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Hand Size And The Euro Pinch


PeterSweden

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Im sitting here, waiting for my euro pinch steel plates to arrive from David Horne and now a few questions have come up.

Biggest question is;

My hands are exactly 8'' from the crease in the wrist to my middle finger.

Now I wonder what width on the euro people with similar sized hands prefer to use.

I've found rubber mats that wasnt too expensive, but Im not made of money :)

I want one or two widths to train with.

Im think that 48mm (which is one width that can be made by combining 2 kinds of mats.) and 54mm would be good for my size?

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I'd guess 54-58. but could be anywhere between 44-64. Perhaps using both 48 and 58 for a while will give you a better idea if you'd like something bigger or smaller.

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the way you're talking about measuring your hand isn't really what you need to look at for pinch width. it's more of the distance between thumb and index finger joints when you make a "c" with your hand.

if it's not for competition you can use whatever you want for spacers. I have some 1/4" peg board I cut up to make more small spacers.

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Yeah, I was thinking of plywood at first but then I found mats that werent that expensive, it just cost alittle more than the plywood and is way easier to work with.

Im going with the rubber :)

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I have even used a 35# plate as a spacer. It adds weight to the center of the Euro which can help your lifts. A real Euro typically weights upwards of 50#. If you're using something light like plywood or pegboard then you have to add more weight to the pipe and I think that's slightly harder to lift.

For me, my 35# plate with the two steel plates was exactly 50 mm. Then I used other small spacers to get the 54-56mm width I prefered.

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Finding your best width is sort of like looking for the Holy Grail - you'll know it when you find it but the search might be long and difficult. I know of absolutely no way to predict best width from looking at or measuring hands. There are big handed people who use narrow widths and small handed who use wider. There are so many factors at play that it's like a giant puzzle figuring this out. But it is critical for your best performance that you do so. A couple mm can be the difference of being on the Top 50 list and not being there - especially early in the game - later on you may find you can do close to the same weight at multiple widths - but there will always be that one width that is optimal for you at a given time. If your goal is to truly maximize your Euro then you must have the ability to use every legal width as you experiment with the learning process - I would highly recommend you make spacers that allow you to do so.

Edited by climber511
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Finding your best width is sort of like looking for the Holy Grail - you'll know it when you find it but the search might be long and difficult. I know of absolutely no way to predict best width from looking at or measuring hands. There are big handed people who use narrow widths and small handed who use wider. There are so many factors at play that it's like a giant puzzle figuring this out. But it is critical for your best performance that you do so. A couple mm can be the difference of being on the Top 50 list and not being there - especially early in the game - later on you may find you can do close to the same weight at multiple widths - but there will always be that one width that is optimal for you at a given time. If your goal is to truly maximize your Euro then you must have the ability to use every legal width as you experiment with the learning process - I would highly recommend you make spacers that allow you to do so.

This could not have been said better. Much more than just measuring the hand for sure... It also changes over time. At least from my experience.

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Finding your best width is sort of like looking for the Holy Grail - you'll know it when you find it but the search might be long and difficult. I know of absolutely no way to predict best width from looking at or measuring hands. There are big handed people who use narrow widths and small handed who use wider. There are so many factors at play that it's like a giant puzzle figuring this out. But it is critical for your best performance that you do so. A couple mm can be the difference of being on the Top 50 list and not being there - especially early in the game - later on you may find you can do close to the same weight at multiple widths - but there will always be that one width that is optimal for you at a given time. If your goal is to truly maximize your Euro then you must have the ability to use every legal width as you experiment with the learning process - I would highly recommend you make spacers that allow you to do so.

How would you suggest that this trial and error period be done?

A month at a time at each width?

Change every session and feel it out?

Thanks for a realy good answer too mate!

The answer was as good as the climber curl device :)

Edited by NewGrippster
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Finding your best width is sort of like looking for the Holy Grail - you'll know it when you find it but the search might be long and difficult. I know of absolutely no way to predict best width from looking at or measuring hands. There are big handed people who use narrow widths and small handed who use wider. There are so many factors at play that it's like a giant puzzle figuring this out. But it is critical for your best performance that you do so. A couple mm can be the difference of being on the Top 50 list and not being there - especially early in the game - later on you may find you can do close to the same weight at multiple widths - but there will always be that one width that is optimal for you at a given time. If your goal is to truly maximize your Euro then you must have the ability to use every legal width as you experiment with the learning process - I would highly recommend you make spacers that allow you to do so.

How would you suggest that this trial and error period be done?

A month at a time at each width?

Change every session and feel it out?

Thanks for a realy good answer too mate!

The answer was as good as the climber curl device :)

I really wish I could write out a simple answer to this question but I can't When I have people come and work with me it usually takes a few hours of hands on work just to get them where they can go home and start the process of actually learning how to figure this out. I don't know where you are strong or where you are weak - what you do right or what you do wrong etc etc. But a very short answer is I would make those changes in the same workout - that's the only way you can insure that external factors are eliminated as much as possible.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 11 months later...

Been looking at getting myself some plates from DH but struggling to find information about the spacers. I know wood can be used but can this still be used in competitions? If not then what grade of rubber should be used?

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There is no illegal width. The whole point with the Euro set up is to be able to pick your best width. If the organiser allows it you can bring your own spacer if eg your best width is 60mm which is not covered by the typical 4x10 +2x6 inserts. The Euro was invented by David Horne in consultation with me so I am not just making this up. The selection of spacers originally offered by DH were never meant to be the only spacers allowed.

If your goal is to truly maximize your Euro then you must have the ability to use every legal width

Edited by Mikael Siversson
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For competition purpose adding weight plates to the centre would be against the original rules as it, as you say, makes the lift easier.

I have even used a 35# plate as a spacer. It adds weight to the center of the Euro which can help your lifts. A real Euro typically weights upwards of 50#. If you're using something light like plywood or pegboard then you have to add more weight to the pipe and I think that's slightly harder to lift.

For me, my 35# plate with the two steel plates was exactly 50 mm. Then I used other small spacers to get the 54-56mm width I prefered.

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We normally have an extra (3rd) thin spacer (at least at Gripmas) - which gives a few more options - but still not every possible one. For example - no odd numbers are possible. But when measuring with my micrometer - they all vary somewhat anyway. I have a 4th thin spacer but have never used it - or even figured out what it gives me.

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If I train at 64mm for a long time I am often slightly stronger at 67mm for one single workout. Its as if you train 'beyond the range' so to speak (narrower width) but for some reason the benefit of a slightly wider width only lasts one workout.

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If I train at 64mm for a long time I am often slightly stronger at 67mm for one single workout. Its as if you train 'beyond the range' so to speak (narrower width) but for some reason the benefit of a slightly wider width only lasts one workout.

Could that have to do with skin stress, elasticity, and tears?

Another theory would be that your setup is optimized for a narrow width, but in using a slightly wider width once in a while, you set up the same as usual and increase the tension and friction. Tightening an adjustable wrench narrow, and then popping it on a nut will do a job better than tightening it on the nut.

Do this for too many sessions, and you'll be accustomed to the new width though.

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I pinched at 67mm for 6 months but never managed to duplicate the first workout at that width.

Edited by Mikael Siversson
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Right, that's a really old post and we were only talking training set-ups. :)

For competition purpose adding weight plates to the centre would be against the original rules as it, as you say, makes the lift easier.

I have even used a 35# plate as a spacer. It adds weight to the center of the Euro which can help your lifts. A real Euro typically weights upwards of 50#. If you're using something light like plywood or pegboard then you have to add more weight to the pipe and I think that's slightly harder to lift.

For me, my 35# plate with the two steel plates was exactly 50 mm. Then I used other small spacers to get the 54-56mm width I prefered.

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If I train at 64mm for a long time I am often slightly stronger at 67mm for one single workout. Its as if you train 'beyond the range' so to speak (narrower width) but for some reason the benefit of a slightly wider width only lasts one workout.

I've found this to be true. That is crazy wide Mikael... How are you able to maximize your pinch at nearly a 3 inch width? Unless you have crazy huge hand or unique structure.... Care to elaborate?

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My hands are exactly 8'' and look pretty normal I think but relatively slender. Really poorly suited for thickbar for some reason so, unlike most, I don't see much correlation between thumb strength and thickbar numbers.

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I'm still a newbie at 2HP so I don't know what width I'll ultimately end up at years from now. But so far I'm having most luck with 65mm. I've tried 74mm and my numbers are pretty much identical to those at 65mm, but my thumb tears more often at 74mm so I try not to go thicker than 65mm. If I go narrower than 63-64mm I start to lose strength. My hands are about 8", also with a relatively slim structure. I have excellent wrap around thick bars (can reach around an RT handle). But I don't know if something's up with my structure of my thumb placement in my hand or something. But whenever I lift with a thick bar the bar wants to sit further down my fingers, taking my thumb out of the equation almost completely. I hardly use my thumb at all in my thick bar lifts.

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