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The time has come for me to step down from being the owner of the GripBoard. In February, it will be 23 years running the forum. No, nothing is wrong with me health-wise. I just feel it’s just time to move on and free up some time in my life given I am now 60 years old. The GripBoard has always been a "worry" whenever I might be out of pocket with having to constantly monitor it especially if the server is up and running, the software is up to date, and of course there are no major issues between members in discussion. To remove the server and software burden, we will be moving the forum to a cloud-based solution offered by the software company that develops the forum software. This will basically eliminate a ton of backend work and remove a ton of variables in the forum operation that could go south (software, server, database server, etc.). They will handle all of that by providing the cloud service. I would also like to announce the passing of the torch and future ownership of The Gripboard to Matt Cannon. Matt has been a member here for 17 years and a moderator for a long time as well. Matt also has the core values that I align with from a leadership perspective. I am super happy he is willing to take this on as I leave as the main leader and owner of the forum. Matt is going to bring a new energy to this to promote grip and the grip community that I am excited about that I just didn't have time to even attempt. There are a ton of forum features that can be used to better promote the board and grip as a community. And, some new ones with the cloud-based solution. I will still be around as a consultant for the smooth transfer of the operation of the forum for Matt and remain a moderator to some degree going forward. We will be moving to the cloud very soon. Maybe as early as next week. It will look exactly the same. Thank you to all the members who have supported this forum over the years. During the move, the forum will show a message that it is offline and the move is in process. When this message disappears, The GripBoard will look exactly the same to the members. It will appear that nothing has changed. I would like to give a special thanks to our current and past sponsors for supporting the board. Without them, the great grip community we have today would not have been possible. Thanks, everyone for supporting the forum in the past and into the future! Bill

Now it’s official, Carl Myerscough closed the #4 gripper according to the credit card set rule, the first man to do so. https://ironmind.com/news/Carl-Myerscough-Certifies-on-the-Captains-of-Crush-No.-4-Gripper/ Congratulations!

The greatest feat of grip strength ever. No question in my mind. I've been around the game a long time and I have seen a lot of things - this is out of this world. When we built the Level 10 I never really thought anyone would close it. It's so far past the level of strength of a CoC 4 or the GHP 9 that it's really hard to believe anyone's hand would be strong enough to handle the pressure. You can see in the video how hard of a time Carl has just holding the gripper at a set while he positions the block. Carl is the first and possibly the last that will ever accomplish this incredibly difficult feat of strength. I'm glad I got a chance to see it. Cheers Carl Myerscough - the greatest gripper close of all time!

This is the gripper workout plan that got me to the cert. Several caveats, this is not for beginners! I didn't need all the volume earlier in my journey, after I got stuck a few years ago at around a 209ccs it became necessary then to force further adaptation with more extreme training. These are the numbers from week 7 and then the cert was week 8: T × 8 #1 × 3 #2 × 3 #2.5 × 3 146 × 3 163 × 1 182 × 1 203 × 1 ccs 220 x 1 ccs 182 x 9 ccs 187 x 9 deep set(grip genie) All the warm ups sets before the ccs are medium depth. The ccs after the top set is to failure, not a particular number of reps, so weeks 6 and 7 were 9 but before that it was 8, 7 etc, same for the second drop set then on the 187, week before was 7 then 6, 5. After the 182 ccs x 9 my hand is trashed, thus making the grip genie 187 challenging and I did this to work the last bit of the close with the thinner handles. If I did the 187 before the ccs rep set I might be able to get 20, but I'm that deep into fatigue at that point its not so easy. This was necessary to make improvement. Earlier in the year I used the same basic plan but instead of the ccs' were max effort deep sets when I worked upto the 256 ghp10. That would be followed by a max deepset set 216 x 8 being my best. I try to only push 6-8 weeks and then start back lighter with higher reps and re- build. The thinking was get my deep set upto a whole new level and then convert that basic strength to the specific strength needed for the ccs. Assistance exercises were at the end of the gripper workout, band extensions holding the fingers together trying to closely resemble the reverse movement of a gripper close. About 8 sets of 6 working up through the different colors and then 3 x 6 with double red bands. The other assistance exercise I would do at the end of Mondays workout, (grippers were friday or sat) was standing reverse wrist curls holding the bar in a reverse curl position at 90° out from the body and then curling the wrists up and down. 4 sets of 6. 45lb x 6, 65lb x 6, 95 x 6, 105 x 6. Rest periods were always 3-5 minutes between all sets. So about 45 minutes to complete the gripper portion. One tip that might help someone is that between the early warm up sets I would grab a plate and do 3 standing wrist curls, overhand pushing the plate towards the body. Not heavy, I would do the Trainer then 10lb, #1, 25lb, #2, 45, #2.5 55lb and then stop with those. The purpose was to add some rigidity to the hand and pump up the thumb pad a little for better leverage. All sets were done aswell with the left hand and equal reps, they would just not be all closed at the top end. I always did right hand first and then left. Like I warned at the beginning, I would wake up the next day barely able to make a fist and move my hand and there would be soreness and tenderness every week for 3 to 5 days.

I never thought it would be closed!

I have been thinking about how to tell this story for years, and always end up putting it on the back-burner, due to its complexity and not wanting to face reality, that this journey is near-complete, and with it, the end of a huge chapter of my life. Getting into the final year, the time is now, I guess. Onward ... After my Red Nail certification in August, 2010, I was trying to think of something unique, in that I could do long-term, that no one else had ever done. From the beginning, when I started bending steel, I wanted to become one of the best all-around benders in the world and sustain this over (at the time) at least 5 years (which of course, turned out to be 10+ years). After my Red cert, I decided to undertake a personal challenge: to bend an Ironmind Red Nail, under official cert. conditions, every 7-10 days, for as long as I could sustain it. I do not have my old log from Benders Battlefield in its entirely, but kept notes from the first few years. Years 1-3 were typically done once per-week. I did a bunch of other bends (cut-Reds for certs etc.) that I did not include as part of this challenge in the overall count. Also, there were a lot of days that I bent 2-3 Reds in the same session. These were not included; just the Red bend for that week. The first few years were easy, in retrospect, especially as I compare those years to the past few years' attempts. During those first few years, Reds were usually the easiest of 2-3 "challenge bars" I would do during weekly sessions. It wasn't until I hit 40 years old around 2014 that things started to hurt more and these weekly/bi-weekly sessions became much more challenging. There were several instances where I thought about stopping, but kept going. When I hit 5 years, I told myself that I would keep doing this as long as I was physically able, and set my sights on 10 years. I have told a few people over the years about the 10 year Red challenge, but never officially posted or wrote about it in detail until now. As I type this, I am at 9 years of bending a Ironmind Red Nail every 1-2 weeks, nonstop. This was through a lot of challenges, aside from the obvious. A few of the major things I encountered that almost derailed things were: Birth of my first son, where I stayed in the hospital for multiple days, with little sleep and no one really making it easy to bend in the hospital (had to hide everything). When I made the actual attempt, it was on a few hours of sleep, just a few seconds before the nurse came into the room. She definitely would not have been happy if she walked in when I was bending the Red at this time. PRK eye surgery - I planned my bends around my surgery date, to give myself about 12 days after the surgery to bend the Red. Kidney stone surgery (invasive) - This one was tough. They told me I could resume light training after 4-5 days, and then "normal" activities after 10 days. I just figured bending was not "normal" so didn't bother even trying to explain to the doctor. Multiple injuries - After turning 40, things started to break down a lot more frequently. I haven't really changed too much in training, but aches and pains have been nonstop for the past 5 years; especially the past 1-2 years. KTA/RRBT - I did both of these programs multiple times and had great As gains with grippers. My hands were destroyed for the better part of a year, which really made bending tough, but did not stop it. As I worked through week-after-week, and month-after-month of bends, I began thinking about the gravity of this endeavor; mainly, that if I would stop, it would be over for good. It took me over a year of dedicated training to cert. the Red back when I was in my mid-30s, in much better shape and condition. After 40, I was fully aware of some of my newfound limitations, and the reality, if I would stop bending Reds, it would likely be over for good. And I wasn't willing to give this up just yet. Bending, and by extension the Red Nail, were so intertwined into my personality, identity, and weekly routine, that I have been fighting to keep this going as long as possible. At 9 years, the end is in sight. And that is partly why I am writing this now. This is probably a little too much rambling, and I might go back and fine-tune it a little later on, but I know the last year is going to be a challenge and I am hoping to use the board as a platform for accountability, and more importantly, motivation. As such, I will post updates here in this thread over the next year, and hopefully, wrap it up after 10 years of continuous, bi-weekly Red Nail bends. In the picture below are most of the Reds during this streak. I counted 292 Red Nails. As mentioned above, this does not include all of the nails, including some of the shorter (5.5") Reds and the official cert. nail, which are in the "big bend" box. It kinda makes me sad typing this up, as I know that this cannot go on forever. It;s been such a huge part of my life for so long, that I cannot remember when I wasn't bending. And wasn't waiting for the weekly/bi-weekly Red Nail bend to keep it going.

I've been a supporter of Ironmind and Dr Randall Strossen ever since 2009 when I certified myself on the #3. Back then it was a major achievement as I was the first teenager to do so since the implementation of the credit card rule and the birth of the Jesse Marunde trust fund. Now, I was a big fan of Marunde growing up, and, indeed, his forum and videos got me into grip. Ever since grip has always featured in my training no matter what sport I've done. I'm also continuing to make grip bigger by putting it the programs of the pros that I coach. By doing so, I get to see the best in PL and strongman, and see what they can do in grip stuff. This will only further the sport. The mouldy apple must be removed before it spreads, and as a result I have cut ties with Tiziano with immediate effect. I was waiting for Ironmind's verdict before putting an official statement out there. As for why he hired me, I have no idea. Perhaps he initially followed my plans , and got stronger, to a point. Perhaps it was the association with a "big name" that he wanted for further cover. He drops the names of the best grip guys in the game regularly, so perhaps I served as this. I can swear, infront of God if needed that I hand-on-heart had nothing to do with any foul play and if I suspected anything I would have sacked him with immediate effect. Phatmuscle Coaching from now on has nothing to do with Tiziano Becchio. I believe he should be relegated to memories, like our old friend Timmy "Samuel Scott" and serve all of us - myself included - as a reminder to be more vilgilant and do better. I should have known as literally EVERY OTHER client of mine has competed. It's literally "what I do". Make people good at their sports. He will never be welcome to train with me or to visit. He has blown his chances in the community and I will do my best to ensure he doesn't get credit from other companies, either. He is the "Danial Zamani" of grip, a charlatan and a fraud. Grip equivalent of faking an 800lb raw bench. Edit - he must have gone to extraordinary lengths to deceive both myself and the certification companies, both in terms of time and financial effort, for very little reward. I will never understand why, but at least now we know how. I would also like to apologise for initially sticking up for him, and hold my hands up and admit I was wrong. Sam

Hi guys this tuesday coc 3.5 official certification I'm the lightest in the world to have a 3.5 certified Now testing and working hard for coc4 and ghp9 . https://youtu.be/n5YZmhqKGPc My two video of official certs on my you tube Channel. @Cannon @Wannagrip@ @Jared P

Hello grip nerds! This is an update on the progress toward a new, updated Mash Monster certification! I have tried hard to preserve elements of the retired certification with some improvements. Some of this is driven by what's possible and some by my own preferences. Things that will stay the same The Mash Monster certification is intended to be an elite certification. Originally I had aspirations to expand the levels, but I believe that adds an unnecessary amount of additional logistics, cert management, and waters down the achievement. Throughout its duration, the retired certification averaged about 24 certifications per year. The new certification will be more accessible with more carefully spaced levels so I believe activity will increase as a baseline. A bunch of additional lower levels feels unwieldy. The Mash Monster Set. There is a chance to switch to a setting block, but I do not prefer that option. Most well-known certs use a block so the MM cert was unique in this respect. We will keep the parallel or wider Mash Monster Set. The certifications will be via video submission, no witness required. However I am implementing safeguards which I believe 100% guarantee authenticity of the certification. A primary safeguard is that the MM grippers will be unique items which are tightly controlled and received back as part of the certification, as before. It is a massive security to be able to scrutinize the gripper after the attempt and most other certifications do not operate this way. There will be protocols which the video must follow and it will be possible to fail the certification based entirely on execution in the video. There will also be tamper-evident safeguards which guarantee the judges will be able to identify the original gripper on video; not all of which will be explained to the public. An MM0-style door opener will still be required to establish readiness for the certification both in terms of strength level and ability to shoot an acceptable video. Judging will be completed by the Mash Monster judges as before. 3 judges will score the attempt and it will take 2 out of 3 "white lights" to pass. Participants must be a GripBoard Contributor at any level. Contributor Level 1 offers one certification attempt per year and Levels 2 and 3 offer unlimited attempts. Certification attempt means signing up for and attempting a level, not the number of tries you get during a single certification. That will remain as 3 attempts within a 15 minute time limit. Any one person can only have one level checked out at a time. There is no certification fee except to cover shipping. Things that are new Where the old certification referred to levels, the new certification will be based on ratings. There are 7 levels planned at this time beginning at 160 and increasing to 220. The levels are 160-170-180-190-200-210-220. You would refer to the levels by number such as "Mash Monster 160" or Mash Monster 190". This naming will also distinguish new certifications from the retired legacy. While this is fewer total levels than the original certification, I believe this actually offers more truly distinct levels. There is a possibility for a level at 230. You can jump directly to any level after completing the door opener. This is a huge change. The door opener will be two-fold in this respect. The door-opener for levels 160-170-180 is an IronMind #3 or equivalent, as before. For levels 190 and up the door opener is increased to an IronMind #3.5 or equivalent. The retired certification offered a semblance of "everyone did the same thing" by always using the exact same gripper. The truth is that we know grippers do change slightly over time. Knurling gets worn and ratings slide. The new certification will actively manage the Mash Monster set to be "the same" based on repeatable specifications. The grippers will be made from Standard springs and handles. The handles will have unique markings not otherwise commercially available. After each certification, the gripper will be scrutinized not only to ensure the authenticity of the attempt, but also to ensure the gripper has not appreciably changed in specifications. If critical measurements such as the rating or spread fall out of our accepted tolerance from natural use, the gripper will be replaced with an original. In other words, I am more concerned about "everyone did the same thing" than "everyone closed the exact same gripper". I expect any one gripper to last years. There will be a women's Mash Monster cert! Officially, it will also just be called Mash Monster and the respective levels which are planned to be 110-120-130-140. Door opener here is an IronMind #2 or equivalent. Everything else is the same. This does beg the question about Why can't anyone certify at these levels if they will exist? It goes back to a both a desire for the certification to remain elite, and a logistics issue about managing certification volume. I am planning for expanded International availability. The current idea is to have a period every year where the set of grippers is shipped to a European Hub and managed from there. I do not want to maintain an entirely separate set that just lives at the European Hub. During this time period--something like 3 months--we can cram in as many European certifications as possible. Nothing else about the cert process would change. It's simply a chance to accommodate International certifications at a much lower cost. International participants can always sign up any time, but the costs could be higher. We will not maintain profiles like before. The roster will be a list which records the highest level accomplished by each athlete. If you certify on multiple levels, your name will only remain on the highest level accomplished. We are considering the idea to list minimal personal info by the name such as weight class, age, height. Names will be listed in order and not numbered. Off-hand will not be considered a unique feat. You can certify with either hand, but the only result is whether you were successful in general. So what is the hold up? In short, springs. We have the new level of Chromium spring on order...and have for a while. Our spring supplier (and the manufacturing sector in general) is short-staffed, over worked, and still experiencing some supply chain issues. We want to have all levels in place at once for a grand reopening. Building the grippers, in general, is the only thing taking time. Since the plan is to pull from existing Standard supplies, the idea is that if CPW is rating grippers and comes across a 160 Cobalt or a 180 Titanium, it gets set aside to be converted. I can reliably hope to come across "back-ups" for all levels except 170. Or we can build grippers on purpose to land where we want. But, the whole reason we created Standard was to service a few dead zones in the gripper progression covered by other brands. In that same manner, Standard has dead zones as well. We essentially cannot make a 150 or 170 gripper for example. And I don't want to accomplish the levels by making the springs narrow or wide. So this will probably require ordering a special spring for 170, likely Cobalt with a slightly tighter coil (we're talking fractions of an inch here, maybe not noticeable to the naked eye). But we don't want 170 and 180 to be perceived as "the same difficulty" because the 170 is wide and the 180 is not. Otherwise, we have already started accumulating grippers at certain levels, hoping to essentially have a lifetime supply in place. This will help ensure consistency in the certification! We are really excited about the future of Mash Monster!

In Feb of 2001, the GripBoard was basically born as its own entity. Thanks to everyone who have been members, contributed in many different means of support, and of course our dedicated and supportive long time sponsors who continue to believe in Grip and Grip Strength!

Been told to share this as a main thread instead of on my training log. My first press attempt was 6 months ago and was nowhere close to a lockout. Now that I’ve finally achieved it, I can reflect and only improve more! It’s been a tough 6 months but it paid off!

Just realized that today is my 18 year anniversary on here. A lot of time being inactive but still super grateful to be here steady the past 3 years. Here's some old clips from like 2011-2012 Here's to 18 more, cheers.

Yes, this was buried someplace else on the forum, but this needs everyone's full attention. Here it is, from IronMind's website yesterday evening: https://ironmind.com/news/Vincent-Rivellese-Certifies-on-the-Captains-of-Crush-No.-3-Gripper/ Perhaps the best series of quotes by Vinnie on any Cert writeup ever; it's great. Congratulations Vinnie! Hbgzr

Hello Grip Nerds! There will be a slight forum reorganization at the beginning of 2024. Some of the updates won't be that noticeable but a couple will. If you primarily use the unread content button to view the forum then you might not even notice these changes immediately. The two biggest changes: 1) The GripBoard itself will move to the top of the page. So instead of being one of the communities under Training, our actual main community that is literally "the GripBoard" will be a stand-alone destination right at the very top. If you're a new person arriving here, we want that main community to be the first thing you see. 2) In order to make room at the top of the forum organization, the sponsor forums will move to the bottom. Another reason for this is that beginning in 2024, sponsorship will work differently and not include a sub-forum as part of the plan. More on that later. In the long run we will likely phase out these sub-forums, but there is a question of what to do with the content. For now, they will still be around, just featured less prominently. The smaller changes: Some of these changes have already taken place and focus on removing obsolete sub-forums and regrouping a few for clarity in navigation and prominence based on traffic. One example is there was a Powerball sub-forum under Equipment. Really, all those Powerball posts should just be in the Equipment forum so they have been moved. They were all tagged with "Powerball" so you can easily find them all if you wish. Otherwise, a couple forums will jockey around and a couple will be renamed for clarity in what they are used for now. A big one is Community Records and Stats. None of the lists in that forum tracked records or stats. So it will be rebranded as Grip Feat Lists. Won't this cause a huge mess? No, don't worry. The forum software is pretty brilliant and any forum, thread, or post is identified by a number that doesn't change no matter where that item is located or what it is called. So any links that exist within the forum or on Google will still work. Reorganizing forums on the back end is just a simple drag and drop. Easy peasy. Also, no content is being deleted. The GripBoard is a living history of this sport and we would hate to lose anything. Let's crush it in 2024!

For those who might have missed my post on retiring from the Gripboard, read it HERE What about the MashMonster certification moving forward? As you know, Matt has been the key person for the MashMonster certifications. He and I have worked super well as a team. Him being the most important front end and me the back end with the list updates, profiles, etc. The first MashMonster was certified on November 22, 2003 (Heath Sexton). In November of this year, the certification will be 20 years old! During this time, the grippers have traveled the world! What is amazing is we never lost ANY of the grippers. What is not known by members is that I had purchased “backup” grippers for most levels (several for Level 1) and they were made at the exact same time by the infamous Warren Tetting to ensure they were as close as possible to the same just in case we lost a gripper during their travels all over the world. We never had to replace a gripper with a backup due to loss in transit in over 20 years. Amazing! With my retirement from running this forum, it’s a fitting time to end an era with the current MashMonster certification. That does not mean an end to the MashMonster certification. Quite the contrary! Let me share the exciting possibilities going forward with Matt at the helm. Matt and I think it’s time to make the MashMonster certification more expansive, inclusive, sustainable, and stable. While all athletes closed the same grippers, there is a known issue that grippers do get easier over time and measurements show the strength is sliding especially at the lower levels. We have known for a long time that international shipping costs have been a huge barrier to a true worldwide certification. A new MashMonster certification means the potential to have international satellite shipping hubs for the MashMonster grippers to make the cost more economical. It might be time for more levels as well and that means more lower levels for women which is exciting! And, last but not least, which we think is a BIG one: the possibility of going straight to any of the expanded levels rather than having to do them all in order! Now that is a potential exciting change in the certification! The current MashMonster certification is hereby declared frozen in its current state. I will be transferring the MashMonster name over to Matt soon. The potential for a new revamped version of the MashMonster certification is exciting! What about the original grippers themselves? Well, stay tuned. Especially if you love collecting grippers and the history they represent. Bill

For those that may be interested I got the rating back from Cannon PowerWorks on my cert gripper. 215rgc. Matt said that they measured it straight out of my packaging at 216 with a 3.040" spread and then after there usual process of oiling and closing it 30 times it was stable at 215 with a 2.958" spread.

Thanks everybody. In order to meet the video requirements I had to set the camera in a much wider shot, they wanted to be able to see full body at certain times in the video. I did strain/get cramp in by bicep after the close hence me pulling away, but I had committed my mind to closing it no matter what and it was done. Sure it's not held shut for an extended period of time but do the handles momentarily touch together, yes 100% which is what is required. The original video is in good clear quality that ironmind has ownership off, but I do notice that when it gets put on youtube etc it's not quite as clear as I think youtube changes the format/pixels etc. I think in these screen captures from the video you can see metal touching metal clearly.

Making some progress! Standard could be back in April. We have some handle prototypes from Justin at the new shop and have approved the knurling. When Tom was making the grippers, it was mainly by hand in small batches. In the new shop, fabrication will be mostly automated but we want to retain the look and feel of the original grippers. Nothing is changing with the springs as all. The handle differences may actually be positives. The handles will be pinned for sure. Justin can automate that process where glue is a very manual, messy and more expensive solution. Also glue can fail but pins cannot so it should be a better product. Second, the Standard logo and gripper level will be engraved all at once when the handle is turned. The engravings will look slightly different, but we really like the look. It's not laser engraving but rather physical engraving. The automation in Justin's shop should allow us to have a much better supply. We should even be able to offer "Any 3" type discounts like we do with other brands. We are almost there!

THANK YOU! I am really, really happy. I've disregarded all other training for months to focus on this and then got set back with a terrible cold AFTER they sent me the gripper, so had to wait a couple weeks to make the attempt while the unopened package sat tantalizing me and tempting me to try it as soon as I could. This Monday I was back at work and did a few closes to see how I felt, seemed pretty close to how I was when I asked for the cert, so I shot over to Anton's and he and Anthony helped me vid. Those two are my mentors and great friends. I consider this an accomplishment up there with the things in my life I am most proud of doing, things like my education and my job, things that I had to earn. There are very few good feelings like those you get when you reap the rewards of your own efforts!

Looks like we will have the FIRST attempt at LEVEL 9! He will then sit at the top of the MashMonster pyramid.

Figured to share it here as well. Very cool to finally got this milestone. Ordered 3x20kg plates yesterday, and hopefully theyre perfect plates as they seem for the 3x20kg pinch lift.

So its official! I'm the 278 guy in the world to be certified on captains of crush #3! https://ironmind.com/news/Thom-Fingalsson-Certifies-on-the-Captains-of-Crush-No.-3-Gripper/ " Well, IronMind would like to thank Thom Fingalsson for making our job so easy—the referees were unanimous is commenting in giving Thom’s attempt the highest marks: “Well done.” “A strong young man.” And how about: “That is one outstanding close. Very good credit card insert. And, no question on the handles being closed."

The most serious lift I’ve ever seen in a while. Giant diameter 100 lb plates. Chris Rice @climber511 featured these in a number of contest medleys. The only person to ever lift them has been Chad Woodall. Today Tanner lifted then twice. Unbelievable. So many amazing North American lifters have failed to lift these. A true feat of the year. Tanner followed up this by two hand pinching one of my anvils. On Eric’s scale it weighed 180.9 lb- 4” spread on the top with a sharp rim. Here is Tanner Inch replica plus anvil horn lift Here a thumbless inch lift plus anvil And finally one I been looking for an Inch plus 20 kg plate curl I’m weighing 221 & Tanner is at 208 today. Arnold Classic is only 6 weeks out.

Hey grip nerds. Turns out, making springs is hard. Last year we got an entire batch of Iron [Fe] springs which were too wide to be that level. Trying to make the best of that, we mounted them all over the place to get a bunch of grippers that ranged from 140 to 167. Those were the Legacy Tributes. Well, we still have zillions of those springs. So we are going to make a level between Iron [Fe] and Cobalt [Co]. It just so happens there is a metal between those two that we skipped because it had the same Mohs hardness as Iron. That metal is Nickel [Ni]! I think this is poetic because Fe and Ni will have the same spring and also the same Mohs hardness. As before, we will mount the new Nickel grippers all over the place so they vary on purpose. Similarly, our most recent batch of Platinum [Pt] springs include roughly 50% which are too narrow to be Pt grippers. In another stroke of poetic luck, we skipped a metal between Gold [Au] and Platinum [Pt] because we felt the symbol would be confusing. It's Copper [Cu]! Once we get these made, we'll have a one-time run of slightly more narrow Cu grippers which average about 105. In our world, being a small business means finding these serendipitous little happy accidents. Finally, one more reminder that we will have 30 more pinned Unobtanium this year. That will round out the first 100. These have been popular enough that we will likely make more, but it could be a minute before a spring reorder makes sense. So watch for those!

I just wanted to make this post to thank @Cannon for taking over the reins of the GripBoard. He has done a phenomenal job and has already improved and brought this forum to a new level. I am super happy to see this and there is much more to come! I am super excited to see what Matt has in store for this community, especially the new MashMonster certification! With that said, please remember that this forum still rises and falls based on you the members. Cannon Power Works is a very small niche business. This means the forum needs support from you the members to make it viable for decades to come. Matt has done a spectacular job of enabling this very easily with some new very cool benefits for those who donate to the GripBoard. Please consider supporting the GripBoard (link below) and helping enable all the ideas (he shared a bunch with me before he took over!) Matt has that will lead to growing the grip community! Thanks, everyone! https://www.gripboard.com/subscriptions/

I finally met with Hussain last week. The entire story is in my YouTube video description. Highlights were CoC # 3.5 close, near CoC # 4 rated at 217 (bad technique), Millennium dumbbell lift, and blob50 lift. He hadn't done any specific grip training, ever. Just powerlifting and strongman. He is 22 years old. He simply is a gem. I believe with the right technique and a slighty easier #4 he would close is on his first go. He isn't far off anyway. I also say his thumbs aren't developed much. All the power comes from the fingers. He is truly top tier grip athlete. Thank God he isn't camera shy. Two more impressive people came to the Grip Temple but they were camera shy.

Somewhat Grip related - anyway I wanted to post it here for friends to see. Teresa and I on top of Triconi Nail in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. We did it on our 27th and 42nd - now on our 50th.

@Cannon rated it at 256 RGC... Incredible!

40m 30sm under the rain, on wet sand and with a damp surface of the dumbbell handles:

I met Khaled Awa Jashell after Devon Larrat said he couldn't top roll him and has amazing grip. Nice guy. Very kind and a strong man. Intelligent too. 9.1 Inches hand. Hand span is 11.2 inches. Thumbs are long. Longer than Jedd Johnson I guess. Thick fingers. Palms 5 inches. Big forearms almost like mine without training. Wrist size is also almost like mine at 8.2 inches (mine 8.3 inches). STRONG dude whom Devon Larrat couldn't top roll. Can beat the Indian national champion in Armwrestling without training. Can he beat me in grip? Maybe. Thick bar for sure as he can go head to head with the likes of Laine Snook LOL. Not so in two hand pinch, crush and hub. Videos on my channel. Here I was just showing him how to close grippers. And more videos on my YouTube channel. He easily lifted the fatman blob, repped the 172 steel inch five times each hand and lifted the 98KG Inch! Laine Snook, Brian Shaw and Steve Gardener should be alarmed! Guy is just very strong. He works for 14 hours a day and eats rice and occasionally meat from time to time. According to him, his father has the same forearms and hand size and his brother bigger! I believe him. In around 2 weeks time, I Larry Wheels will return my Arm Wrestling table and I will then Pull Khaled! He has a future if he puts his mind into it, train, eats well and rests well. I think I should Sponsor him.

There’s always the question of who is truly the king of the mountain and I think we no longer need to talk about it. This morning Carl sent me video which was just unbelievable yet of course absolutely believable- Carl doing a perfectly strict 45 lb rogue bumper plate curl. Inconceivable power. No one ever has replicated such a thing. He holds records at this point on so many lifts I can’t even count them all - 216 ghp 9 gripper for a double, 288+ 3” Saxon, 3” & 2” crusher WR, flask WR, 500+ easy axle, inch bell clean @height of 6’10”! 92lb+ one hand saxon snatch, 3” Saxon curl WR, a bunch I can’t think of but you can find-the list just goes on and on. Carl a mountain of a man yet humble and kind. He’s truly unique in his strength through the history of serious grip competitors. Perhaps some other people are currently sitting on a record- do you think Carl could take it? The only discipline we haven’t seen from Carl is bending but personally I feel if he gets the bug it will be historic. I’m curious how many of you are aware of Carl and any predictions you have of him going forward?

This project started with me wanting an "ultimate choker gripper"; basically a hybrid between Standard adjustables and the CPW/Aaron Corcorran style choker grippers. Although the huge washer solution works really well on the adjustables, the biggest downside is that choking at the spring is suboptimal compared to choking at the end of the handles. So I thought, why not design a gripper based on Standards (my favorite gripper line). I learned about torsion springs, including how to measure things and materials, and made the specification. I found a local company that makes springs for machines, old toys, etc., and they could make the spring I wanted. The handle was more problematic. Not even because of the tapping but because of the knurling. I wanted the handles to be stainless steel with nice knurling like on Standards or GHPs. Thankfully, @Cannon gave me some really useful pointers (thanks again, Matt), so I made the design and ordered the handle from the company I usually buy steel for bending. I wanted at least six levels, ended up with seven including Flush. The levels are laser engraved into the spring. I didn't want to cut the spring, so this seemed like the best solution. Getting the hardware for the choker mechanism wasn't a big deal. I've MMSd some of the easier Levels, and well, it is one hard gripper that's for sure. Even those easier settings are far from beginner level. Btw I don't plan to make this again, it's a nice one-of-a-kind gripper. Only one thing remains: sending the gripper to CPW for rating! Some general stats: Spread: Flush - 70.5mm, Level 6 - 83mm Spring: 8.0mm diameter (slightly thicker than a Tungsten), oil-tempered steel Handle: ~19.4mm diameter (same as Standard because of the aggressive knurling), 304 stainless steel Weight: 521g/1.15lb (for comparison, my CoC #3.5 is 261g/0.58lb) Choker: M6 stainless 304 Some pictures: First one is at Flush Second is Level 1 Third and fourth are showing the choker at Level 3 Fifth pic: the whole "kit" @EmilBB this is the project I was talking about

I have benefitted from the vast knowledge here on the gripboard and I really want to thank everyone for there support and encouragement that helped get me to this milestone. I hope I can give back and help others some now.

A Standard gripper exists! This was basically proof of process. Justin got to the point where we needed to see if the process and fixtures resulted in an acceptable gripper. There are a few wrinkles to iron out which make this not quite yet a production gripper. There is an undeniable "Tetting-ness" to them because of the pins (which is really the only way they are different than the glued version). We are not pretending this is novel or clever--it's just quicker, cheaper, stronger and cooler.

CPW is almost done with a list we are pretty excited about. I think we’re going to call it Cannon PowerList. There will be special custom grippers rated from 50 to 220 lbs, every 10 pounds. You can get on the list for as many levels as you like, or just one. There won’t be a sign-up, per se, but rather a product like the Pre-rated section that lists all the grippers. If the one you want is in stock, that means you can request it. It will come with everything you need to attempt and also return packaging and label. It will start as domestic only to work the kinks out and we would hope to open it up International. Coming soon! (Hopefully )

Rare feat by one of the Geezer Gang! Outstanding lift Steve!

We regret to inform the grip community that Gillingham High Performance has no immediate plans to continue manufacturing grippers in 2024. As many of you have noticed this has been in the works for the past 6 months. In 2023 we worked through our remaining parts inventory and for the last half of the year had limited size offerings. The reason is simple: the high standards we set for our brand when we first started this journey back in 2010 are cost prohibitive today. We want to thank the overwhelming support for our brand from the GripBoard community. We started out with a simple mission to fulfill a need in the grip and torsion spring hand gripper community: to build the highest quality gripper with the most reproducible feel in the world. We sincerely hope that we filled that need for our customers. We certainly tried and I'm proud to say we never cut corners. I'm still discussing some things with Matt about how to move forward with the GHP Certification - will it still be run, by who, where will the results live, etc.. Also the last of the new stock of GHP grippers that are available can be found here: https://cannonpowerworks.com/products/gillingham-high-performance Thanks again for the support over the years. Wade

I was fortunate enough to find these as part of a listing. I could see the black spring and clear band in the listing’s pictures. They arrived today and I weighed them and tried a magnet. They’re 1 lb, 1.05 lb, and 1.10 lb - over twice the weight of their modern equivalents. Also, a magnet (my Massenomics Drink Spotter Lite) stuck to them. So I’m happy to say I’ve got the 1993 Stainless Steel CoCs! Next up, I’ll be sending these off to @Cannon to be rated.

Haha, I knew I was never making any money out of this. Nobody that is concerned with making money is going to be chasing a #4 cert. If you'd offered me a million dollars, I could not have trained any harder or wanted it anymore than what I did.

Main goal now is the competition 45 lb bumper plate. I’m closer than far on that.

Just ran across this epic vid of @Ivan Cuk smashing some grippers with Larry Wheels! Make sure to check it out guys. Ivan you're a legend! Edit: Just noticed the thumbnail, props for that

Congrats! 3 whites! Now the MM9! Never before attempted!!!

Heaviest Known Overall Unassisted Gripper Close World Record: - Carl Myerscough - GHP Level 10 (256 lbs RGC) 38mm block set, GHP Level 10 certification - [source] (9/15/2023) Table No Set (TNS) 1. Nikita Yurkovets - Silarukov 150 (192 lbs RGC) [source] 2. Ivan Cuk - Grip Genie Level 6 (187 lbs RGC) [source] 3. David Shamey - Silarukov 150 (185 lbs RGC) [source] 4. Valery Tolstyh - SGR Naval Ranks Vice Admiral (181 lbs RGC) [source] 5. Alexey Pritula - Silarukov 140 (174 lbs RGC) [source] 6. Jaland Worley - IronMind CoC 3.5 (165 lbs RGC) [source] 7. Dmitriy Khlyuzov - IronMind CoC 3.5 (163 lbs RGC) [source] 8. Gabriel Sum - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 9. Carl Myerscough - Gods of Grip Elite Series 7 (unknown RGC) [source] 10. Carl-August Mertz - Silarukov 140 (unknown RGC) [source] 11. Tommy Heslep - Tetting Super Elite (unknown RGC) [source] 12. Paul Knight - Tetting Elite (unknown RGC) [source] 13. Aaron Farley - Tetting Elite (unknown RGC) [source] 14. Andrey Selivanov - Mr. Fox 300 lb (160 lbs RGC) [source] 15. Evgeniy Schwartz - Gods of Grip Hades (158 lbs RGC) [source] 16. Pedro Antonio Tamayo Jiménez - IronMind CoC 3 (157 lbs RGC) [source] 17. Sorin Dediu - Gods of Grip Hades (157 lbs RGC) [source] 18. Austin Seitter - Grip Genie Level 5 (154 lbs RGC) [source] 19. Ivan Beritashvili - GMC Tetting 70 kg (154 lbs RGC) [source] 20. Sergey Likhutyev - GMC Tetting 70 kg (154 lbs RGC) [source] 21. TrenGrip - IronMind CoC 3 (151 lbs RGC) [source] 22. Gil Goodman - IronMind CoC 3 (150 lbs RGC) [source] 23. Cesare Ricchezza - GHP Level 7 (147 lbs RGC) [source] 24. Daniel Brechmann - IronMind CoC 3 (147 lbs RGC) [source] 25. Tommy Jennings, Jr. - IronMind CoC 3 (146 lbs RGC) [source] 26. Denis Sheps - GMC Tetting Grand Master (143 lbs RGC) [source] 27. Dmitriy Gaydukov - GMC Tetting Grand Master (143 lbs RGC) [source] 28. Ivan Tikhonov - GMC Tetting Grand Master (143 lbs RGC) [source] 29. Vano Sukhashvili - GMC Tetting Grand Master (143 lbs RGC) [source] 30. Vincent Rivellese - Tetting Super Elite (142 lbs RGC) [source] 31. Steven Nuttgens - Heavy Grips 300 (141 lbs RGC) [source] 32. Adriaan Morosan - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 33. Craig Call - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 34. Kim Dong-Wook - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 35. ‘Hand Water’ - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 36. Hannes Thorsteinsson - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 37. James Hilton - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 38. Jani Illikainen - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 39. John Stepien - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 40. Josh O'Dell - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 41. Juan Barios - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 42. Juha Harju - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 43. Malkhaz Gabeskiria - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 44. Marco Buhl - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 45. Paul Savage - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 46. Qianchen Yang - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 47. Tom Lymath - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 48. Youichi Okazaki - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) [source] 49. Yusuke Nakamura - IronMind CoC (unknown RGC) [source] 50. Charles Strange - Tetting Super Master (unknown RGC) [source] Credit Card Set (CCS) (~53.975mm) 1. Carl Myerscough - IronMind CoC 4 (220 lbs RGC) [source] 2. Ivan Cuk - IronMind CoC 4 (202 lbs RGC) [source] 3. David Shamey - IronMind CoC 4 (194 lbs RGC) [source] 4. Nathan Holle - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 5. Paul Savage - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 6. Nikita Yurkovets - Silarukov 150 (192 lbs RGC) [source] 7. Valery Tolstyh - SGR Naval Ranks Vice Admiral (181 lbs RGC) [source] 8. Sergey Likhutyev - IronMind CoC 3.5 (180 lbs RGC) [source] 9. Carlos F. Rivera Pagan - IronMind CoC 3.5 (178 lbs RGC) [source] 10. Jaland Worley - Standard Titanium (177 lbs RGC) [source] 11. Alexey Pritula - Silarukov 140 (174 lbs RGC) [source] 12. Derek Palmeri - IronMind CoC 3.5 (173 lbs RGC) [source] 13. Cesare Ricchezza - IronMind CoC 3.5 (172 lbs RGC) [source] 14. Ben Helms - Tetting Elite (171 lbs RGC) [source] 15. Ivan Beritashvili - Tetting Elite (169 lbs RGC) [source] 16. Hannes Thorsteinsson - IronMind CoC 3.5 (165 lbs RGC) [source] 17. Dmitriy Khlyuzov - IronMind CoC 3.5 (163 lbs RGC) [source] 18. Alan Barch Jr. - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 19. Andrew Durniat - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 20. Bojan Pejic - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 21. Brad Ardrey - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 22. Gabriel Sum - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 23. Gyu-Min Lee - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 24. Ioan Cristian Puscasu - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 25. Jermiah Merciconah - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 26. Jonathan D. Vogt - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 27. Josh McIntyre - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 28. Juha Harju - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 29. Mike Burke - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 30. Nikita Krivosheev - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 31. Paul Knight - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 32. Patrick Gansel - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 33. Rich Williams - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 34. Sergey Daragan - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 35. Taichi Morodomi - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 36. Tanner Merkle - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 37. Tex Henderson - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 38. Vache Sevajian - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 39. Youichi Okazaki - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 40. Alexey Tyukalov - GHP Level 8 (unknown RGC) [source] 41. Thom Fingalsson - GHP Level 8 (unknown RGC) [source] 42. Andrey Selivanov - Mr. Fox 300 lb (160 lbs RGC) [source] 43. Vano Sukhashvili - Tetting Elite (160 lbs RGC) [source] 44. Pedro Antonio Tamayo Jiménez - IronMind CoC 3 (157 lbs RGC) [source] 45. Sorin Dediu - Gods of Grip Hades (157 lbs RGC) [source] 46. Austin Seitter - Grip Genie Level 5 (154 lbs RGC) [source] 47. Charles Strange - IronMind CoC 3 (152 lbs RGC) [source] 48. Vincent Rivellese - IronMind CoC 3 (152 lbs RGC) [source] 49. TrenGrip - IronMind CoC 3 (151 lbs RGC) [source] 50. Alexander Koss - IronMind CoC 3 (150 lbs RGC) [source] Wide Set (WS) / 38mm Block Set (~20.1mm to 53.9mm, includes 38mm block set) 1. Carl Myerscough - GHP Level 10 (256 lbs RGC) [source] 2. Ivan Cuk - IronMind CoC 4 (212 lbs RGC) [source] 3. Valery Tolstyh - GHP Level 9 (204 lbs RGC) [source] 4. David Shamey - IronMind CoC 4 (202 lbs RGC) [source] 5. Artem Ushenko - GHP Level 9 (200 lbs RGC) [source] 6. Igor Kupinsky - GHP Level 9 (200 lbs RGC) [source] 7. Paul Savage - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 8. Nathan Holle - GHP Level 9 (unknown RGC) [source] 9. Nikita Yurkovets - GHP Level 9 (unknown RGC) [source] 10. Qianchen Yang - GHP Level 9 (unknown RGC) [source] 11. Jaland Worley - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 12. TrenGrip - IronMind CoC 3.5 (185 lbs RGC) [source] 13. Vano Sukhashvili - Iron Grip Level 5 (185 lbs RGC) [source] 14. Ben Helms - Powerball 400 'Hulk' (180 lbs RGC) [source] 15. Derek Palmeri - Standard Titanium (180 lbs RGC) [source] 16. Sergey Likhutyev - IronMind CoC 3.5 (180 lbs RGC) [source] 17. Carlos F. Rivera Pagan - IronMind CoC 3.5 (178 lbs RGC) [source] 18. Simon Mahalsky - IronMind CoC 3.5 (175 lbs RGC) [source] 19. Alexey Pritula - Silarukov 140 (174 lbs RGC) [source] 20. Andrey Selivanov - IronMind CoC 3.5 (173 lbs RGC) [source] 21. Gil Goodman - GHP Level 8 (173 lbs RGC) [source] 22. Cesare Ricchezza - IronMind CoC 3.5 (172 lbs RGC) [source] 23. Youichi Okazaki - IronMind CoC 3.5 (170 lbs RGC) [source] 24. Ivan Beritashvili - Tetting Elite (169 lbs RGC) [source] 25. Jay Smith - GHP Level 8 (168 lbs RGC) [source] 26. Hannes Thorsteinsson - IronMind CoC 3.5 (165 lbs RGC) [source] 27. Dmitriy Khlyuzov - IronMind CoC 3.5 (163 lbs RGC) [source] 28. Adriaan Morosan - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 29. Alan Barch Jr. - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 30. Andrew Durniat - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 31. Bojan Pejic - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 32. Brad Ardrey - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 33. Gabriel Sum - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 34. Gyu-Min Lee - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 35. ‘Hand Water’ - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 36. Ioan Cristian Puscasu - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 37. Jermiah Merciconah - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 38. Jonathan D. Vogt - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 39. Josh McIntyre - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 40. Juha Harju - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 41. Mike Burke - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 42. Nikita Krivosheev - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 43. Paul Knight - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 44. Patrick Gansel - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 45. Rich Williams - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 46. Sergey Daragan - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 47. Steven Nuttgens - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 48. Taichi Morodomi - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 49. Tanner Merkle - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] 50. Tex Henderson - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) [source] MashMonster Set (MMS) (Parallel around ~19.05mm, includes 20mm block set) 1. Carl Myerscough - GHP Level 10 (256 lbs RGC) [source] 2. Nathan Holle - IronMind CoC 4 (220 lbs RGC) [source] 3. David Shamey - GHP Level 9 (213 lbs RGC) [source] 4. Ivan Cuk - IronMind CoC 4 (212 lbs RGC) [source] 5. Nikita Yurkovets - IronMind CoC 4 (211 lbs RGC) [source] 6. Martin Arildsson-Wahlström - IronMind CoC 4 (207 lbs RGC) [source] 7. Andrew Durniat - IronMind CoC 4 (206 lbs RGC) [source] 8. Paul Savage - IronMind CoC 4 (205 lbs RGC) [source] 9. Sl-Ghi Choi - IronMind CoC 4 (204 lbs RGC) [source] 10. Valery Tolstyh - GHP Level 9 (204 lbs RGC) [source] 11. Artem Ushenko - GHP Level 9 (200 lbs RGC) [source] 12. Igor Kupinsky - GHP Level 9 (200 lbs RGC) [source] 13. Cesare Ricchezza - IronMind CoC 4 (199 lbs RGC) [source] 14. Paul Knight - IronMind CoC 4 (199 lbs RGC) [source] 15. Stephen Anderson - MM8 (estimated 198-206 lbs RGC) [source] 16. Jaland Worley - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 17. Tim Struse - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 18. Valery Tolstyh - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 19. Vano Sukhashvili - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 20. ‘Hand Water’ - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 21. Jonathan D. Vogt - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 22. Juha Harju - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 23. Chad Woodall - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 24. Dave Morton - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 25. Heath Sexton - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 26. Dmitriy Khlyuzov - GMC Tetting Grand Elite (190 lbs RGC) [source] 27. Hannes Thorsteinsson - Grip Genie Level 6 (190 lbs RGC) [source] 28. Jussi Mutikainen - Powerball 400 ‘Hulk’ (188 lbs RGC) [source] 29. Ben Helms - Tetting Super Elite (185 lbs RGC) [source] 30. TrenGrip - IronMind CoC 3.5 (185 lbs RGC) [source] 31. Aaron Corcorran - Tetting Super Elite (184 lbs RGC) [source] 32. Andrey Selivanov - SGR Naval Ranks Vice Admiral (182 lbs RGC) [source] 33. Ivan Beritashvili - GMC Tetting 83 kg (182 lbs RGC) [source] 34. Simon Mahalsky - IronMind CoC 3.5 (182 lbs RGC) [source] 35. Artur Yumaguzhin - GMC Tetting 82.5 kg (181 lbs RGC) [source] 36. Youichi Okazaki - Ironmind CoC 3.5 (181 lbs RGC) [source] 37. Derek Palmeri - Standard Titanium (180 lbs RGC) [source] 38. Sergey Likhutyev - IronMind CoC 3.5 (180 lbs RGC) [source] 39. Tommy Jennings, Jr. - IronMind CoC 3.5 (180 lbs RGC) [source] 40. Carlos F. Rivera Pagan - IronMind CoC 3.5 (178 lbs RGC) [source] 41. Gil Goodman - FBBC Hard (177 lbs RGC) [source] 42. Steven Nuttgens - Grip Genie Level 6 (175 lbs RGC) [source] 43. Alexey Pritula - Silarukov 140 (174 lbs RGC) [source] 44. Igor Pavlov - GMC Tetting 78.5 kg (173 lbs RGC) [source] 45. Vincent Rivellese - Grip Genie Level 6 (171 lbs RGC) [source] 46. Ivan Tikhonov - IronMind CoC 3.5 (168 lbs RGC) [source] 47. Vadim Leles - GMC Tetting 76.5 kg (168 lbs RGC) [source] 48. Vitaliy Bobyrev - GMC Tetting 76.5 kg (168 lbs RGC) [source] 49. Jay Smith - GHP Level 8 (168 lbs RGC) [source] 50. Evgeniy Efimov - GMC Tetting 75 kg (165 lbs RGC) [source] Deep Set (DS) (Less than 19.0mm) 1. Carl Myerscough - GHP Level 10 (256 lbs RGC) [source] 2. Nathan Holle - SGR Naval Ranks Admiral (232 lbs RGC) [source] 3. David Shamey - GHP Level 9 (213 lbs RGC) [source] 4. Ivan Cuk - IronMind CoC 4 (212 lbs RGC) [source] 5. Nikita Yurkovets - IronMind CoC 4 (211 lbs RGC) [source] 6. Youichi Okazaki - IronMind CoC 4 (208 lbs RGC) [source] 7. Martin Arildsson-Wahlström - IronMind CoC 4 (207 lbs RGC) [source] 8. Andrew Durniat - IronMind CoC 4 (206 lbs RGC) [source] 9. Paul Savage - IronMind CoC 4 (205 lbs RGC) [source] 10. Simon Mahalsky - Tetting Grand Elite (204 lbs RGC) [source] 11. Sl-Ghi Choi - IronMind CoC 4 (204 lbs RGC) [source] 12. Valery Tolstyh - GHP Level 9 (204 lbs RGC) [source] 13. Artem Ushenko - GHP Level 9 (200 lbs RGC) [source] 14. Igor Kupinsky - GHP Level 9 (200 lbs RGC) [source] 15. Cesare Ricchezza - IronMind CoC 4 (199 lbs RGC) [source] 16. Paul Knight - IronMind CoC 4 (199 lbs RGC) [source] 17. Stephen Anderson - MM8 (estimated 198-206 lbs RGC) [source] 18. Jaland Worley - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 19. Tim Struse - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 20. Vano Sukhashvili - MM7 (estimated 198 lbs RGC) [source] 21. Aaron Corcorran - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 22. Clay Edgin - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 23. Gabriel Sum - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 24. ‘Hand Water’ - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 25. Ioan Cristian Puscasu - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 26. Jonathan D. Vogt - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 27. Juha Harju - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 28. Magnus Samuelsson - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 29. Patrick Gansel - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 30. Sergey Daragan - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 31. Sergey Sankov - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 32. Steve Gardener - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 33. Tommy Heslep - IronMind CoC 4 (unknown RGC) [source] 34. Chad Woodall - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 35. Dave Morton - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 36. Heath Sexton - MM6 (estimated 194 lbs RGC) [source] 37. Sergey Likhutyev - GHP Level 9 (191 lbs RGC) [source] 38. Dmitriy Khlyuzov - GMC Tetting Grand Elite (190 lbs RGC) [source] 39. Hannes Thorsteinsson - Grip Genie Level 6 (190 lbs RGC) [source] 40. Jussi Mutikainen - Powerball 400 ‘Hulk’ (188 lbs RGC) [source] 41. Sorin Dediu - IronMind CoC 3.5 (188 lbs RGC) [source] 42. Andrey Selivanov - SGR Naval Ranks Vice Admiral (187 lbs RGC) [source] 43. Ben Helms - Tetting Super Elite (185 lbs RGC) [source] 44. TrenGrip - IronMind CoC 3.5 (185 lbs RGC) [source] 45. Alexey Pritula - Robert Baraban 300 (183 lbs RGC) [source] 46. Alexander Koss - Standard Titanium (182 lbs RGC) [source] 47. Andrey Selivanov - SGR Naval Ranks Vice Admiral (182 lbs RGC) [source] 48. Ivan Beritashvili - GMC Tetting 83 kg (182 lbs RGC) [source] 49. Artur Yumaguzhin - GMC Tetting 82.5 kg (181 lbs RGC) [source] 50. Derek Palmeri - Standard Titanium (180 lbs RGC) [source] ~~~ World Class Gripper Athletes Qualifications (must have accomplished at least 1 of the following): - IronMind CoC 3.5 certification - IronMind CoC 4 certification - GHP Level 9 certification - GHP Level 10 certification - MM6 or higher certification - GM certification (20mm block set) of 88kg / 194lbs RGC or higher (to match estimated MM6 cert) - Any verified unassisted (no leg set, choker, or cheat with off hand) close of a gripper rated 200 lbs RGC or higher List (42 qualified athletes): - Alan Barch Jr. (CoC 3.5) - Andrew Durniat (CoC 3.5) - Artem Ushenko (GHP 9) - Bojan Pejic (CoC 3.5) - Brad Ardrey (CoC 3.5) - Carl Myerscough (CoC 4, GHP 10) - Carlos F. Rivera Pagan (CoC 3.5) - Cesare Ricchezza (MM7) - Chad Woodall (MM6) - Dave Morton (CoC 4, MM6) - David Shamey (CoC 3.5, GHP 9, MM9, GM 94.5kg) - Gabriel Sum (CoC 3.5) - Heath Sexton (MM6) - Igor Kupinsky (GHP 9) - Ioan Cristian Puscasu (CoC 3.5) - Ivan Cuk (CoC 3.5) - Jaland Worley (MM7) - Joe Kinney (CoC 4) - Jonathan D. Vogt (CoC 3.5) - Juha Harju (MM6) - Magnus Samuelsson (CoC 4) - Martin Arildsson-Wahlström (200+ lbs RGC close) - Mike Burke (CoC 3.5) - Nathan Holle (CoC 4, GHP 9) - Nikita Krivosheev (CoC 3.5) - Nikita Yurkovets (CoC 3.5, GHP 9, GM 90.5kg) - Paul Knight (CoC 3.5, MM7) - Paul Savage (200+ lbs RGC close) - Qianchen Yang (GHP 9) - Rich Williams (CoC 3.5) - Sergey Daragan (CoC 3.5) - Simon Mahalsky (200+ lbs RGC close) - Sl-ghi Choi (CoC 3.5, MM8) - Stephen Anderson (MM8) - Tanner Merkle (CoC 3.5) - Tex Henderson (CoC 3.5) - Tim Struse (MM7) - Tommy Heslep (CoC 4) - Vache Sevajian (CoC 3.5) - Valery Tolstyh (GHP 9, MM7) - Vano Sukhashvili (MM7) - Youichi Okazaki (200+ lbs RGC close)

Sorry for yet another late one! Once again, not really my fault. This time, I was able to reach the previous month’s profilee’s nominee, and he said he was interested and would send me the questionnaire, but he has not yet supplied the questionnaire (he is welcome to do so and he will be the next profile if/when he does). Anyway, I was aiming at not missing any months and it is getting late early because February is a short month (even though it is leap year, we are about done). So I decided to go with someone who hasn’t been profiled yet, and who would answer the questions immediately, so that I won't miss February. I believe that I am the only one I know who has not been profiled yet and will respond to my invitation like, today. Because I am me. So here goes. 1. What are your stats? GripBoard name: Vinnie Age: 54 Height: 5’6” Weight: 180 Dominant hand, and hand size: Right hand, 7.5” from middle finger to wrist crease Country/City: Ronkonkoma (Long Island), NY Relationship Status: Living with my girlfriend Children: Vincent (17) Occupation: Assistant District Attorney in New York City (Bronx) 2. Why did you start training grip (and how long is it now)? I started training grippers on my own about 8 years ago (in 2016 I think), a while after I discovered grippers at an arm wrestling competition in 2015. I had no real experience arm wrestling other than that I routinely beat people (in social situations, not competitions) who looked like they should beat me. But none of us was actually any good at arm wrestling. So at the comp I got trounced, badly, by guys my own size who DID know how to arm wrestle. But, they showed me grippers, and I closed a 2, and they were impressed. I liked the grippers more than the arm wrestling and bought some, and I never really got into arm wrestling. I got myself up to a 2.5 a few months later, and eventually I started looking online for a community. In 2017, I found this community! Within days of finding the Grip Board, I was invited to Queens to work out with Anton, Anthony, Jose, and Chez, and I went to train grip at Anton's almost weekly from then until 2021 when Anton's daughter was born and he had to stop hosting. 3. What are you most proud of accomplishing in grip already, and what is/are your grip goal/goals? Easily, my biggest accomplishment is getting the IM certification on the COC 3. When I started, I thought I would never close a 3 by any means. My own 3 was pretty stout -- rated later by Cannon at 153 -- and it was 5 years from when I bought that gripper until I could CCS close it. I got there slowly and steadily from my first MMS close of an easier 3 in 2018 to my first CCS close of an easier COC 3 in early 2021, and when I finally CCS closed my 153 in late 2021, I signed up and did the cert that November. Only having my son was a bigger deal to me in my life. Sounds crazy but that's how it adds up for me. Close behind the IM cert was beating Tim Butler at the Stronghold Grip competition in October of 2023. Tim is way stronger than me, but I had a great day (closed a 170 RGC gripper with a 20mm block, 2nd best comp close in my weight class ever), and Tim wasn't feeling great, and the other events were pinch-heavy which is my best area besides grippers. So he and I were neck and neck and it was as close to a tie as it could be, but somehow I pulled that one off. As for goals: I would like to do Cannon's new gripper cert as far as I can go; I think 170 RGC or thereabouts would be a nice milestone, but I'll pursue whatever is the one after I achieve. I would like to set the weight class world record on Euro, if I can do it before someone else does: I am currently 3rd (213 pounds), but 10 more pounds would put me on top. I would like to say that lifting the Inch and/or doing crushed to dust would be a reasonable goal, but I am not sure I have the discipline and constitution to train up to either of those. I'm not close to it. Double body weight axle might also be cool, but I think losing my potbelly is more likely to get me there than increasing my deadlift/thick bar strength. 4. How do you currently structure your overall training/how do you incorporate your grip training? I don't train much, other than grippers. With grippers, I generally train twice a week, usually in my office. I do light warmups with a trainer, then a couple of reps with a light COC 3 or GHP 7, then single reps approaching my max until I get tired. I often spread these closes out over an hour or more, in between working. I don't have a formal regimen or system and go mostly by feel. I often stop for a couple of months when I am stressed with work, but not for too long, and I can usually get back to where I was in a few weeks and then make another little gain or two. Shout out to @Chez, who has always been my go-to gripper expert for questions and informal coaching. He certainly has helped me progress. I am one of the rare folks who believes that grippers DO transfer to other grip strengths. In particular, pinch. My pinch has improved steadily without separate training. Some of this is learning better form, such as when Chris Rice helped me out on Euro and got me 20 pounds over my previous PR. But I also notice strength improvement there over time, and I think staying vigilant with grippers has to be related. Even Chez has noticed a correlation with pinch and grip, as he told me he sometimes trains pinch a little the day before grippers and finds some benefit there. I don't see why there wouldn't be some correlation, albeit not precise because there are different muscles involved. But some must be useful in both disciplines. 5. What hobbies (other than grip/bending/lifting) do you enjoy? I am pretty into word games and board games, and at one time I collected antique tube radios and learned a little about repairing them, although that has stagnated since I got divorced and have less space for the radio collection and time for the hobby. 6. Do you have a personal anecdote, topic or thoughts you'd like to include in your profile? I discovered this community right around when I was getting divorced. Grip (and the great, great people involved in it) has become a central feature of my life. It has added to my social life, my happiness, and my health. I hope to stay involved until I die. 7. Whose Grip profile would you like to see next? @devinhoo is on deck whenever he gets me his questionnaire, but I'd say it would also be cool to see @C8Myotome up here.

From this past Saturday:

Happy Independence Day! Since I belatedly posted the June profile later than June 1, I am working my way back to the first of each month with this intermediate offering. For our next installment, let me introduce yet another phenomenon: Carl Myerscough! I think everyone in grip already knows a bit about Carl, with all the buzz about the possible COC 4 certification -- Carl is one of the few (if not the only) who has offered solid, video evidence of himself closing a COC 4 from a credit card set. I'm sure we all think that it is only a matter of time, and perhaps not all that much time, until he formalizes the feat. And of course, Carl's grip feats extend beyond just grippers, as he has several world records on other events. He is also a kind and generous sort, as I know first hand because he took the time to offer me some advice two years ago when I was chasing a much easier cert than he was (the IM COC 3). And his emails are exceedingly polite, making the recipient feel important when Carl is actually the movie star in most grip conversations. I am sure we all wish him the best with the Big Cert, but in the meantime, let's see what he has to say in answer to the profile questions. 1. What are your stats? GripBoard name: (no reply - Carl, if you see this post and have a grip board profile, please reply!) Age: 43 Height: 6'10" (208 cm) Weight: 352 lbs. (160 kg) Dominant hand, and hand size: Right, 8.5" Country/City: Yorba Linda, California (USA) Relationship Status: Married Children: 2 Occupation: Track & Field coach 2. Why did you start training grip (and how long is it now)? I started training and competing in grip in June 2016 after I retired from throwing. However I always had an interest in grip and had done some grip feats throughout my life as my dad was into grip and his farther before him, so I'm at least a third generation gripster. 3. What are you most proud of accomplishing in grip already, and what is/are your grip goal/goals? I would say my 237.5kg Iron mind Axle WR. My 300lb 3 x 4" Saxon bar WR, Millennium dumbbell level deadlift and deep set closing the Ghp 10. Goal is and has always been to cert the #4. 4. How do you currently structure your overall training/how do you incorporate your grip training? Currently rehabbing from tricep surgery but my basic training program generally is as follows: Monday Axle deadlifts, standing axle wrist curls, chest/shoulders/triceps. Wednesday: Squats, calves, lower back. Friday: Grippers, pinch, biceps. (All grip workouts take 2- 2.5 hrs). 5. What hobbies (other than grip/bending/lifting) do you enjoy? Art, painting, drawing ceramics, movies. 6. Do you have a personal anecdote, topic or thoughts you'd like to include in your profile? I have found that focusing on wrist strength helps most lifts more than the full lift itself. So I mostly do low reps or singles on things like Axle and then will do 4 sets of 6 on standing wrist curls. It has been said that grippers aren't that helpful for other lifts. I would say that grippers plus wrist work in all plains of motion is nearly all you need as long as you have the body strength to make the lift as well. My dad could close a 2.5 gripper the first time he tried at 72yrs old. I saw him one hand deadlift 350lb no hook grip (30yrs ago) with zero warm up. (BW 195lb). Thank you to all the wonderful grip community it's a pleasure to be a part of this. 7. Whose Grip profile would you like to see next? Tiziano Becchio.

Congrats to Charles! Charles is making waves!