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Newbie Beginning Program


wojo

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I've been sick the past couple days which caused me to miss my ME lower body day on Friday and upper body yesterday. Of course this makes me feel like the world is going to end and that I'll die small and weak and no one will ever love me. I'm feeling better today, so I jumped back into my schedule for a grip workout:

Vulcan V2 Routine - I warmed up to my easiest Level 12 close to date which was cool....but my left arm is still hurting and setting the Vulcan really aggravates it...much more so than TSG's....so I had to call it a day with the Vulcan. At least the Level 12 close felt very strong and gave me the feeling of making progress.

Rolling Thunder (counting apparatus as 8lbs) - I worked up to 163 for 9 sets of singles with my right hand (I crapped out on #10) and I was able to manage 5 sets of singles with my left hand before I decided my left arm had taken enough abuse today.

IronMind Hub (counting apparatus as 7lbs) - Right hand only, I worked up to a new PR of 52lbs.

Gripper Machine - I have an Elite FTS gripper machine and decided to try some negatives on it. I ended up doing 135 for 5 negatives. 135 was tougher than I thought it would be....but it was also at the end of my workout.

I wanted to bend some more today, but that was out of the question. I'm feeling a little bit beat up having been sick and with my left arm hurting...even my golfer's elbow on my right arm is flared up right now....but I'm trying to focus on the positive things from my workout today. I've already taken Advil and I'm icing both elbows as I type this. My next grip workout is Thursday....so I have time to heal by then.

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I hope you feel better man. I doubt you will ever be small and weak. Anyone who has seen your deadlift videos knows your a human forklift.

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Filed my Beef Builder Super Master with 5/8" handles even more than last workout and:

Grippers

Right Hand: 4 sets of 5 second overcrushes with heavily filed BBSM5/8", 3 sets of assisted close and negative with CoC#3 - had to stop because left arm really hurts when setting heavy grippers

Left Hand: Nothing - My Brachialis/Brachioradialis is not gone yet...I should really rest it, but I'm working around it the best I can.

Apollon's Axle Holds for time (lifting off a pair of buckets) - 328lbs for 4 sets of 3 seconds and then my workout got interupted by someone visiting my house. About an hour or so later I came back and finished up with 303lbs for 6 sets of 3 seconds and called it a night.

I feel like I'm in a bit of a funk with my grip training lately. My left arm "injury" hurts a lot when attempting heavy gripper closes and kinda takes the fun out of gripper training. I really feel like I'm close to a #3 close while at the same time it feels really far away. Next Wednesday I'm going for a new DO axle deadlift PR. I'm hoping it goes well and inspires me to continue what I've been doing. If it doesn't go well, I'm going to have to take a step back and re-evaluate my approach and switch things up a bit.

When you feel like you're not making progress as quickly as you want, it makes you question whether you're doing too much or not enough.....I just need to get my left arm healthy and get my groove back.

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Sounds like too much. Anytime you get a grip injury it robs serious horsepower. rest it up, find other grip stuff to do that doesn't bother it at all. once it's healed ease into grippers again with light workouts for a week then go for that #3. ALL my gripper PRs are right after healing from a sore elbow due to grippers. You will not lose gripper strength with rest. I bet you come back stronger.

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Sounds like too much. Anytime you get a grip injury it robs serious horsepower. rest it up, find other grip stuff to do that doesn't bother it at all. once it's healed ease into grippers again with light workouts for a week then go for that #3. ALL my gripper PRs are right after healing from a sore elbow due to grippers. You will not lose gripper strength with rest. I bet you come back stronger.

Thanks Daniel...I really appreciate the advice. It's always tough to back off to let your wounds heal....but I'm definitely going to take your advice. I'll change my focus and do whatever I can that doesn't aggravate my arm until it heals up!

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No doubt it's tough backing off and even easing back into things. What works for me is just telling myself i'll be stronger for it.

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  • 1 month later...

Well....I took a much needed break from gripper specific work because of my forearm....and it seems I'm none the worse for taking that break.

Tonight, I picked up my Vulcan V2 for the very first time in two months and worked up to a Level 12 close with both hands, which equals my personal best. I also got Level 13 down to within 1/8" right handed, which is about my best attempt. The best part is that my left forearm did not hurt during my workout...so I think I'm pretty well healed now.

Since I had realized my grip training had morphed into a race to close the CoC #3 to the exclusion of all other forms of grip training and all I ended up with was lots of tendonitis and frustration...I reorganized my grip training into three short and sweet workouts per week focusing on building a foundation of wrist and forearm strength as well as trying to develop all aspects of grip relatively equally.

It looks something like this:

Tuesday

Thick bar

General wrist/forearm strength

Extensor work

Thursday

Crushing grip

Open-hand

General wrist/forearm strength

Extensor work

Sunday

Pinching

General wrist/forearm strength

Extensor work

I've been doing this for about a month and it's working well for me. It's allowing me to focus on building a base, to remain injury free and to view my grip training as a long term endeavour. For example, one of my main goals is still to close the #3....but whether it happens next week or 2 years from now no longer concerns me because I know it will happen eventually as long as I keep training hard and stay injury free.

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Vulcan V2 workout yesterday.....I had several super close attempts at L13....like 1/16" or less away! Sooo close.

Chris Rice was kind enough to rate some grippers for me and here are the results:

CoC #2.5 = 132.05

BB 5/8" SM (filed handle) = 132.50

Older CoC #3 = 153.6

Newer CoC #3 = 154.0

I was happy to see that both my #3's are pretty stout. Now that I know where I stand, I'd like to get my hands on some other rated grippers.....like one at 145 and maybe an easy #3 at 149 or 150....it would help gauge exactly where I am and give me some encouragement.

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Hit some grippers this afternoon. I just bought a Beef Builder Grand Master and was able to close it on the first try.....not so much with the GHP7.

Nevertheless, it's nice to have closed a tougher gripper than my #2.5. It's encouraging and the BBGM will be a much better tool for working towards the #3.

http://youtu.be/MVP_yCDP3fs

Edited by wojo
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Another quick gripper workout today....all done right handed only....somehow I managed to aggravate something in my left hand doing triceps yesterday....it's a sharp pain under my ring finger and bothers me when trying to make a fist...oh well....

CoC #2.5 - Three TNS attempts...I'm pretty sure I closed the first attempt, but the video doesn't show it clearly enough so it's not worthy of YouTube

BBGM - One attempt and it felt like a stronger close than two days ago...kind've surprised me that it felt so strong

GHP7 - One attempt and it wasn't that close...I don't know where this gripper rates, but it feels just as difficult as my #3 rated at 154

CoC #2.5 - One set of four 20mm block set reps

In a month from now, I might have the opportunity to try Chez's #3 rated at 149.2 and I wanna close that S.O.B.

That was it today....in and out....

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when we train, I'm going to video tape your attempt on my #3. You are getting that MM0 cert. I'll be yelling at you for motivation :upsidedwn .

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when we train, I'm going to video tape your attempt on my #3. You are getting that MM0 cert. I'll be yelling at you for motivation :upsidedwn .

Nice :)

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Today's workout:

IronMind Hub: Worked up to 42.5lbs lefty (counting plates only) and 47.5lbs righty (plates only).....both are new PR's....whatever I aggravated in my left hand is still there, but oddly enough had no affect on this particular exercise.

Grippers: I was going to skip gripper work today, but I couldn't stay away....so I opted for something with higher reps. I grabbed my #2 and did one set of 33 20mm block set reps, which is a new PR for me.

Finished with some sand bucket extensor work and done. Three new PR's is a good day :)

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Started with Vulcan V2 tonight....worked up to L12 with each hand, but the Vulcan was feeling especially squirrelly in my hand today so I stopped there and switched over to TSG's.

I closed my BBGM solidly again on the way to several not so close attempts at both my GHP7 and CoC#3. I dropped back down to try some 20mm block set reps with my BBGM....got the first rep solid, 2nd and 3rd reps were so extremely close, but both misses...at least the 3rd rep was definitely a miss. Nevertheless, it shows improvement, especially on a day when I didn't feel particularly strong. Finished off my left hand with my CoC#2 for 16 20mm block set reps...not a PR, but enough for today since my left hand just healed from whatever I had done to aggravate it.

I think Thursday I'll do some pinching or something and give grippers a rest until Sunday.

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DO Axle - worked up to 303x1 and then jumped to 353 and missed it....(I should've taken a smaller jump)...that was all I had in me for axle....

TSG - kinda bounced around doing different things but hit another BBGM close RH and did 1x12 CCS closes with my #2 RH...nothing special tonight, just getting some work done.

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So nice to feel healthy again with grippers....took another big step forward tonight by working up to a set of 3 20mm block set reps with my BBGM and followed it up with another 4 good singles with a 5th attempt needing some assistance. I'm inching closer to my first #3 close and I like it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbNy4AWPi90

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Nice man! Grippers are so finicky with progression. If you get a groove they're sweet to ride.

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Nice man! Grippers are so finicky with progression. If you get a groove they're sweet to ride.

Well I took your advice and had a decent layoff from gripper training and it helped tremendously. I can really go after it now without any elbow pain and it makes a world of difference. I'm doing the same thing now with my lower body....I had been killing it in the gym for about 15 weeks, but doing too much of everything just left me feeling beat up all over....so I'm taking a bit of a break and changing my approach.

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Wanted to hit a quick workout tonight, but at a moderate intensity so I tried some 30mm closes:

#2.5 for 1x4 30mm block set reps

#2.5 for 1x1 30mm block set rep (just missed the second rep)

#2.5 for 1x1 MMS set close with a 15 second overcrush

That was it, short but sweet.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey, great close man. That video was very well done! I must say, one of the best done gripper videos i've seen. It just seemed professionaly put together. I'm crap at putting yt videos together.. :-V

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Hey, great close man. That video was very well done! I must say, one of the best done gripper videos i've seen. It just seemed professionaly put together. I'm crap at putting yt videos together.. :-V

Thanks alot man......what I lack in strength I try to make up for in entertainment :)

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So nice to feel healthy again with grippers....took another big step forward tonight by working up to a set of 3 20mm block set reps with my BBGM and followed it up with another 4 good singles with a 5th attempt needing some assistance. I'm inching closer to my first #3 close and I like it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbNy4AWPi90

Great vid and nice solid closes...the #3 should be yours in no time!

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