anwnate Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Today's profile covers David Mitti. Whether bending a piece of steel, closing a gripper or heaving a hunk of metal above his head, David exemplifies the all-around gripster. His dedication and desire to be good at everything is proven by the inexorable progress in all aspects of grip. Since he lives in the far off country of Michigan , I have not yet had the pleasure of making his acquaintance. I'm curious as any, to find a little bit more about the man they call "Mitti". 7 questions to get to know David. 1. What are your stats? Gripboard Name, Age, height (inches/meters), weight (lbs/kgs), dominant hand size (cm/in), country, city (or region…whatever you are comfortable with), married/single, kids, occupation ("international spy" is acceptable) Gripboard Name: "David Mitti" Age: 38 Height: 5'7" (107cm) Weight: 178lbs (81kg) Dominant Hand size: Left hand 7.5" (19cm) Country/City: USA/Michigan Marital Status: Married with 2 children (boy and girl) Occupation: Bolt Maker - fastener shop 2. Why did you start training grip (and how long is it now)? When I was about 25 years old, I noticed an Ironmind ad in a muscle magazine. I started researching grip training and found David Horne's (World of Grip) and Jedd Johnson's (Diesel Crew) websites. From there I was hooked, mostly dabbling at first. I would say that it's been the last 4-5 years that I've taken it seriously. 3. Before you die, what is your ULTIMATE grip goal/goals? To lift the INCH! 4. How do you currently structure your overall training/how do you incorporate your grip training? My current training includes… 3 days of Grip, 2 days of Jiu Jitsu 2-3 days a week of flexibility/stretching. Each day I use different implements with fatbar, pinch and wrist being the focus. While I will always hit those three elements each session, I will use different tools each time. 5. Do you have a personal anecdote, topic or thoughts you'd like to include in your profile? Sure…bending. Horse Shoes were a big part of my life for a good year or so. My best cert for Benders Battlefield was the St. Croix Forge EZ#2 which I certed 12-3-12. That was a huge accomplishment for me. It was probably the feat of strength I stayed dedicated to for the longest period of time. I really enjoyed the shoes. Shoes can really beat you up though. I lost many calluses during this time. Lol. One day, I ended my fun with the shoes when one bend went wrong. I was hitting on the crush and something about the way it drove into my leg…a sharp pain shot all the way down. My whole lower leg went numb for a few seconds. Afterwards, with the few attempts I made on shoes, it remained a little tender in that spot on the leg. Additionally, it was messing with my head…so that part of my life kinda came to a close. I looked at the big picture and realized I didn't want to create some kind of lasting injury in that leg. Bending harder shoes can really be hard on the body. I walked away feeling pretty happy with my accomplishments with them and so it was okay. It was time to move on. I also dove into unbraced bending. About 2.5 years ago, I had worked my way up to an Ironmind Red Nail bend under cert conditions (single IMPs, no bands, under a minute). Soon after, I got another new batch of Reds. After a few sessions of not being able to bend one (under cert conditions), I got very frustrated and kinda set the Red to the side. I ended up not getting back to it. I always look back at this and kinda kick myself for it…but oh well, it's always a possibility for the future. Right now, I really want to focus on the Captain's of Crush #3 Certification. 6. What hobbies (other than grip/bending/lifting) do you enjoy? Spending time with family. Jiu Jitsu. Guitar. 7. Who's Grip profile would you like to see? I'd like to see the profile of Joshua Henze. Thanks David, Joshua will be profiled in two weeks. The series will return next Wednesday with Gilbert Goodman. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedd Johnson Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 That's a sweet shirt, David. Thanks for your support over the years. I hope it all works out that you can get to your first comp this year! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mitti Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Thank you very much for doing this Nate!! Really was a cool idea you came up with. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mitti Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 That's a sweet shirt, David. Thanks for your support over the years. I hope it all works out that you can get to your first comp this year! Thanks Jedd! Yeah the shirt, it's okay! Haha You have always been there from day one to offer a hand, much appreciated! I am really shooting to make a comp in 2016,probably the Kong.. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickg Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Do you combine different types of grips in a workout or do you prefer to focus on one aspect be it crushed/pinch/ thick bar? Thanks for the time to answer this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggoth Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Really enjoying these write ups! Thanks Nate and everyone who's participating. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mitti Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Do you combine different types of grips in a workout or do you prefer to focus on one aspect be it crushed/pinch/ thick bar? Thanks for the time to answer this. I do grippers twice a week now, that's the 1st & 3rd grip session of the week. Along with the grippers which always come first in the routine I will do some type of pinch followed by hangboard work then finish up with some kettlebell bottom up presses. The middle day is fat bar usually with a 2.5" crusher or 2.5" inch style dbells with some wrist work following. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvance Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 David, thought I'd share something I discovered that helps rt/thickbar. Been working on different ways to train and completely isolate the thumb. The last month started lifting the axle fingerless, only the thumb hooked over. Very quick strength curve, had trouble with two handed the empty IM axle, now I'm doing holds with addtl. 20lbs. It's helping my thumb contribute more to my rt work. Definitely getting more volume PRs as the extra thumb strength saves the fingers. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvance Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Lol and sorry for giving unsolicited advice. Just kinda excited to figure this out and wanted to share cuz I know you are chasing the inch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anwnate Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Really enjoying these write ups! Thanks Nate and everyone who's participating. Thanks man. I can't begin to express how helpful grip-peeps have been to me in the last 4 years. It truly is a community. Since it's not practical for everyone to compete in every (or any) contests...I thought it would be good to put some faces to the names. It also gives us the opportunity to see both how alike and different those training gripsport are. Ditto on the thanks to those participating. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mitti Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 David, thought I'd share something I discovered that helps rt/thickbar. Been working on different ways to train and completely isolate the thumb. The last month started lifting the axle fingerless, only the thumb hooked over. Very quick strength curve, had trouble with two handed the empty IM axle, now I'm doing holds with addtl. 20lbs. It's helping my thumb contribute more to my rt work. Definitely getting more volume PRs as the extra thumb strength saves the fingers. I will be trying this! Thanks Jon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Hunt Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Awesome profile highlight! Seems we are the left handed bandits 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Pizzo Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Great stuff Nate!!...very cool idea David, I didn't know you were in Michigan as well. Hopefully we can run in to each other at a contest, maybe this year? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mitti Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Great stuff Nate!!...very cool idea David, I didn't know you were in Michigan as well. Hopefully we can run in to each other at a contest, maybe this year? Yeah that would definitely be cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.