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The Program

Greg Irwin expanded the idea of improving prestidigitation over the course of eight years, labeling and categorizing an entire repertoire of finger isolation exercises that he and his wife, Lorraine, published as Finger Fitness: The Art of Finger Control in 1988. Since then, the book has been revised four times, most recently in 1997. A video version of Finger Control, as well as the newly-released The Complete Hand Workout, have evolved from the initial concept.

In the 22 years since Finger Fitness’s conception, Greg Irwin has performed his Finger Fitness feats on more than 30 television shows (watch the videos (link)) in over 15 countries in front of millions of people. Now, HandHealth Unlimited is the primary company supporting Greg Irwin, Finger Fitness, and all of the products that help maximize the physical ability of your hands.


 Greg's appearance on The Tonight Show, 1988

Greg on the streets of Bejing, 1999

The Beginning

The idea of Finger Fitness was conceived in 1980, with our founder, Greg Irwin, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. While Greg was earning his bachelor’s degree in music education, he was tested on his ability to play every instrument - every instrument. Though Greg was naturally talented, he had difficulty operating the pieces that required a higher level of physical ability, like the piano and the xylophone.

Ever the competitive perfectionist, Greg knew there had to be a better way to physically train himself to perform at a higher level. Three special skills were needed in order to excel in music: auditory (the capability of the ear), mental (the ability to process rhythms, harmony, and melody), and physical (strength, dexterity, and coordination). The first two were adequately trained in formal coursework, but training the physical skill of playing an instrument was noticeably absent.

Logical deduction showed the primary contact with every instrument is the hand. Greg reasoned that in order to play his best, his hands had to function optimally. Initially, he did simple splitting and bending exercises with his fingers, and these simple activities noticeably enhanced the quality of performance.

Greg worked the next few years as a musician (this was the early 80’s) and a teacher. Though he developed his exercises into a full repertoire of hand and finger movements, besides improved personal performance, these exercises had no other creative purpose. That is, until Greg performed some of his exercises in front of a local doctor, who saw great rehabilitation potential in the movements.

With motivation behind him, Greg conducted his own market research. After talking to hand surgeons, physical and occupational therapists, as well as sports medicine professionals, Greg found that, although there were programs for rehabilitation for the hand, there were none for advancing the ordinary hand to a higher level of strength and coordination.

HandHealth Unlimited was born.