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Jedd Johnson Is In The Grip Well


Bill Piche

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5. How did the birth of your daughter change you?

It made me grow up and become much less selfish. I have always been a very selfish person, especially in the sense of free time. Since JayCee has been born that has to change because that time is not mine now, it is hers, or at least most of it. I still try to put in 2 hours of training per workout, but sometimes it just won't happen, especially when the wife is traveling for work and I am a single parent. I know we have some single parents on the board, and I salute you because that is a TOUGH job.

6. I realize you are an extremely loyal and family oriented man, but would you ever consider a change in locale for a business opportunity? (purely curiosity btw)

It would have to be a pretty big opportunity where I could keep this house I am in and be able to come home Friday, Saturday and Sunday to see my folks. Why, did you have something you wanted to pitch at me?

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7. While I'm aware you are training to Re-Cert (CCS) the #3, are there any "over the top" goals that you would like to achieve before the laws of nature catch up to you?

Yes there are. One of them is between me and my guys at TheGripAuthority.com, but one is the Old School 45's Pinch. I have gotten them off the ground and lost lots of skin trying to lift them, but I WILL get that feat.

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8. What keeps that inner fire burning…what motivates you.

I am not sure, but every day I wake up, the first thing I do is thank God that we all made it through the night, and shortly after that I start thinking about training. I'd imagine the pursuit of strength comes from two things. The dedication side comes from my upbringing in baseball with my dad. It was an every day thing to hit or throw or pitch or dig balls at first or take grounders, and sometimes a combination. The desire to be strong, I am sure, comes from the years of watching pro wrestling and listening to the promo's and taking everything to heart as if it were real.

Those two things were very big in what I have become.

9. What are your three favorite movies (other than "The Princess Bride")?

This is the hardest question of them all.

Top 3 in no particular order:

American Psycho

The Prestige

Jeremiah Johnson

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3) What is the most effective set/rep approach you've found so far to train thick bar?

5 sets of 3. It has worked best for me on Axle and Inch Dumbbell.

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If you could only train one aspect of grip for the rest of your life - what would it be?

-Pinch, grippers, thickbar, etc.

Block weights of every shape and size brother.

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What would you do if your wife got fed up with your grip addiction and told you to throw out all your grip equipment?

-Flowers, maybe? :flowers:

That will just plain never happen brother. That is why I am with her and not with the woman I dated in college. With that one, it would have been a possibility.

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Do you think that wider thickbar always translates to more narrow implements? As in, if lifter A could lift 200 on the RT and had a strong back, should he be axle lifting at least 400? (200 per hand on a more narrow bar). If lifter B could lift 100 on the 3" crusher, should he be able to lift at least that much on an RT?

What is your RT to axle ratio?

Max on new RT is like 210 brother. My thick bar is BAD. Bext on an Axle is 423, but that was well over a year ago. All that matters on the Axle is comp numbers and my best in the last year is whatever I got this year. I just know it was under 400.

As far as carryover from one implement to another, I don't think you can draw that line 100% of the time. I wouldn't tell someone who was looking to bring up their axle to use an RT. i would tell them to use an axle.

I hae never used a 3" crusher that i recall, so I do not know for a sure, but I would guess that if someone could get 100 on it that they should definitely be able to do that much on the RT, provided the action of the two rotating handles are similar. If the 3" crusher is all gummed up with crud and doesn't rotate, making 100 easier then it would be a tainted lift, it would seem.

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3) What is the most effective set/rep approach you've found so far to train thick bar?

5 sets of 3. It has worked best for me on Axle and Inch Dumbbell.

3) What is the most effective set/rep approach you've found so far to train thick bar?

5 sets of 3. It has worked best for me on Axle and Inch Dumbbell.

When you say 5 sets of 3, do you use the same weight? pyramid? and what percentage of your max? thx

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Do you break up different types of grip on diff day or do it all in one session? And how many days rest between training spacific types of grip?

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One questions: Any regrets?

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What would you consider your 5 all time greatest achievements in (1) open/closed hand crushing grip, (2) pinch grip, and (3) wrist strength?

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Is there any grip exercise that would be hard to over train? Or , in other words, is there a grip exercise you could everyday without a big chance of over training or developing an over training injury.

I think there are limits for what you can do for any exercise. I can't think of anything that would not eventually create an overuse injury.

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  1. When training 2HP, what is your favorite set/rep scheme? Do you alternate progressions?
  2. What is your favorite extensor training method?
  3. If there was a grip contest/event you could go back and do over, what/when would it be?
  4. Red or green sauce?

1. I don't have just one rep scheme that I can point to because I have a handful of exercises that I do and each of them needs a different rep scheme to assist in my overall lifts. This is all covered in Napalm Pinch.

2. I do what I call a rubber band battery that involves 3 separate exercise. It is all done as one big superset and it involves both dynamic exercises and isometric, plus other movements of the lower arm. I feel it is the best exercise I do to train the extensors.

3. Nationals 2012. Worst contest of my life.

4. Sorry, but I am not sure what you mean.

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4. Sorry, but I am not sure what you mean.

In New Mexico, if you go out for Mexican food, they ask you if you want the red or the green hatch chili sauce. I guess it's a poor attempt at humor, if nobody gets it.

Thanks for the responses!

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If one were to get into block weight training, could you recommend a few weights/shapes/etc to get started that would be the most productive? Loadable blobs? Hex weights?

Thanks!!!

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Is there a measurable correlation between unilateral lifts to and from bilateral lifts, i.e. does improving the 2HP make you a better blockweight lifter and vice versa?

I am sure there is a measurable correlation between all lifts, but some of them are just not very strong and so other lifts should be done instead.

For instance, I think the joint angles/grip orientation fo the 2HP is too diofferent from Block Weight lifting and I would not suggest those two together. You have to look how far open your hand is and look for similar orientations. For instance, 4 to 6 10-lb plate pinching would line up better for carryover to block weights.

Again, there is carryover from one thing to another just about all the time, after all, you are strengthening your thumbs with 2HP or 1HP, but the strength you get in that position might not carry over very well to the much wider grip position of block weights.

I hope this makes sense.

What is the oddest activity/exercise that has had a remarkable transfer to grip?

Believe it or not my hands feel great the day after running a weed whacker. The vibration, the light resistance sustained over the course of 10 to 90 minutes, the light movements against resistance, all of that seems to help with recovery.

Where is the strangest place grip has taken you?

Cuyler NY. Had to pick up John Eaton on the way to New England. Worst snow drifts in history.

Also, Venice Beach, when I recorded the TV Show for Nat Geo. The beggers are crazy. one dude in a speedo tanding at the top of a step ladder was holding two giant snakes begging for money. I saw a picture of him a couple months later in MILO.

Thank you for taking the time to do this.

You're welcome.

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1. If you had to choose one way to train thickbar, what would be the most efficient way?

I have a loadable thick bar dumbbell I got from Rick Walker that he calls the Ted's Shed handle. Not sure what that means, but the handle is slightly larger than the Inch. I keep forgetting about this implement, and have recently added it back into my training.

It would seem to me that with a loadable handle like this, you could do a lot of different movements, both for Grip Integration and Grip Isolation.

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2. To reiterate what Tentaclegrip asked, does narrower thickbar strength translate to wider thickbar strength and vice versa? have you ever done experiments to test that?

I haven't set aside 6 weeks of training to test this out, no, but I can tell you that if I focus on Axle for a contest, my Inch performance does not improve at all. The axle is narrower than the Inch.

That is my experience though. Maybe if I did a lot more volume that what I was doing, it would carry over. O rmaybe for some people it WOULD help. That is just the rule of individual differences. For me, in my experience, things are very specific.

I actually have a lot of trouble improving on the Inch because I do not specialize on it. I do it on top of all of the other work I do.

My suggestion is always to buy the equipment if you want to lift it (if you can afford it). If you can't, then work as close to it as possible with all factors considered.

3. When it comes to working towards strength in grip related vertical lifts I.E. Hub, Rolling Thunder, 2hp, axle, blobs etc. Do you think it is better to focus on the implement itself more often with occasional assistance like exercises, or is it better to train it occasionally but focusing on the general strength and areas involved in the lift with a variation or movement that lends itself to strength in that particular feat. For example, for lifting a blob, should someone work on that blob most of the time, or would it be smarter to include all kinds of pinching to lift your goal blob?

I would focus on the implement itself, as in my previous response. You will see it above.

3. When it comes to working towards strength in grip related vertical lifts I.E. Hub, Rolling Thunder, 2hp, axle, blobs etc. Do you think it is better to focus on the implement itself more often with occasional assistance like exercises, or is it better to train it occasionally but focusing on the general strength and areas involved in the lift with a variation or movement that lends itself to strength in that particular feat. For example, for lifting a blob, should someone work on that blob most of the time, or would it be smarter to include all kinds of pinching to lift your goal blob?

I would focus on the implement itself, as in my previous response. You will see it above.

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If you had to choose only three mobility exercises/stretches for optimal squat development (depth, knee tracking, general hip and groin health etc), what would they be? The best bang for your buck kinda question.

I would say whatever your three weaknesses are, fix them. If you are tight somewhere, strength, mobilize, and attack the soft tissue. If you are weak somewhere, like the erectors, then strengthen. If your glutes are holding you back, then bring them up. Attack your weaknesses and make them your strength.

For me, it would be stretch the hamstrings, because mine are so tight they interfere in my depth and butt-back motion, stretch the hip flexors because mine are so tight they wont allow my glutes to work, and stretch the groin, because mine are so tight I can't sumo squat or deadlift.

What do you think are the best stretches for the adductors and hips when trying to get accustomed to a Sumo deadlift style?

Thanks for doing this, man.

I don't know what it's called, but you get on all fours and gradually work your knees outward to stretch the groin. Also roll the area with a foam roller or hard-ass carboard or pvc pipe.

You re welcome brotherrrrr.

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Boxers or Briefs?

Also, Saxon bar or 2HP setup if you can only have one.

Thanks man!

Boxer Briefs.

If you want to train a more pure pinch-grip movement, then go with 2HP. Saxon Bar allows for a LOT more tilt.

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1) Please try and describe your thinking process when approached with a problem/challenge?

Initially, i generally panic and then after a few breaths I can think a bit more clearly and I begin to analyze the properties of the challenge and how each and every property can be negated or trained for.

It's kind of like a Needs Analysis for an athlete. What are the weaknesses and strengths. How can we strengthen the weaknesses and either maintain or further the strengths.

In the case of the problem, what is it really that needs to be dealt with, and what am I best suited for in relation to it. Then, how can I improve or tackle the things that are difficult about it while also playing toward my strengths.

I hope this helps.

2) What's your approach to increased neural activation when training grip? Realizing the CNS is always online

what methods do you suggest to increase motor unit recruitment of a muscle group or the rate of force production(rate coding) for a particular muscle group?

First off, I never just go down and start training grip. I start off with a full body general warm-up and move gradually toward a specific warm-up for the lower arms. This is imperative for making sure the CNS is primed. Yes, the CNS is always turned on, but you need to get it woken up and ready to perform at it's best and I find the best way to do that is with a proper warm-up.

Beyond that, more and more of my training is based around ways to incorporate speed of contraction.

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3) What indicators do you look for in over trained athletes without having to submit blood samples?

1. The way they walk into the door.

2. Their attitude.

3. When they miss lifts they normally get.

4. Bitchiness.

Those are the 4 main things I can think fo right now. When your body is shot, generally your attitude is crap too. A trainer or strength coach must ALWAYS be assessing the client or athlete at all times and be ready to modify the program accordingly.

I have never taken any blood samples of the guys I have trained.

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Given 5 years to maximize grip strength in an untrained person with no competitive goals (removing the need for event specialization), what percentage of their overall training time do you spend on grip each training year? Assume they will train 5 hours per week and have access to a gym with basic grip equipment.

I would replace some of the regular bar work with thick handled implements that put them in an open hand position for some of their accessory pulling work. Also, I would focus on Grip Integration exercises, versus Grip Isolation exercises.

Naturally, if I noticed any glaring examples of weaknesses while they were playing their sport, I would address them.

Also, each workout, I would have them go through the rubber band battery in order to promote antagonistic balance, speed recovery, and prevent overuse injuries of the wrist and elbow which are all too common but pretty simple to prevent.

That is where I would start and I would continue to assess and monitor progress.

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Don't want to overwhelm so I'll just ask questions for one topic.

1) How much carry over does the DH Wrist Developer really have to Reverse Bending?

It depends on how you use it. If you perform contest repetitions with it, I doubt you will see much carryover. Bar bends don't usually go quickly, unless they are too light, so exploding into the WD in order to increase your bending is somewhat pointless, unless you are simply training for a comp. I think the WD can be great for training RV Bending, if done correctly.

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