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Who Started Where?


AbsuM

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Grippers are just one way to build strong hands - and probably not the best way by far. "Normal" varies by the people around you. If you are surrounded by students, office workers, young people etc - you are likely to have a different idea of what is normal than if you are a tree trimmer, block layer, or construction worker. Guys who have been lifting (for strength) for a decade or two are also going to be strong all over as well as their hands. I live in a rural area where people still work with their hands a lot - many people have very strong hands - the people who don't have are the exceptions. Background matters - grippers are a very skill specific test - a two minute course of how to place the gripper in your hand can make the difference of closing a #1 or a #2. Be careful not to compare "skill" for strength in this regard.

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I had been shutting Tettings heavy grippers for a while until he "called me" on anyone being able to shut the Super Heavy Duty. He was firm that my secretary that always ordered the grippers was perhaps wrong and I was shutting the super duty instead. Remember in the late 80's Warren made the spring standard to what the #3 is now because his former stock source for the Super Heavy Duty ran out. He requested for me to "Prove It" buy sending me a Super Heavy Duty gripper he painted a special red color. I shut it within a day or two and sent him the picture of the close he requested. He has been an honored friend ever since. I shut the new Captains of Crush not very long after receiving the chromed beast perhaps within the first month on a regular basis. When John Brookfield first visited I was doing the #3 and basically he( John) never had his hands on those type grippers. Even the #1 was tough back then. On his first trial day John actually missed closing the #1 ...not for a lack of strength, but skill. He quickly started on grippers that day and by followup phone calls I heard from him he progressed quickly within the year to mastering the three. He was strong enough on the day he first tried to close the #1 to bend 42 60 penny nails in a minute and drop them in a wide mouth milk bottle, and also bend a 100 penny bridge spike. That was one strong guy! Late in 1991I was sent the Phantom 4 as I refer to it by Randy Strossen at Ironmind. Closed it at 1:20pm the first day I had it. Two finger and thumb closes with the silver crush #3 were done in pretty quick order in early 1992. The pictures of this (2 taken) still hang in our gym.

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Those quotes inside a quote.... After quote....After quote...After quote.....After quote...After quote... are fun to read.. Especially on my phone

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Grippers are just one way to build strong hands - and probably not the best way by far. "Normal" varies by the people around you. If you are surrounded by students, office workers, young people etc - you are likely to have a different idea of what is normal than if you are a tree trimmer, block layer, or construction worker. Guys who have been lifting (for strength) for a decade or two are also going to be strong all over as well as their hands. I live in a rural area where people still work with their hands a lot - many people have very strong hands - the people who don't have are the exceptions. Background matters - grippers are a very skill specific test - a two minute course of how to place the gripper in your hand can make the difference of closing a #1 or a #2. Be careful not to compare "skill" for strength in this regard.

Solid post. not to take anything away from everyone elses's contribution to the thread, but this post hits the nail on the head. background clearly has alot to answer for as far as grip strength is concerned. the obvious people to look at are manual labourers or people who use their hands daily, grafting day in- day out or people who have trained with heavy weights for years.You having a rock climbing backround probably had a good contribution to your lower arm strength.

theres closing big grippers, which is no easy task, and then theres block weights. John Brookfield believes that "block weights = hand strenghth", so it may even be more beneficial so spend more time using them.

For me, personally, i want a strong grip to help with the weight training, but i also see strong hands as a manly quality. Even if your a small build and you have strong hands, it seems to give an impression that the person is alot stronger that what he really is. when someone shakes your hand, not squeezing it to death, but hand strength is apparent, for some odd reason you seem to have a degree of respect for them.. that may sound a bit strange but i think that some will agree.

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Grippers are just one way to build strong hands - and probably not the best way by far. "Normal" varies by the people around you. If you are surrounded by students, office workers, young people etc - you are likely to have a different idea of what is normal than if you are a tree trimmer, block layer, or construction worker. Guys who have been lifting (for strength) for a decade or two are also going to be strong all over as well as their hands. I live in a rural area where people still work with their hands a lot - many people have very strong hands - the people who don't have are the exceptions. Background matters - grippers are a very skill specific test - a two minute course of how to place the gripper in your hand can make the difference of closing a #1 or a #2. Be careful not to compare "skill" for strength in this regard.

great post. what are some of the other things u do to build hand strength

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It was along time ago when I tried so can't be 100%.

I know I closed the #1, #1.5 I think was right there.

At this time wasn't training grip at all other than regular deadlifts...

Plus I had no idea how to set...

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There are some awesome, eye-opening stories in this thread! I remember when I got the #1 7-8 years ago (? timeline might be a little off here). I could barely close it ... knew nothing about setting it or other ways to strengthen grip. (At this point, I had weight-trained for about 20 years, but mainly for bodybuilding, with not much deadlifting at the time.) I spent a long time struggling with the #1, adding a rep-or-two every couple of weeks. When I got the #2, it stopped me cold about halfway out. This was around the time I got frustrated with grippers and started up with steel bending. During this time, I picked up the #1.5, which helped me a ton. (I still didn't know about any other type of gripper with different progressions.) After bending a few years, I think I finally closed the #2. I've come close to getting the #2.5, but am still 2-3mm out. My gripper progress has been very slow, but lasting.

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I'm trying to get rid of that tendonitis, Peter. Thanks for the encouragement. I don't think I'll ever completely get out of grip, tendonitis or not!

Tom

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I'm trying to get rid of that tendonitis, Peter. Thanks for the encouragement. I don't think I'll ever completely get out of grip, tendonitis or not!

Tom

Extensorwork and light sledge hammer supination/pronation rotations help me alot when my elbow starts acting up. :)

Maybe not even sledgehammer but a long broom shaft that you hold my the end, a basebal bat or a steel pipe.

Hope it goes away soon!

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I'm trying to get rid of that tendonitis, Peter. Thanks for the encouragement. I don't think I'll ever completely get out of grip, tendonitis or not!

Tom

Hate hearing that, try 2 weeks off heavy grip and arm training. Just do light extensors, shot rotations, and very light pronation/supination like Peter mentioned. Unfortunately there is no way to work through it without inflaming more, solid rest is the only answer. It held me back almost a year until I realized I had to step away from everything for a while.

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I'm trying to get rid of that tendonitis, Peter. Thanks for the encouragement. I don't think I'll ever completely get out of grip, tendonitis or not!

Tom

DSMO was the key for me to finally eliminate my Tennis Elbow a few years back. Not FDA approved though.

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When I started (training with grippers) I couldn't close the 2. I could close the 1 and 1.5. After 3 weeks of training I have closed the 2, and now I have my sights set on the 2.5.

As for lifting in general, I started in April 2009. What motivated me was not being able to bench 125. I only weighed 135. Now, I weigh 190. it has been quite a journey.

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I struggled for years to close the #3 and have not advanced beyond that level still.
Why do you think this is?
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Tenis elbow, 7 moths no lifting happened twice to me

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I struggled for years to close the #3 and have not advanced beyond that level still.
Why do you think this is?

Josh - there's probably more than one answer to this one for me.

1. I don't particularly like grippers for reasons I have talked about many times before - haven't since the very beginning of starting grip training.

2. I don't believe its because I don't have enough "strength" to close bigger grippers than I have done.already. My choker close is pretty good at 191.8# in a comp and a 195# COC #4 in training.

3. I don't have anything resembling a "set" and never will - I simply don't believe what we do is a valid crush test but a test of a "skill". I leave it to those people who enjoy them - I don't - and I'm willing to do poorly as a result in this event.

4. I find grippers boring and almost never train them.

5. When I initially got my first grippers I had never heard of a set - and I believe the things I had done before in my life had given me much of my "potential" strength when done in the same manner as those original closes.

5. Everyone should have something they don't like in anything they do - I chose grippers in regards to Grip. It doesn't bother me that others find them so fascinating and work so hard with them - I feel that way about my climbing

Do I think I might "be able" to close bigger than I have - who knows?

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I struggled for years to close the #3 and have not advanced beyond that level still.
Why do you think this is?

Josh - there's probably more than one answer to this one for me.

1. I don't particularly like grippers for reasons I have talked about many times before - haven't since the very beginning of starting grip training.

2. I don't believe its because I don't have enough "strength" to close bigger grippers than I have done.already. My choker close is pretty good at 191.8# in a comp and a 195# COC #4 in training.

3. I don't have anything resembling a "set" and never will - I simply don't believe what we do is a valid crush test but a test of a "skill". I leave it to those people who enjoy them - I don't - and I'm willing to do poorly as a result in this event.

4. I find grippers boring and almost never train them.

5. When I initially got my first grippers I had never heard of a set - and I believe the things I had done before in my life had given me much of my "potential" strength when done in the same manner as those original closes.

5. Everyone should have something they don't like in anything they do - I chose grippers in regards to Grip. It doesn't bother me that others find them so fascinating and work so hard with them - I feel that way about my climbing

Do I think I might "be able" to close bigger than I have - who knows?

I'd say that all lifts demand good technique and skill tho.

You set up on the euro too, hand position, torque, tilt, foot stance, angles in your body, squatting or deadlifting the euro, the ammount of chalk needed, finding your optimal width, and so on.

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I just have to say, this is one of my favorite threads in a while. Thanks for starting it and thank you all who put there experiences here.

Rich

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When i started i could only do the trainer so you don't have to be a natural to get anywhere. You do have to work hard you are not though.

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I crushed the 3 a week after i started training,then i got pretty obsessed with grippers now i am more focused on powerlifting i ve lost some power and skill.

It really surpises me that so many of you could easily close the #2 the first time or within a few weeks. Most people who try my grippers can't even close the #1! So far I haven't met anybody who could close the #2. Only one that came close was my nephew (manual labour).

What are your experiences with other people trying your grippers?

Yep. And ive handed my #2 to 3 different guys who not only closed it no-set, but did so with both hands. I was able to do it with my right hand but not my left though.. If i had know how to set then i would have likely closed a 2.5 right hand, and the #2 left hand. 2 of the guys i watched close it were from my battalion. Both were 240Bravo gunners and were VERY strong all over. And one of those guys also casually pinched 2-45s in one hand while were goofing off at the gym on base. (Which i was WAY more impressed with than the #2 close) the other guy
was another mechanic that i worked with. He also was a strong dude.
And ive seen close to 15 other guys get VERY close to closing my #2 who all have never trained grip. So based off my experiences with handing people grippers, closing a #2 first try isnt quite as rare as some like to insist. ...but then again, i do tend to profile a bit. I pretty much only offer a gripper to guys who look like they stand a good chance at puttin' up.
Edit: i saw another guy i knew from high school that i hadnt seen in years not only no-set my #2, but lift an inch replica his first try as well. This was at the Coleman classic in 2012 i believe. Eric, Paul, and i think Mighty Joe were all there that day as well.
So that makes 4.
nice story bro
Thanks. Your mother loved it as well.
wow are u serious? these are the kind of people on gripboard? i was being serious when i said nice story you know. just goes to show some people can't handle being on an internet forum.
Yawn. My post was as sincere as yours. ..im getting old, but i aint that old yet. I can still read into sarcasm from an adolescent, even if ever so subtle. And i addressed accordingly.
wow, your just stupid is all. that crystal ball of yours needs to be replaced because there was no sarcasm in my post. you are getting old. why would i start a thread asking for stories then be disrespectful to someone who posted a good story? and why do you want to bring up mothers? my moms still alive how bout yours? probably not...thats why your lashing out with such comments
Ah.. Stupid, huh? Listen kid, you may be right about my oldness (I think i may have even just spotted a grey hair earlier), but stupid? Not a chance. And your wrong about my mother. She's still kickin'. And your mom i know is good. So no need to announce her health. We talked earlier. ..and you should really go clean your room. And take out the trash. Because she keeps calling me to vent, and i can hardly bear it because my rocker on the porch needs tendin' to cuz my old bones are on the fritz. So please, do as she says from now on.
Oh and one more thing... I may be getting old, but your balls dont even touch your underwear yet, son.

LOL the last phrase made me laugh soooooo much ahahah.

That was good tommy.

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I crushed the 3 a week after i started training,then i got pretty obsessed with grippers now i am more focused on powerlifting i ve lost some power and skill.

It really surpises me that so many of you could easily close the #2 the first time or within a few weeks. Most people who try my grippers can't even close the #1! So far I haven't met anybody who could close the #2. Only one that came close was my nephew (manual labour).

What are your experiences with other people trying your grippers?

Yep. And ive handed my #2 to 3 different guys who not only closed it no-set, but did so with both hands. I was able to do it with my right hand but not my left though.. If i had know how to set then i would have likely closed a 2.5 right hand, and the #2 left hand. 2 of the guys i watched close it were from my battalion. Both were 240Bravo gunners and were VERY strong all over. And one of those guys also casually pinched 2-45s in one hand while were goofing off at the gym on base. (Which i was WAY more impressed with than the #2 close) the other guy

was another mechanic that i worked with. He also was a strong dude.

And ive seen close to 15 other guys get VERY close to closing my #2 who all have never trained grip. So based off my experiences with handing people grippers, closing a #2 first try isnt quite as rare as some like to insist. ...but then again, i do tend to profile a bit. I pretty much only offer a gripper to guys who look like they stand a good chance at puttin' up.

Edit: i saw another guy i knew from high school that i hadnt seen in years not only no-set my #2, but lift an inch replica his first try as well. This was at the Coleman classic in 2012 i believe. Eric, Paul, and i think Mighty Joe were all there that day as well.

So that makes 4.

nice story bro
Thanks. Your mother loved it as well.
wow are u serious? these are the kind of people on gripboard? i was being serious when i said nice story you know. just goes to show some people can't handle being on an internet forum.
Yawn. My post was as sincere as yours. ..im getting old, but i aint that old yet. I can still read into sarcasm from an adolescent, even if ever so subtle. And i addressed accordingly.
wow, your just stupid is all. that crystal ball of yours needs to be replaced because there was no sarcasm in my post. you are getting old. why would i start a thread asking for stories then be disrespectful to someone who posted a good story? and why do you want to bring up mothers? my moms still alive how bout yours? probably not...thats why your lashing out with such comments
Ah.. Stupid, huh? Listen kid, you may be right about my oldness (I think i may have even just spotted a grey hair earlier), but stupid? Not a chance. And your wrong about my mother. She's still kickin'. And your mom i know is good. So no need to announce her health. We talked earlier. ..and you should really go clean your room. And take out the trash. Because she keeps calling me to vent, and i can hardly bear it because my rocker on the porch needs tendin' to cuz my old bones are on the fritz. So please, do as she says from now on.

Oh and one more thing... I may be getting old, but your balls dont even touch your underwear yet, son.

LOL the last phrase made me laugh soooooo much ahahah.

That was good tommy.

the sad thing is is it is people like you two that are the reason why i don't donate to these forums that i belong to anymore. just starting to warm up to the board then remarks like this make me stray. don't know why the mods allow this type of behavior. probably would have donated by now..

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AbsuM, I will give you credit. I do enjoy this thread. it was interesting reading where everyone started. especially some of the seasoned gripsters whove done some crazy feats over the years. but at the same time, after I shared my story, you made the sassy comment of "nice story bro". and you did so only to my post. im almost certain that anyone with half a brain interpreted your initial remark to my post as I did. sarcastic. but hey.. no harm no foul. i can dig a little sarcasm.. but expect the same in return.

and I also see that you are trying to imply that if someone (one of the mods) doesn't run to your aid and boot me off the forum, then you will not donate any money. and while you may feel that is a strong play, I might remind you that your remarks weren't any more respectful than my own. also, in the event that your subliminal request (to have me booted) was honored, how would booting a contributing member to gain only 1 more contributing member be good for business?? doesn't sound to me like anyone would be gaining any extra money from that transaction.

while i may have given you some sarcasm in return for your own, i have no problem with you personally. i simply matched your disrespect. so stop trying to turn a mole hill into a mountain.

i wish you well in your training. and i have no intent to continue a spat with you. so pretty please with some sugar on top, get off my nutz.

sorry man but you just can't talk about having half a brain on something that you completely wrong about, i don't car if you enjoy sarcasm or not and really don't care if you think it was because i know it wasn't. think what you want and i did say that to others not just you. I'm not asking for mods to kick you out or i won't donate, I'm saying its people like you that make me refuse to donate to a forum with disrespectful people like you. you think your (bad word filter)ing psychic and can 100% say that my post was sarcasm? pull your head out of your ass and think that maybe not everyone in the work is alike and maybe just maybe when someone says cool story bro they actually fukn mean it.

AbsuM, I will give you credit. I do enjoy this thread. it was interesting reading where everyone started. especially some of the seasoned gripsters whove done some crazy feats over the years. but at the same time, after I shared my story, you made the sassy comment of "nice story bro". and you did so only to my post. im almost certain that anyone with half a brain interpreted your initial remark to my post as I did. sarcastic. but hey.. no harm no foul. i can dig a little sarcasm.. but expect the same in return.

and I also see that you are trying to imply that if someone (one of the mods) doesn't run to your aid and boot me off the forum, then you will not donate any money. and while you may feel that is a strong play, I might remind you that your remarks weren't any more respectful than my own. also, in the event that your subliminal request (to have me booted) was honored, how would booting a contributing member to gain only 1 more contributing member be good for business?? doesn't sound to me like anyone would be gaining any extra money from that transaction.

while i may have given you some sarcasm in return for your own, i have no problem with you personally. i simply matched your disrespect. so stop trying to turn a mole hill into a mountain.

i wish you well in your training. and i have no intent to continue a spat with you. so pretty please with some sugar on top, get off my nutz.

sorry man but you just can't talk about having half a brain on something that you completely wrong about, i don't car if you enjoy sarcasm or not and really don't care if you think it was because i know it wasn't. think what you want and i did say that to others not just you. I'm not asking for mods to kick you out or i won't donate, I'm saying its people like you that make me refuse to donate to a forum with disrespectful people like you. you think your (bad word filter)ing psychic and can 100% say that my post was sarcasm? pull your head out of your ass and think that maybe not everyone in the world is alike and maybe just maybe when someone says cool story bro they actually fukn mean it.

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Hey Tommy, I understand why you would think his response was more of a sarcastic comment. I actually reread absum's earlier posts in the thread and they were similar. I think his original comment "nice story bro" was sincere. Had I just seen that 1 post I also would have sensed a bit of sarcasm.

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I'm not a moderator but please take this off the board.

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AbsuM, so your last post was kind of an apology?.. okay. I accept.

now, im encouraging you politely (for a second time) back off.

glad u came to your senses

I'm not a moderator but please take this off the board.

will do, don't mean to make a big deal

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On 3/12/2014 at 12:56 AM, AbsuM said:
On 3/11/2014 at 3:58 PM, CANCRUSHER said:

I crushed the 3 a week after i started training,then i got pretty obsessed with grippers now i am more focused on powerlifting i ve lost some power and skill.

On 3/6/2014 at 6:20 AM, mudhutmasher said:
On 3/6/2014 at 5:58 AM, AbsuM said:
On 3/6/2014 at 4:59 AM, mudhutmasher said:
On 3/6/2014 at 4:44 AM, AbsuM said:
On 3/6/2014 at 4:26 AM, mudhutmasher said:
On 3/6/2014 at 1:51 AM, AbsuM said:
On 3/6/2014 at 12:45 AM, mudhutmasher said:
On 3/5/2014 at 1:39 PM, Royz said:

It really surpises me that so many of you could easily close the #2 the first time or within a few weeks. Most people who try my grippers can't even close the #1! So far I haven't met anybody who could close the #2. Only one that came close was my nephew (manual labour).

What are your experiences with other people trying your grippers?

Yep. And ive handed my #2 to 3 different guys who not only closed it no-set, but did so with both hands. I was able to do it with my right hand but not my left though.. If i had know how to set then i would have likely closed a 2.5 right hand, and the #2 left hand. 2 of the guys i watched close it were from my battalion. Both were 240Bravo gunners and were VERY strong all over. And one of those guys also casually pinched 2-45s in one hand while were goofing off at the gym on base. (Which i was WAY more impressed with than the #2 close) the other guy

was another mechanic that i worked with. He also was a strong dude.

And ive seen close to 15 other guys get VERY close to closing my #2 who all have never trained grip. So based off my experiences with handing people grippers, closing a #2 first try isnt quite as rare as some like to insist. ...but then again, i do tend to profile a bit. I pretty much only offer a gripper to guys who look like they stand a good chance at puttin' up.

Edit: i saw another guy i knew from high school that i hadnt seen in years not only no-set my #2, but lift an inch replica his first try as well. This was at the Coleman classic in 2012 i believe. Eric, Paul, and i think Mighty Joe were all there that day as well.

So that makes 4.

nice story bro
Thanks. Your mother loved it as well.
wow are u serious? these are the kind of people on gripboard? i was being serious when i said nice story you know. just goes to show some people can't handle being on an internet forum.
Yawn. My post was as sincere as yours. ..im getting old, but i aint that old yet. I can still read into sarcasm from an adolescent, even if ever so subtle. And i addressed accordingly.
wow, your just stupid is all. that crystal ball of yours needs to be replaced because there was no sarcasm in my post. you are getting old. why would i start a thread asking for stories then be disrespectful to someone who posted a good story? and why do you want to bring up mothers? my moms still alive how bout yours? probably not...thats why your lashing out with such comments
Ah.. Stupid, huh? Listen kid, you may be right about my oldness (I think i may have even just spotted a grey hair earlier), but stupid? Not a chance. And your wrong about my mother. She's still kickin'. And your mom i know is good. So no need to announce her health. We talked earlier. ..and you should really go clean your room. And take out the trash. Because she keeps calling me to vent, and i can hardly bear it because my rocker on the porch needs tendin' to cuz my old bones are on the fritz. So please, do as she says from now on.

Oh and one more thing... I may be getting old, but your balls dont even touch your underwear yet, son.

LOL the last phrase made me laugh soooooo much ahahah.

That was good tommy.

the sad thing is is it is people like you two that are the reason why i don't donate to these forums that i belong to anymore. just starting to warm up to the board then remarks like this make me stray. don't know why the mods allow this type of behavior. probably would have donated by now..

 

Edited by CANCRUSHER
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