From The Ashes......resurrecting My Grip

[1stCoC]

I will do that , it is important to study history as a link similar to a "crystal ball" to the future.

We were all tired from a good day lifting Monday but no one shirked ,and triplex pulls , rep sets of 4 in the deadlift using no straps, , ez curls 5 sets of 6 and 5 sets of 10 strict in the machine constant tension curl. Lighter protocol stretching because too heavy a band pulling makes you tense up and resist the rehabilitating ,elongating action of the band.

A bit of sadness with son Bert with the family having to put their beloved cat down. It was done with respect and care and a new kitten was added to the mix for the young grand children to grow up with. Life and change is tough but we must embrace it. Respect and memories.

It is odd that when one gift is given or flourishes another fades . My general strength and coaching results are up but pesky things like sore fingers ,and aching wrists have to be dealt with. A cruel joke played on us all with increasing age.

Gripping twice a week with intense but low repetition lifts seem to help. The choke pinch exercise done on the Pops gripper seem to sustain my overall power and thumb / finger strength balance ratio through a full range has done wonders.. I saw Houde Wilson again last night casually during his deadlift( 100 total reps) workout sut the #3 with authority.

First day with our long time supporter and super strong man Jason Lawson working to head up our "boots on the ground" sales department. A backround in college, pro football a nationally high ranked natural powerlifter , giant Crossfitters, and strong man adds to his effective hands on insight to help our customers choose the best training protocol within their given situation.

Edited October 1, 2014 by 1stCoC

[1stCoC]

Old man Rag weed starting to die around here only adding to sniffling and upper chest congestion for all. Oh well, I like the change in season anyway. Going to train tonight and get some of the soreness out of my upper back and traps from all the pulling. Grip tonight with Pops gripper and a half dozen or so TNS closes with a 2.5 should do.

The podcast I did with Eric Fiorillo last Friday brought back some memories of good times , mind set, little known facts ,and how it was when the golden years of American lifting were at it's peak. He has a great show with some very informative solid guests. Perhaps some of you may enjoy following his efforts.

[1stCoC]

You never know who you might run Ito in the shop. I walked out checking on a new grip unit combo I have been thinking on and greeted by TV Program winner of "One ManArmy"now preparing for the state of SC. Police Olympics. Standing right next to him was a form that I have used on my "faces of intensity "chart in the a Sorinex training facility as a 10 out of 10.Gold medalist ,Olympian In 2004 for the shot put, Adam Nelson is a wonderful competitor ,and man of super intensity. His gold came from 2004 after a substance test results showed him to being the clean ,clear winner. His patience and sportsmanship was amazing to have gone though "the wait. "His training goes on through those he coaches now giving back all he has taken years and tears to learn.

[1stCoC]

An interesting night . Intense 6 rep bench sets, 6 sets of 15 in one hand dumbbell row, Stretching, neck decompress , 5 sets of 10 choke pinch on pops gripper And. 3 sets of 5 TNS #2 closes . My last set in the bench was easy enough that 250 for 10 ,strict ,raw would go. Mighty happy at 64 years old.

The morning met me with a chuckle or two .First a call that a deer stand that I set up and nursed along until deer are now coming by gets destroyed by "a big body" biscuit eaters butt, then as I get to the plant an odd parked truck led me behind our storage container area with footprints fresh in the dew wet grass. As I eased around the corner two " dudes with dinner plate eyes" stood there lurking." Mr Smith" and I greeted them and finding out they were just good ol boys hanging out, I told them no problem and they looked" mighty honest". They knew and I knew " the deal" glad it ended peaceably. Always as a land owner take a picture of the people and their license plate for later referral. Like a wild West show just to get in the door and sip a bit of coffee!!,

[1stCoC]

Took a chance at an open weekend and unusually cool weather to deer hunt. A poor day on the moon phase ratings but you can't lay on the couch and see deer either. Saw a few each hunt but decided to think "out of box "a bit and eased into thicker spots where the lady deer are starting to go to avoid the testosterone flaring bucks. Well ,it worked they were all over me for two hours. Wanted to use the .500 Smith pistol but , planning "failed "when I left my glasses in truck. I figured with the deer dashing about there might be a big one hanging back. The second the optics were employed gazing into the brushy tangle heads, tails, horns all became visible. A carefully hidden brute blended in well but not enough.......

Now , a mile from the pavement, a very loose deer with no roller or grip handle to hang on to. Legs slick, horns hard and painful to hold one handed for the long drag.. I was down hill but it was level to the closest logging road. Jedd should have seen the one hand drag for distance! Talk about a challenge to the grip and lungs. Finally, close enough to 4 wheeler and then problem number two. A high basket on rear of vehicle above waist height, and even though the rows and curls are up quite a bit to hammer curl a 164 Lb. Buck was more than I could quite make with the body sagging. So gassed, hands blasted, footsore, I went back to get "the troops". All in all fun using "applied training strength to real life situations". I missed my buddy , training partner ,my loyal son that is out West dealing with the Sorinex business being served even on his birthday. A day of inner challenge, memories and, the gift if "just being alive."

[1stCoC]

Well, a high spot in my outdoors career.. I studied habits , knew a super moon and eclipse was due,planned and armed with the best optics I knew the does would be milling around in the woods but crafty ,interested bucks keep their distance in thick brush" guarding their prize lady. A about 6:50 on Tuesday under the huge full moon a group of leisurely feeding does started to act nervous. I scanned every inch of brush and heads of bucks started showing even if just the tip of a nose. A massive brick like body after taking a step and freezing ever few minutes gave me a "thread the needle "chance at his huge neck so the .300 bellowed. True to mark it threw him over backwards. Knowing the grip and aerobic haul to the nearest road was ahead I bucked up and readied myself. When I reached him I took a beep breath clamped my best "holding grip" on his antlers and took off.....wrong! It nearly jerked me back on the ground! I could barely move him. Alone ,you better start thinking fast. Knowing my limits I hiked out and enlisted a crew to go back with me. My best hunting buddy Wes had no trouble backtracking me at night and 4 of us struggled to put him in rear of 4 wheeler. A total functional use of planning, equipment selection , application, and having people and physical gifts you can depend on. At a big 8 points weighing 212 lbs missing about a gallon of blood it was for SC. A lifetime best and at a nearly unthought of weight for a natural range swamp deer. Thanks to all my extended family for the inspiration, improved health and the gumption to keep on keeping on. Those many hours in the gym have paid off giving me a few more productive years doing what I so enjoy.

I know now from the coaching and good experiences of vast improvement our pack now with The Cyborg Lawson officially in the Sorinex pack all WILL continue to get stronger.

A day of catching up then two days in New York area for famed Old Time Strongman reunion dinner. I will get in Friday to meet some old friends and dinner Saturday following a day of seminars , feats of strength meeting the greats of Iron. Hope to see any gripsters there !

[1stCoC]

Going to AOBS dinner this weekend,I forgot to pick up the original grippers Tettings first "show me gripper "Baraban Dyno,,phantom 4 which I only tested once by verbal direction and tester supplied by Chris Rice,and have openly invited others to re test. #4 @224, my first certified gripper 527 inch pounds at handle tips I shut and let the EPERTS we have be free to examine them. Words are sometimes cheap. I WILL go back to gym, to get them today ,I will let anyone freely test what I used or have commented about for years to decide for themselves, by their own hands on trying. I have some hand written, signed information I should as well include a letter that might prove interesting reading of certain aspects of now deliberately blurred grip history.

[slazbob]

I agree with the "deliberate" blurring of Grip history.

Hopefully that's over.

[1stCoC]

Just here to have a good time with people interested in strength, and strength History. I think the closer you get to the actual source the better and clearer the evolution of history and facts become. I respect all those that have come before me to pave the way and show them some respect.If people want to see the grip tools I brought they are most welcome to try them for themselves and decide what they see and feel. I was excited to see Bob Zuver made it here as well. Now that man has some history. From the start of the first hard core power gym to Peanuts West ,Pat Casey, Terry Todd ,

the mystical but real 200 lb. Zuver Man plates and fantastic equipped gym set behind the Zuver giant statue.

[1stCoC]

Had a great day meeting the ones that created the Iron game. Many past supermen and women. A real treat to see former past world strongest man Bruce Wilhelm fit and healthy. May new friends many interested in grip. Quite a few examined my cert 3 my , 224 rice recent in gym 4 to theirs ( no contest, )the feel of the Phantom 4 that everyone gulped when attempting to even thigh press shut. A few noted grip experts were interested by reading a letter that the the first 4 ever shut , had been never seen by anyone of grip mastery was in fact "stole" and replaced for a later video with a borrowed gripper. Strange how history works itself out. All good though. Dinner soon. Had a young guy put a slight bend in a penny I handed him ( carefully marked) with legend bob Zuver standing by. Master of ceremonies at the AOBS the Mighty Stephan related to me as I had recalled many years before seeing me close along with Gary Sitch( world record holder on plate grip machine) looking on , a silver crush #3 with two fingers. Again ,some people have great memories and were there. I hope to enjoy the fellowship of a rest dinner ahead with the Elite of strength.

[EJ Livesey]

Richard are you going to the old time strong man thing tomorrow in york pa? Did I see you were sponsoring it?

[Forever]

An interesting night . Intense 6 rep bench sets, 6 sets of 15 in one hand dumbbell row, Stretching, neck decompress , 5 sets of 10 choke pinch on pops gripper And. 3 sets of 5 TNS #2 closes . My last set in the bench was easy enough that 250 for 10 ,strict ,raw would go. Mighty happy at 64 years old.

The morning met me with a chuckle or two .First a call that a deer stand that I set up and nursed along until deer are now coming by gets destroyed by "a big body" biscuit eaters butt, then as I get to the plant an odd parked truck led me behind our storage container area with footprints fresh in the dew wet grass. As I eased around the corner two " dudes with dinner plate eyes" stood there lurking." Mr Smith" and I greeted them and finding out they were just good ol boys hanging out, I told them no problem and they looked" mighty honest". They knew and I knew " the deal" glad it ended peaceably. Always as a land owner take a picture of the people and their license plate for later referral. Like a wild West show just to get in the door and sip a bit of coffee!!,

That 250 for 10 bench raw is solid. Your doing well, like reading your from the ashes topic all the time. Stay strong buddy

[Randall Strossen]

Richard -

Sorry that I couldn't make the AOBS dinner this year and I am wondering if this letter you are talking about is a copy of what you shared with Joe Musselwhite (and that I tracked down and posted, with Dale Harder's help) or is it something else?

Also, wondering why when you want to criticize Joe Kinney or me, you do it over here, rather than coming to where you can discuss things directly with either of us:

http://www.ironmind-forum.com/forum/training/grip/1744-gopd-gripper-obsession-personality-disorder/page153

No need to be afraid to talk to either of us directly, Richard—we're half your size, are nice guys, and both of us have been quick to wave your flag over the years.

[1stCoC]

thanks T . After seeing many of the past worlds strongest men, great lifters and bodybuilding legends I do feel blessed by never doing the feats to the level they did but maintained my love of strength and the practice of it for over 50 years. I felt pretty good surrounded by great men of my age ,all natural ,remarking about what condition and lifts I have been doing since my accident. To have the first worlds strongest man telling how now he has to " bust his ass " to single 400 in the deadlifts and I am getting sets of 6 with it makes it all worthwhile sticking with it. HULK Hogan stopped by for a bit on his way to another show engagement. Nice to see him again . Met the first woman to clean and jerk 300 lbs. breaking the almost century old mark of legend Katie Sandwina.

Great bending exhibitions, saw pennies , bolts,horse shoes steel bars and chain bent and broken. The 93 year old son of "the mighty atom" allowed a group to bend a 1/2" steel bar over his nose. Stanless Steel ,CoC and recent movie actor star was as good and friendly as ever.

As a fitting thank you all of the membership secretly signed a Inch fillable Bosco bell and presented it to the announcer of every AOBS show Steve The a Mighty Stefan" Sadicario . On big family of strength supporting each other. Sad to see many notables not attending as in years before age and health marches on. Did get to see grip expert Bob Bollenbech assess some of my original grip equipment I used and get to read and understand the facts and evolution of the #4 better .

Lots of Fun and an honor to be there with heros that now have become friends.

Bob Zuver and wife Jan brought a world of pictures and stories of the greatest free weight gym ever built.

I decided to sponsor the show held Sunday in Pennsylvania featuring great strength acts by Hairculese and other Coney Island strong men young performers. Great to see and help the next generation .

A joy to return home to my family and a delightful home cooked dinner with a wonderful ,pretty lady. Life is good.

[1stCoC]

I missed seeing Randy, Joe, Kim , and many of the past grip guys at the AOBS.

There are many avid collectors there and some standouts in grip really enjoyed touching , feeling and trying grip objects that have been discussed upon many occasions. I find it better to let them decide for themselves. The strong handed men there twisters of steel and coins got to feel Tettings "show Me" gripper, the always high quality CoC grippers that over the last two decades have become more refined and better than ever. So when people went outside to their cars and brought in their #3 and four grippers the could directly see feel and decide for themselves the evolution of grippers from my early first ones to present .I always believe getting the information as close from the source or actually seeing and touching implements a person with a clear mind can put things into better perspective.

[Hubgeezer]

thanks T . After seeing many of the past worlds strongest men, great lifters ...worthwhile sticking with it. HULK Hogan stopped by for a bit on his way to another show engagement. Nice to see him again .

This is as good an excuse for me to ask something that I have been wondering about for 12 years, so here goes:

In June, 2002, when Mark Henry cleaned and pressed the Inch Replica at the AOBS banquet, right before he begins his pull, there is a voice of encouragement that sounds like Hulk Hogan. I know there were WWE folks at that function. Was Hulk Hogan in attendance that night?

Thanks for the writeup. There used to be lots of guys reporting on the Internet, not the case any more. I spoke to Stanless last night, and he enjoyed himself.

[1stCoC]

Hulk was not there the night(,about 11:30 pm Mark Henry cleaned ,push pressed, lowered, and then carried one handed an Inch replica bell gingerly to place the bell on the speakers podium. I was asked to provide a proper dimension and weight replica bell of the original Inch since the use of the original was declined.

I think the bell weighed bout 6-8 oz heavier than the original. It was kept under lock and key and until the event with witnesses standing by as a porter took it to the room after AOBS president Vic Boff produced the closet key.

Everyone was excited seeing history .I recall me hollering out encouragement caught in audio section of video. I don't recall Hulk ever attending a full dinner program with the AOBS.

[Hubgeezer]

Hulk was not there the night(,about 11:30 pm Mark Henry cleaned ,push pressed, lowered, and then carried one handed an Inch replica bell gingerly to place the bell on the speakers podium. I was asked to provide a proper dimension and weight replica bell of the original Inch since the use of the original was declined.

I think the bell weighed bout 6-8 oz heavier than the original. It was kept under lock and key and until the event with witnesses standing by as a porter took it to the room after AOBS president Vic Boff produced the closet key.

Everyone was excited seeing history .I recall me hollering out encouragement caught in audio section of video. I don't recall Hulk ever attending a full dinner program with the AOBS.

Thanks. Mystery solved. It is about 37, 38 seconds into it when you hear the Hogan-like voice:

[1stCoC]

"Come on brother" is what I hollered to him during video.

[1stCoC]

Mark was a gamer. His shoulder was hurt from a wrestling injury ,so I heard it suggested to him to just try his best to clean it. Even hurt and in danger he push pressed it ( short single leg drive) not a jerk ,or strict press. He sure showed determination and desire to please the crowd. We all gasped louder when he grabbed up the bell one handed after the lift and carried it to the podium. By placing it on there I thought the table would collapse. It didn't ,and that impromptu show of reserve grip astounded most of us by how gentle and the mastery of total control he exhibited when handling it.

[Hubgeezer]

"Come on brother" is what I hollered to him during video.

Well, over the years, in the "comments" section of Youtube, an Urban Myth was created. A number of guys claimed that was Hogan. Even though I knew better, the WWE film crew there made me believe that it was a possibility. Didn't know it was you.

Edit: I counted 7 comments on youtube mentioning the voice was Hogan's. Like I said, an Urban Myth created.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Hubgeezer

[3Crusher]

Hulk was not there the night(,about 11:30 pm Mark Henry cleaned ,push pressed, lowered, and then carried one handed an Inch replica bell gingerly to place the bell on the speakers podium. I was asked to provide a proper dimension and weight replica bell of the original Inch since the use of the original was declined.

I think the bell weighed bout 6-8 oz heavier than the original. It was kept under lock and key and until the event with witnesses standing by as a porter took it to the room after AOBS president Vic Boff produced the closet key.

Everyone was excited seeing history .I recall me hollering out encouragement caught in audio section of video. I don't recall Hulk ever attending a full dinner program with the AOBS.

Richard,

I was there that night. You can hear me whooping it up on the video. John Hicks shot this video. I also shot video that night and the time of the lift was 11:15 pm (I announced it into the camera's microphone right before the lift), so you were very close in your approximation of the time of the lift. I also have on video your reaction to Mark Henry's lift. You looked at me in complete disbelief at what you just saw and shook your head and said something about that lift being one of the most unbelievable things you ever saw. The 2002 AOBS dinner was the last that Vic Boff was alive for and it was was an event filled with raw energy and was alot of fun to attend. And I can back you up on saying that Hulk Hogan was NOT there, but Bill Kazmaier was. Discus great Al Oerter was also a guest of honor that night as well.

Steve

Edited October 14, 2014 by 3Crusher

[1stCoC]

In error I added an additional reply to the Neck a Training and Grip post that was supposed in paragraph two to be in accord with Mr. Hub Geezer had to this day after thinking Hulk Hogan Hogan was at the elevation of the Replica a Inch by a Mark Henry. People want to believe and money gained along with power perhaps are at the root of all evil. In many cases little known folk heros are perhaps created a fantastic claim in a "joke type situation gone bad "or as an embellishment to a budding, inspiring story line.

[slazbob]

A few noted grip experts were interested by reading a letter that the the first 4 ever shut , had been never seen by anyone of grip mastery was in fact "stole" and replaced for a later video with a borrowed gripper. Strange how history works itself out. .

funny how this did workout... YOU, were the one who had the "secret letters" ...all along. But we knew that. You hit a home run bringing that letter there. Very sad.

[1stCoC]

I am happy for anyone doing there best in grip or strength. I have had fun but it is not about me. I just want the guys and gals that do aspire to find that magic feeling of success shutting a3,4,or five ....whatever. I have been a sportsman my entire life and dedicated to strength and grip over 50 years. I do feel to have fun is one thing, be historically accurate another, and not abusing a situation of "a new snake oil" lining the pockets of others.

Respect and memories as I have said is to me the distillation of all we do. I can accept honest defeat and support others far greater than I , but respect and memories I do expect to give and earn equally in return.

I have been in the woods for two days enjoying the wonders of nature. Saw a enjoyed and let a bunch of deer go on to live and perhaps give some other aspiring hunter a thrill. We have a real coyote problem in the state fawns pulled down (2out of every3) and eaten alive by coyotes. After passing a good buck I saw a big male coyote trailing planning to do more of his his gristly work. Well, as with any other vermin

I greeted his loping hungry gait with a .300 mag. placed in his left eye.