How Do You Train For The Ccs?

[John McCarter]

Had a fun idea pop into my mind and was wondering how other people would approach the same issue but in what way would work best for you. I know there's people on the board training for the #3 cert. My question is how are you going about training for the ccs style close?

Future #3 certs, and the one's that have done it chime in, share some information about what worked for you.

[Stephen Ruby]

I"m curious for those who have done the cert what was your best mash monster set close at the time? (rgc)

[John McCarter]

I"m curious for those who have done the cert what was your best mash monster set close at the time? (rgc)

Right before I certified, my best close with a mm set was around 165 rated gripper I guess; wasn't big on using rated grippers back then, now I know better.

One thing I wish I would have spent more time on wasn't wasting time swiping the card each time I went for a ccs close. Only swipe it once then focus on only the end range movement like mms closes. Building up the end range while still using the placement for ccs.

[anwnate]

I"m curious for those who have done the cert what was your best mash monster set close at the time? (rgc)

171...both on my failed cert and my successful one.

For the second one...I practiced CCS quite a bit with weaker #3s (low 140s)...eventually ramping up to narrowly missing a CCS with my 162 MM2 replica.

My best advice for someone "ready" to cert is to either be "over ready"...or know your CNS very well. My missed cert had little to do with being strong enough...just couldn't access it at that moment.

[Sam Scott]

Don't train deep sets all the time.

Practise closing heavy grippers with a lighter set

[Geralt]

How could I not chime in here heh. I have bought my first gripper end 2008 and starting training with a plan around 2010. Threw everything in but kitchensink for a few year, which gave me very slow progress and also injuries. August 2010 I closed the #3 from MMS first time. This was after a vacation in which I did nothing for more than one and a half week. Before I continuesly trained grip 2/3 times a week. Makes no sense in hind sight. I wanted to get stronger fast which doesn't worked that way for me. My background in terms of strengthtraining in 2008 was also practically zero, and even till two years ago I did not train the big lifts very consequently. I also had a nagging injury for a long time on my right lowerarm/elbow.

I am not a strong guy, far from that. You probably also know that I went for the cert on my birthday last year and missed the CCS by a very small margin. I needed to rely too much on my CNS instead of having the horsepowers to muscle through any problem I could be confronted with, such as a ' bad day'. I have trained my balls off, getting stronger on these grippers and am still determined to cert on the #3. For a time I became a bit obsessed which only lead to overtraining and frustration when a workout didn't work out like I planned to. Pr's dont come frequently and on a scheduled base. Like: ' I have now consistenly trained with this and that method for this cycle. Now I rest and next workout will be a PR!' No, it doesn't work that way for me.

My experience so far and training mistakes.

Pro's:

- worked up to a MMS strength of around 170 lbs, with some outliers above, almost closing a Ghp8 (176)

when I had a good day;

- I can easily hold 100/110 kg static hold with one hand on my gripmachine/plateloader, as far as reference

goes.

Cons:

- Focusing too much on MMS, the rom is different compared to CCS. Yes, a certain base strength is

needed, like Teemu I. once wrote 3.3, but anything above 170 in my opinion is nice, but not that

nessecary;

- Stepping up to the next gripper too much on consequently focusing on that goal gripper. I.e. maxing out

all the time. When I look back at my training I spent little to no working time with grippers around 2.5

level. Only MMS repping this thing, which for me didn't bring that much.

- Wasting too much time on other gripstuff. For me, specialisation seems to be the key, so once per week

just grippers and wristwork. When I also focused heavily on thickbar and pinch like 2hp, my progress

with grippers went down the drain.

- Focus on Secret weapon and gripmachines. They can help, but they are no meaning to an end. Specially

the Secret weapon is a widow maker.

General observations

- do not go berserk on RGC's specially done by several different people;

- Ratings that do come out around 145 and lower for #3's are nice but do not compare them to closing a 150+ gripper. Not to bash guys

who closed these grippers and became MM0, far from. It's a PR when you get it and it should be seen this way but dont be fooled, working to the end range of the #3 spectrum is far from reached at that point.

- Do not count on an easy #3 when certing. Ironmind says there is just a little margin in their grippers, but

can cert end of this week on my 142lbs #3, and would probably fail an attempt with my 153lbs #3, totally

different beasts in ramping up and final close. Be prepared to get a heavy gripper. Close them

consistently;

- John made a very good observation, set a gripper CCS and then try to work reps after the first close, not

letting it open to far, perhaps only MMS, but you will notice a totally different dogleg position and fingerposition on the other handle;

- By working only MMS or deeper sets for years, my hands are just programmed to stop pulling in when they reach the dogleg sweetspot. The dogleg is further behind when doing a CCS, thus needing a bigger ROM. I now need to recalibrate my ROM and reprogram' my hands;

- Focus is now on TNS with lighter grippers and CCS practice, although I still can train only once per week;

- Most guys who certed on the #3 are around 100kg BW or higher, some with lower BW but they don't seem to represent to majority;

- Same for guys who cert with a year or two from starting with training, these guys already are strong, have training experience or

immediatly pick a advices from experienced guys and are lucky that that particular trainingmethod also suits their body. Anyway they also do not represent the majority. Don't get hung up on other people's progress. Build your own method and grow with it. Cheesy, I know but it is true.

- Plan other training wisely, so perhaps pulling beginning of the week so you don't tax the hands too much when getting closer to the end of the week and to your gripperwork. Rest and recovery are much needed and very underestimated imo.

I do not put a timeframe on when I want to try a cert again, but when I cert next, I will close it laughing.

thnx for reading guys, I made a looong story haha perhaps it helps for some guys.

Sorry for the weird text layout, I typed this on my Ipad, still have trouble typing big stories on this thing lol

Edited July 5, 2015 by Geralt

[acorn]

Every time I tried to train CCS closes I ended up getting a tendon injury. 3" spread on a #3 combined with CCS and not being able to get my pinky on the handle until mid way through the close always made for a very bad combo. Never ended up certing and gave up on it. Best CCS closes were on 156# #3 before injury with MMS in the mid 190's.

[Justin Matney]

Lots of great info here already. A #3 cert is definitely one of my goals.

And I have to admit, I've always been more fascinated with wide set closes than deep set or parallel closes. And I can definitely track the bulk of my injuries and setbacks to deep set "training", which for me always consisted of maxing out every time I touched grippers. That's a lack of discipline on my part, but I think that's sort of built into it for a lot of people by the very nature of the deep set: the whole point of a deep set is to close a heavier gripper than you could with a full range of motion.

Don't get me wrong, deep and parallel sets are useful in training, it's just that for me personally my mindset changes when I deepen the set. For instance, if I'm training a wide set, then I'm doing my working sets with a #1, #1.5, and a #2, high rep ranges. Rarely will I touch a #2.5, let alone a 3. I'm simply not at #3 level with a full range of motion anymore. But if I train MMS, it's warm up with a trainer, then dig right in with a #3 or GHP 7, and try in vain to touch the handles on my elite. Low rep range, typically a bunch of singles. Essentially maxing out once a week, when I know better than that. Spinning my wheels on the same grippers I was 3 years ago.

I know that grip training and overall strength training are different, but I learned the value of programming early on in my lifting. I have to get back to that again.

So I've swallowed my pride and have been putting the #1 and #2 to good use again. Full reps. I haven't even attempted to close a #3 since the close you see in my MM0 video. I don't currently lift, but I work with my hands extensively, which helps I think. I'm gone about 85-90 hrs a week for work, so it's difficult to find the time. Not that the time isn't there, it's just harder to justify.

I think I can work back up to full reps with my #3 and GHP 7 if I play it smart. No reason to think otherwise. I did it 3 years ago, I can do it now.

Sorry if this got off topic a bit. Kinda became a grip roundup of stuff I had been thinking about but no one to really tell IRL, haha.

[slazbob]

I never got the results I was looking for training with a card. That's for practice, using that card. When you get strong enough training with a width that's comfortable for your hand, you'll be able to have the full-range power.

It's a percentage game...your own cc power will be there, when your comfort-level set power is at your personal percentage. Just different pinkie lengths fluctuate the numbers.