How to Rip a Phonebook in Half

Co-authored by Jesse Pichardo

Last Updated: February 4, 2024

Want to show off your strength at the next party? There are few strongman tricks so impressive as ripping a phone book in half with your bare hands. Try doing it, however, and no matter how strong you are, it will be nearly impossible. With the right technique, though, almost anyone can frighten foes and dazzle everyone around them with this trick.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Traditional Method

Move your hands as far out toward the corners of the book as possible. Make sure all your fingers still fit on the book. If it's a small, narrow phone book, your thumbs may be touching in the middle, but if it's a large, broad book you will probably have some space between your hands.
Put your thumbs close together in the middle (though still along the top edge) of the book. Push down with your thumbs so that the center of the book bends down to form a sort of crease.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
While your thumbs will be on the top side (the front) of the book, your other fingers will all be folded over the edge so that they grip the bottom side (in other words, the back) of the book. Your index fingers (also called pointer fingers) should be right against the sides of the fold your thumbs have created.
Keeping your thumbs (and the crease) in position, begin to bend the corners of the book down while also pushing inward on the crease. You'll feel your chest (pectoral) muscles being used if you're doing it right. The crease in the book will become more accentuated, and if you look carefully at the crease, you'll be able to see pockets of air form between the pages.
Twist the right side of the book up with your right hand while twisting the left side down with your left hand (this can be reversed depending on what's comfortable for you). Maintain a firm grip on the book at all times, and use your pectoral muscles to keep firm inward pressure on the book. The book should begin to tear.^{[2]
X
Research source}
6
Tear through the book. If you're strong enough and maintain a good grip on the book, you may be able to rip the book all the way down the center of its length in one shot. Otherwise you may need to reposition your hands and continue ripping less gracefully. Either way, it will be impressive.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Now, if you want to be able to rip ANY paperback glued book in two, then just rip it vertically along the spine! If it´s a bit thick, break the spine by knocking/kicking the book backwards along the spine.
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Oven Method

Paper burns at 451 F (233 Celsius). Do not cook above 300ºF, that will set your oven on fire. Watch the oven for the entire 2 hours to reduce fire risk.
It will look exactly the same as it did before.
4
Invite some friends over. At some point make a big show about "hulk being angry" then pull out the book.
(It won't be hard at all.) Ripped phone book, no muscle required, only science.^{[4]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Spine Method

. This is easy to do with phone books up to 2 inches (5.1 cm) in thickness.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I increase my grip strength?

Jesse Pichardo
Personal Trainer
Jesse Pichardo is a Personal Trainer and Nutrition expert based in Fresno, California. He is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is also a Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition’s Level 2 Master Health Coaching Certification. He is also a Personal Trainer on staff at Fresno Athletic Training Center, a stat-of-the-art training center for personal training, bootcamps, sports-specific coaching, and athletic event training. Jesse helps clients with motivation and accountability, providing a structured and personalized fitness program for each person. No matter where a customer is in their fitness journey, Jesse prioritizes moving them up to the next level and helping them achieve their goals.

Jesse Pichardo

Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

You'll need to focus on exercises for your hands, fingers, and forearms. Start with dead hangs—just hang from a pull-up bar and hold on as long as you can. This builds finger and forearm strength while improving your grip endurance. Next, try the crushing grip exercises. It's like squeezing a stress ball or tightly rolling up a towel. These help your grip and the force you’ll need to rip through paper. Finally, do some pinching exercises, where you lift weight plates or flat objects by pinching them.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
Question

This was very helpful. I have always wanted to convince my friends that I was Hulk. For the full effect, would you recommend painting myself green?

Community Answer

I suppose you can try, sure.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 6 Helpful 48
Question

Can I do this if the book is not mine?

Community Answer

Only if you have permission from the owner of the book. Otherwise, you might get in a lot of trouble.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 14 Helpful 13

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

For added effect, make a feeble attempt at ripping the book in half, open the book and tear a single page out before trying again using the method above.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
If you want to try ripping the phone book widthwise instead of lengthwise, you can try the above technique (which may work depending on your strength and the size of the book), or you can simply hold the spine of the book against your knee; grip the open edge with your hands; push the pages back with the heels of your hand; and then rip the book in half. While the method detailed in the steps above works by creating air pockets between the pages, this method works because you only tear a few pages at a time.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Surreptitiously wet the tip of one of your index fingers before you make the attempt. Dip it into a cup of water and let it drip onto the first pages that you will be ripping. It makes the paper rip apart easier. Just don't let them see you getting your finger wet and don't let them examine the wet parts of the phone book. Once you master the proper way of ripping a phone book in half, you can use this crutch less and less.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Show More Tips

Warnings

This won't work on glossy pages, like a textbook with the hard cover already off. You'll just end up cutting your hands.

Thanks
Helpful 14 Not Helpful 3
If you use the alternate oven method - be very cautious. Don't leave the oven unattended.

Thanks
Helpful 9 Not Helpful 3
Always use an old phone book. You could be searching for it when you are in desperate need of a number and you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Thanks
Helpful 11 Not Helpful 9
This trick (without oven) does put an enormous strain on your wrists and the muscles of your chest. Don't overdo it and hurt yourself. If you need to practice several times, give yourself some rest between each attempt. Don't proceed if you feel pain.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

A phone book
Two hands
(optional) Oven

You Might Also Like

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

How to Rip a Phonebook in Half

Steps

Traditional Method

Oven Method

Spine Method

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

You Might Also Like

References

About this article

Reader Success Stories

Did this article help you?

You Might Also Like