Now this first idea is not the innovation I am greatly excited about, but still thought to share it. Lately I have been thinking about just setting a steel bar to appropriate height and then use a loading pin together with revolving handle to mimic the action of a grip machine but without the restraints machine has. I would think revolving handle would be of some benefit. Also the fact that you would be able to extend your wrist more during the close would be perfect when looking for gripper specific crushing strength. Now this is a cheap thing to do and I probably will set this up when I return to training for grippers.
Now my second idea, if I get this type of machine built that I am going to describe here I think it would be good. The fact that you can and most likely will cheat somewhat with almost any standard grip machines by shrugging or pulling upwards with your body is a reason why I haven't purchased or had a grip machine made just yet. If I had all the necessary tools to build a prototype machine that would help to prevent this cheating, I would have already done that myself. My idea (again, not so original as Kinney's original SW already addressed this issue in a way, but my idea is more evolved) to prevent this cheating would be to force you to push down against the resistance provided by two compression springs that would be placed under the ends of the upper handle of the grip machine. This would be built so that full close on this machine would not be possible unless you really pushed it down hard. In addition to preventing cheating, this would be more similar to torsion spring grippers in a way as I believe from my experience that there is always more palm pressure with TSG's as there is with any grip machines.
Now the obvious difficulty with this design would be to find suitable compression springs that would provide appropriate level of resistance for the upper handle. I think this could be made adjustable somehow, maybe with just some different length solid pieces inside the uprights that would be the stoppers for the springs. I would want it to provide enough resistance to resemble what it feels like to hold bigger grippers such as hard #4's or even BB Pro's closed. I did a lot of extended handle eccentrics with BB Pro in the past when I was at my best with grippers and was deep set closing 201 lbs #4, I noticed back then how beaten my palm got with those extended handle negatives but never came even close to feeling even any mild discomfort when I was doing eccentrics with my SW. My opinion about that fact is that this feel of great pressure HAS to be there if you want to come even close to simulating how a big gripper feels like.
Maybe a similar feel to grip machine could be achieved with upper handle that has extension springs on top, but I just have harder time visualizing how it could be built on a guillotine type machine.
For SW, this could be made very easily I think! Most likely I will make an SW or have one made that has an extension spring for the upper handle that is of course not fixed but moves.A real high-tech grip machine would have pressure measurement sensors showing you how much pressure you are applying against the upper handle. Ideally whatever weight you are using on the grip machine you would have to be applying similar pressure against the upper handle with your palm and if you are not, you are in fact cheating.
I would love to see someone to put these ideas to use and come up with a grip machine that would force you to really apply pressure against the upper handle with your palm.
I would like to hear what some of the highly skilled DIY-guys think of all this.
Aaron Corcorran? Anyone else?
