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wojo

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DO Bending this morning: 2 yellows, 1 M-bar, 1 new Red in IM singles/no bands in about 15 sec and then a 7" O Drill Rod that Nate brought over in IM singles/no bands in just under one minute = new PR!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JooFzFl7DiQ

I still think you should be the first person to cert the Red hanging upside down. :)

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DO Bending this morning: 2 yellows, 1 M-bar, 1 new Red in IM singles/no bands in about 15 sec and then a 7" O Drill Rod that Nate brought over in IM singles/no bands in just under one minute = new PR!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JooFzFl7DiQ

I still think you should be the first person to cert the Red hanging upside down. :)

HA! It would probably help me get the nail under my chin!

Awesome job John, I think you're ready!

I really appreciate the vote of confidence! I just want to get some more good reds under my belt before I make the request :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Re-posted from Bender's Battlefield Log:

I'm pretty friggin' happy right now. I crushed my Bastard Cert attempt tonight in about 15 seconds in IM singles and then finished off a Huge Bastard Cert in doubles.

I didn't know what to expect with the huge bastard, so I hesitated trying it in IM singles...maybe at some point in the future, but tonight I'm happy just being able to cross it off my list. Hopefully FBBC will make them official.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZVN4Hq1jo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzP6zrGIvYA

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  • 4 weeks later...

So here's the latest incarnation of my grip training routine...

Grippers (Vulcan or TSG) in between sets of squats and deadlifts on Mondays and Fridays.

Bending before or after pressing/benching on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Inch Dumbbell training before or after bending in between sets of pressing/benching on Wednesdays and Saturdays

This routine has been working out for me very well. No more dedicated grip days...so this allows me more days off. Training grip in between my main exercises also ensures that I'm fully warmed up and my CNS is "awake".

I went on a little spending spree recently and I am now the proud owner of an Inch Dumbbell replica as well as a Bosco Bell (delivery expected on Monday). I also have my own plate loaded inch trainer at home, which I've been using on and off for a while.

I don't know if anyone's tried this before, but I'm thinking of making a two-piece concrete mold of my inch so I can make some lighter concrete inch replicas. I figured I could experiment with bags of lead shot to increase the weight of the globes so maybe I could have a few concrete dumbbells that range from 50lbs to 100lbs. Just an idea right now.

Yesterday, I did a ton of work with my 105lb. inch trainer in between all sets of benches and pulldowns. I did a ton of lifts and holds and then I started fooling around with hand to hand tosses and was eventually successful in both directions. I know 105lbs is nothing compared to the real inch, but it still felt pretty bad ass to hand to hand toss the thing. I think it's an awesome way to develop a more dynamic grip because you're working on increasing your rate of force development. Next Saturday I'll go up 5-10lbs and try the same thing. This coming Wednesday, I plan on working on the big inch.

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  • 2 months later...

Just a quick update....

I had a great time at the King Kong grip contest. I PR'd in every event and it really invigorated my enthusiasm for competition. I realized afterwards that I really need to step up my grip training if I want to break through to the next level. You can say that I generally train grip pretty consistently, but I have come to realize that I haven't been training all aspects of grip consistently and it has definitely hasn't received the same level of attention as my regular training.

My grip focus is now on competing well at Nationals. I won't bore you with the details of my programming, but I have committed to taking my grip training to the next level.

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  • 7 months later...

Wow, I haven't updated my log in quite a while...so here's a super brief update.

Competing as NAGSC was a great experience. I didn't put up the numbers I was hoping for....for some now very obvious reasons now that I've had the opportunity to reflect on my training leading up to the competition. No excuses...just that a different approach is going to be required to get to the next level.

A general observation about my grip training history (and one that probably applies to a lot of guys) is that I don't spend enough time building a really wide base of overall wrist and hand strength throughout the year. "Training" my grip always seems to quickly morph into "testing" my grip by chasing the next cert or feat. I was always putting varying aspects of grip training on hold to chase the #3 gripper or the red nail or the Inch dumbbell, etc. It's like I was always trying to peak one form of grip strength or another instead of consistently building towards something even bigger.

A variety of moderate intensity, high volume, high frequency work is what's in order right now for me...an extended off-season...to build a deep, wide base of strength.

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John,

You are so freaking big, I know that when you start building your strength foundation for your hands, the event-specific stuff is going to respond accordingly.

I can only imagine what you are capable of once you make this shift.

Jedd

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  • 4 months later...

It’s been a while since I’ve posted in my log. After nationals this year, I decided to lean up a bit and grip training went on the back burner into maintenance mode. I’ve slowly been ramping up my training again and making good progress.

I train every other day and I’ve been rotating my grip training like this:

Day 1: TSG MMS – work up to 8 singles with 5 second overcrushes

Day 2: 2HP w/gloves – work up to 5 sets of 10 second holds

Day 3: FBBC 2.5” Crusher – work up to 5 sets of 10 second holds

All of the above is done in between sets of my main lift of the day…squat, bench, deadlift or press. I’m playing around more with the concept of time under tension as opposed to going for reps. Every workout I simply try and improve my performance from my previous workout….pretty simple stuff.

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  • 5 months later...

Good lord it's been a while since I've been active on this board!

Since my last post I've been active on two main fronts:

1) Getting lean! - My goal is to be as big and as strong as I can be, while maintaining a visible six-pack...this way I don't allow myself to get fat again! Therefore, the first goal was to get lean enough to see my abs in the first place!

2) Start a business! - I just started my own personal training business "Better Strength & Performance". The near term goal is to move into a small space and transition from just one-on-one training to small group athlete training. This will take some time, as my wife and I are also in the process of selling our home and will be moving an hour south. For the time being I'm growing a small client base and working on all the back office stuff. Please check out the links in my signature and help a brother out by subscribing to my YouTube channel and liking my page on Facebook!

I've still been grip training, mainly focusing on grippers. My main grip training goal is to certify on the #3 within the next couple years. That's the goal that motivated me to get into grip training to begin with.

Peace!

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  • 3 months later...

I barely visit this board anymore...just lots of stuff going on...but I'm still grip training and currently working towards taking a shot at the Crushed to Dust challenge. I'll make the trip to Tom's competition if I feel I have a good shot at the cert.

Today's Rolling Thunder work:

Right Handed - 192.6lbs for 10 singles

Left Handed - 182.6lbs for 10 singles

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I barely visit this board anymore...just lots of stuff going on...but I'm still grip training and currently working towards taking a shot at the Crushed to Dust challenge. I'll make the trip to Tom's competition if I feel I have a good shot at the cert.

Today's Rolling Thunder work:

Right Handed - 192.6lbs for 10 singles

Left Handed - 182.6lbs for 10 singles

It'd be great to have you down John!
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  • 3 weeks later...

9/12/15 - Rolling Thunder - Scrapped my original plan of 197.5 for 7 singles because the challenge is right around the corner and I needed to get 200lbs in my hand to build some confidence so I worked up to 202.5 for two singles...one slipped out right at lock out and one was a complete lift, but no pause at the top. I then dropped back down to 200 and got 5 consecutive paused singles. This only means that I can do this on MY handle, but it definitely boosts my confidence for the challenge at Tom's this coming Saturday.

9/14/15 - Rolling Thunder - Worked up to 170 for 3x5 and on the first set something tightened in my right bicep (the one I previously tore) which scared me a bit. Nevertheless, I stretched, shook it off and finished the remaining sets with no issues and arm feels fine now.

I may or may not skip Wednesday's planned session for some heavy doubles. At this point, I'm either strong enough to do the cert or I'm not....so I'm leaning towards taking the additional rest.

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I had a blast at Tom's contest this past Saturday even though I failed at the CTD cert. I knew I was in trouble when I barely locked out @ 192lbs when warming up. It was a bit disheartening when I attempted 90kgs and it was glued to the ground. Tom's RT handle definitely spins more freely than mine at home, so all the more impressive to me is Tom's near lift and Gil making his lift look super easy. I definitely need to get a bit stronger and the cert will fall.

I definitely tweaked my bicep at some point during the competition, so I did the 2.5" crusher left handed. My bicep belly was sore all day Sunday, but this morning I woke up and it was much better and much less noticeable, so I guess I'm alright.

Today I just did lots of volume on lighter MMS grippers doing multiple sets of CoC#2 for sets of 20...CoC#2.5 x 10...back to #2 x 20 and down to #1 x 50.

With no plans to cert anything in the near future, I'll be going back to a more well rounded grip program...slowly building everything up.

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  • 2 years later...

Haha...holy cow...I haven't updated this thing in almost 3 years! 

In a nutshell, since I opened my gym several months ago I've fallen back in love with grip training and I've been training grip consistently three times per week (mostly thick bar and pinch)....and what do you know? Consistent training actually produces results! lol

I've been getting stronger pretty consistently...my most notable recent lifts have been a double blob lift, Inch and baby Inch Lift same time and today I hit 202.7 on the Flask (full lockout...I don't have the crossbar setup).

OK...back to work!

 

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Whoa!  That's epic.  And motivating.  Keep it up!

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Good to see you posting again Wojo and dam strong with those inch DBs. 

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Great lifts and glad to hear you're back grip training - you should totally come to King Kong on Saturday October 27th if you can make it - its at my place in Astoria, its the first comp we've ever hosted and I'm pretty sure the first grip comp ever in NYC - also bbq party to follow - we'd be very glad to have you and it'd be great hanging out again if you can make it John!

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22 hours ago, Anton.Torrella said:

Great lifts and glad to hear you're back grip training - you should totally come to King Kong on Saturday October 27th if you can make it - its at my place in Astoria, its the first comp we've ever hosted and I'm pretty sure the first grip comp ever in NYC - also bbq party to follow - we'd be very glad to have you and it'd be great hanging out again if you can make it John!

Thanks Anton! Saturdays are rough for me because of my biz...I coach all morning into the afternoon so I'd miss most of the comp. Good luck!

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