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Gripboard Frequently Asked Questions


Bill Piche

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The GripBoard FAQ by Ord Millar

The gripboard at cyberpump.com is the best resource I have found on the web for those interested in developing grip strength. I have been part of many discussion forums in the past, on a wide variety of topics, and I have never seen such a collection of skilled individuals sharing their knowledge as on the gripboard. However, because most of the people at the gripboard are experienced in grip training and discussing advanced topics, it takes some effort for the new member to get up to speed.

I put these notes together as I was learning my way around the gripboard, and trying to understand what people were talking about. Hopefully these notes can save you some time.

First of all, from what I have learned, there are some DOs and DONTs that apply:

DO get the book "Mastery of Hand Strength" and read it.

DO read all the posts on the FAQ board

DO be polite & respectful of others

DON'T post claiming a world class feat unless you have proof

DON'T use the gripboard to bash the companies that manufacture grip equipment

DON'T ask a question until you've looked for the answer yourself

DON'T criticize another person's accomplishments

In each section I have include a short glossary. When discussing grip, there are a number of unique expressions that are used. You can learn them by reading the older messages, and the FAQ's. In general, gripboard members seem to expect that we know what these mean.

General Grip Info:

There are many forms of grip, and many ways to train it. The four most common topics of discussion are:

Crushing Grip - Closing difficult grippers

Pinch Grip - Lifting heavy things pinched between the finger and thumb

Thick Handles - Lifting heavy things by holding a thick handle

Bending - Bending nails or metal rods

Pinch Grip

Pinch grip is the grip used when we squeeze things between the thumb and the other fingers. Chapter 4 in "Mastery of Hand Strength" discusses this grip in detail.

There are a few common exercises and feats of strength that are often discussed which rely on pinch grip. They are the plate pinch lift, hub lift, block (or blob) lift.

The Plate pinch

This is a perhaps the most common of the feats of pinch strength.

It is done by dead lifting 2 or more weight plates, holding with the thumb on one side and the fingers on the other. The smooth side of the plates face the outside.

The weights lifted are referred to by the number and weight of the plates. 4 10's means 4 ten pound plates sandwiched together, 2 25's means a pair of twenty five pounds, etc... Normally, these all refer to the Olympic style plates with 2" holes (not the thinner flat plates with 1" holes).

The amounts quoted are the lifts that people are doing with one hand. In general, any lifts quoted here mean that it has been brought from the floor to a full deadlift lockout position. For purposes of setting records, only chalk is allowed on the hands.

The width of the plates varies by manufacturer. In general, you will be looking at something in the range of 3 1/4" to 3 1/2" for two Olympic style plates of 25lbs or over each.

Pinch lifting can also be done with wooden blocks or metals forms that weights are attached to, as well as heavy blocks of metal. When comparing different lifts, it is important to note that the weight, the width, the shape and the surface finish all play a part in the difficulty.

Block weights and "The Blob"

Block weights are blocks of metal that people pinch lift. Usually they are made from cutting off one end of a dumbell. The ones that come from York dumbells are known as blobs.

'The Blob' is half of a York 100lb dumbell, and pinch lifting it is considered a significant accomplishment. Finding a York dumbell to cut up can be challenging, as many stores do not carry this brand or weight. Very often you will find someone on the Gripboard who can sell you one, or find someone to buy the other half of the one you cut up for yourself. Look in the "Equipment" forum to find people buying and selling these. You can also contact the York Company directly, but be aware that shipping is very expensive for a 100lb weight.

Pinch related terminology:

"Blob" is half of a York cast dumbell.

"Block weights" heavy blocks of metal, they are usually made by cutting off the handle from a dumbell.

"Block weights = hand strength" is a quote from John Brookfield's book: "Mastery of Hand Strength", and is the standard answer given to someone who is not sure if they should work with block weights.

"Hex Block" is half of one of the hexagonal shaped dubmells.

"Hub Lift" : To lift an olympic style plate by holding only the hub with the fingertips.

"Plate Pinch" : Pinching two or more olympic style plates together, smooth site out.

"The Blob" is half of a York 100lbs dumbell.

Thick Bar

In general, "thick bar" means lifting weights on bars at or over 2" in diameter. There are a number of variations - one or two hands, revolving or non-revolving bars, and thickness from 2" to 3", and smooth or knurled bars. For the purposes of comparison and records, there are a few 'standards' that are often referred to.

Thick Bar Terminology:

"Inch replica" a replica of the thick handled dumbell used by Thomas Inch - it weighs 172 lbs.

"Millenium Bell" is a thick handled dumbell weighing approximately 230 lbs.

"Rolling Thunder" is a product from Ironmind. It is a 2 3/8" diameter single handed revolving handle that weights can be attached to.

"Rotating" or "Revolving" - means that the handle is free to rotate relative to the weight being lifted, so the intertia of the weight does not help to keep the handle in the same orientation.

Crush Strength and Grippers

The standard measure of crushing strength discussed is usually the ability to close Ironmind's "Captains of Crush" grippers. Closing the "#3" is a goal that many strive for, and takes a lot of training for most people to accomplish. There are a number of different gripper manufacturers, see the FAQ board for links to the websites of the different companies.

As there is some discrepancy between the strength of grippers, members at the gripboard are working to make a new standard in grip strength, based on a standard gripper or collection of grippers that can be used to keep variations to a minimum. News on this project can be found on the main gripboard forum.

The grippers that are discussed on the grip board are nothing like the plastic handled ones sold at sports stores. When grippers are mentioned, it means metal handled grippers with strong springs, which are typically 3-10 times harder to close that the sports store variety.

Gripper Terminology:

"Captain of Crush" - a person who has closed the Ironmind #3 gripper under authenticated conditions.

"Captains of Crush" - the trade name of Ironmind's grippers.

"Cheat Close" - pressing the grippers against the leg to assist closing, or using the other hand to help.

"CoC" - Ironmind's captains of crush grippers. Available in 5 strengths: Trainer, #1, #2, #3, #4

"Close" (1) - squeezing the grippers so that the handles touch each other.

"Close" (2) - the last part of the gripper movement, from the end of the sweep to the point where the handles touch.

"Dogleg" - the leg of the spring that is most straight.

"Hold" - to keep the gripper handles touching for a period of time. Can also mean to keep the grippers at a position near the closed position for a period of time.

"Negative" - to cheat close the grippers, and then try to keep them closed as they are forced open by the spring acting against the hand.

"No Set Close" - this expression means closing the gripper without using the other hand to position it before starting to squeeze.

"Set" (verb) - to position the grippers in the hand using the other hand. The assisting hand can partially close them to allow a good grip. The assisting hand needs to be removed and held at least 12" away for official closes. The handles must be more than 1" apart after setting for the close to be 'legal'.

"Set" (noun) - the position of the grippers in the hand.

"Straphold" - closing the grippers on a strap with weight attached, and keeping that weight suspended by keeping the gripper hands squeeze tightly on the strap.

"Sweep" - The large movement of the gripper close, from the start to the point where the knuckles approach a 90 degree angle.

Bending

Bending generally means bending metail nails or section of rod into a U shape. There are a variety of techniques, and several of the gripboard members have web pages describing bending techniques and training in detail.

Often, references are made to colored nails (ie, Red, Blue, etc). These refer to the colors of IronMinds rods in the "bag of nails" product. They range from relatively easy to almost impossible in the sequence White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Red. Actual nails are usually referred to by the 'penny' scale. The penny, or 'd' refers to the length of the nail. For sizes above 10d, the length is 3 inches + 1 inch per 10d. So, a 40d nail is 5 inches long, and a 60d nail is 6 inches long.

There is a lot of information about bending nails on the FAQ and various member's web sites.

Bending Terminology:

"Blue Nail" - one of IM's nails from their 'bag of nails.' 6" x 1/4

"CRS" - cold rolled steel. A process that produces harder steel than hot rolling.

"d" - abbreviation for penny

"Green Nail" - - one of IM's nails from their 'bag of nails.' 5" x 3/16

"HRS" - hot rolled steel.

"Penny" - measure of the length of the nail.

"Red Nail" - the most difficult of IM's nails. 7" x 5/16

"Slim Style" - The style of bending used by Slim Farman (double overhand)

"Spike Style" - A style of bending using a double underhand grip.

"Timber Tie" - a type of spiral nail, a popular for choice for bending

"White Nail" - one of IM's nails from their 'bag of nails.' 6" x 3/16

"Yellow Nail" - one of IM's nails from their 'bag of nails.' 7" x 1/4

Odds & Ends:

Chalk: Chalk is the only substance that is allowed on the hands for official type lifts. The standard chalk is Magnesium Carbonate. Strangely, the IronMind Captain of Crush rules as publiched on their web site say that Magnesium Oxide is to be used (perhaps a mistake?).

Hand Size: Measurement from tip of middle finger to first crease on the wrist. Hand should be straight when measuring, and use a rigid rule (not tape) to get a good measurement.

Common questions and topics:

- "What training program should I follow?"

No one can definitely answer this for you. There are three basic options:

1) If you are dedicated and looking for an all out program for closing tough grippers, consider the KTA program. This is an aggressive program sold through the gripboard which has shown remarkable results for many users.

2) Build your own program based on Chapter 9 of 'Mastery of Hand Strength'

3) Browse through the "Training Reports" forum and find someone who has similar goals to yours, and either follow what they are doing or adapt it for yourself.

- "How often should I train?"

This question has been asked and answered dozens of times, in dozens of ways. The bottom line is that it depends on how fast you recover, how much time you have available and what your goals are. Some people have one or two grip workouts a week, others carry their grippers with them everywhere and work on them several times a day, or bend nails on a daily basis.

- "How much equipment should I buy?"

Again, this depends on you. Many gripboard members have built most of their equipment from inexpensive and readily available parts. Others will save time by buying ready made products. "Mastery of Hand Strengh" describes many ways for making your own gear, or using things you probably already have. The "Equipment" forum is also a great source of inspiration for the Do-It-Yourself types.

- "I lifted [X] amount. Is this good?"

If you couldn't do it before, and now you can, then it's great! If you want to compare to others, check out the "Records" forum which has lists of the grip board members who have accomplished various feats.

- "How to train so I can hurt people when shaking hands?"

If you want to hurt people while shaking hands, kick them in the shin as you shake hands. You'll hurt them more, it will take a lot less training, and it is just as rude. You will get yelled at if you ask this question on the gripboard.

- "What grippers should I buy?"

This question comes up often, and has many answers. Most people seem to end up buying at least the IM Trainer, #1,#2 and #3, and often many other types as well. The general wisdom seems to be to start with the trainer if you are of average strength, and then #1 if you work with your hands or have a good grip for other reasons. Many suggest that you get two to start with, and some would say three (one you can close, one you are working to close, and one that's harder still). Visit the web sites of the gripper manufacturers for help selecting the right one(s) for you.

- "Where do I get the Joe Kinney Video?"

J.B. Kinney, PO Box 32, Bean Station, TN 37708 USA.

$25.00 + $6.00 S&H U.S. and $12.00 S&H all others, money orders only U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. banks.

- "How do I contact Warren Tetting?"

You can call him @ 651-222-1889

Warren Tetting

1063 West 7th Street

Saint Paul, MN 55102

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  • 3 years later...

What do the acronyms in peoples signature goals mean?

I know some, like CCS is credit card set and NS is no set but what does TNS mean?

It'd be nice to have a glossary of terms and abbreviations, I've searched and it points you to this thread, which doesn't tell you about an "Edgin", filed/filing, CCS, NS, TNS...

Edited by Autolupus
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Very helpful and informative, a pretty extensive list there and now all linked to the words glossary, terminology, terms, meanings, names, abbreviations and acronyms! ;):D

Thanks. :)

Edited by Autolupus
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  • 8 months later...

What are the different statuses on the site such as newbie, member, gripomaniac... etc. and how does one progress to a different status?

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What are the different statuses on the site such as newbie, member, gripomaniac... etc. and how does one progress to a different status?

It goes by your number of posts and if I remember right 0-99 is a newbie, 100-499 is a member, 500+ is a gripomaniac, and I Don't know if there's another one.

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What are the different statuses on the site such as newbie, member, gripomaniac... etc. and how does one progress to a different status?

It's just number of posts -- nothing special. With the exception of the Gripboard Contributor Groups where you can see that by clicking at the top on the icon.

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  • 5 months later...

On another forum I heard a that someone closed a CoC #2 with his fingertips but I just don't believe that.

Has that been done before? is it possible?

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  • 2 months later...
What is the average spread on a CoC #3?

About 2 3/4". But the newer ones tend to be more towards 2 7/8" or 3"

On another forum I heard a that someone closed a CoC #2 with his fingertips but I just don't believe that.

Has that been done before? is it possible?

Thats absolutely possible. I did a #1 that way a long time ago, back when I was closing a #2 or #2.5. For the stronger guys it would be easy, but it's pretty damn painful on your first (or last depending on how you look at it) knuckle

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  • 1 year later...

Hey guys. I wanted to know if this is a good grip workout. I have been training my grip for a while now. Anybody let me know if im doing too much or tooo little. any thing to make this workout better? Please and thank you

Gripper # 1- 2 SETS TO FAILURE EACH HAND

R. Curls- 2x8

Power hods- 1 hold till failure (heavy)

pinch plates- 2 sets 30 second holds

hub lift- 2 sets 30 second holds

Rolling thunder- 3x1

wrist curls- 3x5

re. wrist curls- 3x5

(every 2 weeks i do 3x1 finger lifts)

good, no good? ONLY PERFORMED ONCE A WEEK A Goood Workout?

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  • 6 years later...

So I am still learning about the gripboard community and all that it entails. I am not sure where to ask this question or who to ask. I am a resident of the Tulsa, Oklahoma area and I am wanting to get into grip competitions preferably in the amateur and local. If anyone could help me find information on this I would be very grateful! Thank you guys.

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25 minutes ago, Roy Golden said:

So I am still learning about the gripboard community and all that it entails. I am not sure where to ask this question or who to ask. I am a resident of the Tulsa, Oklahoma area and I am wanting to get into grip competitions preferably in the amateur and local. If anyone could help me find information on this I would be very grateful! Thank you guys.

If you go to the "Member Map" tab at the top of the page you can see where some users are located. I know of a few gripsters located within a few hours of you in Texas and Missouri.

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