?) at some events: "... please stand, if you're able, remove your headwear, and join ____________ in the singing of .... etc."

quote:

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Originally posted by Laurence Diehl

I think Dean T is onto something. I only add that arthritis can play havoc with your grip too.

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I was diagnosed with onset osteo in hips knees and hands in 07. When my rheumatologist saw plack psoriasis spots on my skin, she mentioned a possible psoriatic element. I was on cortal steroids for several years. Serious workouts have reversed all that. My sister tested positive to rheumatoid markers, so who knows what's next. The first time I tried to hang from a bar, I was shocked at less than 10 seconds. And not even one pull up.  Now I'm lasting up to 2 1/2 minutes, and doing clean sets of 10 full hang pull ups.