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So a tree went down on our fence yesterday...so I got in 3 hours of Yardio! Ha...finally used it. This morning I awoke beat the hell up. Maybe I should take a day off? Hahahaha. Bw squats. Glute bridges. Bastard in IMPs. Warm up. "Q" 0-1 DR @ 8 3/8" in IMPs. Oddly enough, for as beat up I feel...it went like cake. 2 or 3 less hits than my best. "R" 0-1 DR @ 8 3/8" in 1.5 IMPs. I managed 25 degrees before pulling something in my upper back. After that, I could not harness any power. Maybe the wifey will put an elbow into the knot. I didnt have to bend today, but if you dont allow yourself to fail...you also dont allow yourself to succeed.

So would this work... Week 1 - 2 reps of #3 in the workout Week 2 - 3 reps Week 3 - 4 reps Week 4 - 5 reps Week 5 - Attempt filed #3 rated at 160 Week 6 - Deload Weeks 7-11 - do the same I did with the #3 but with my Grip Genie 5 rated at 153 Week - 12 - Attempt GHP Level 8 Keep in mind I am doing powerlifting-style training three days a week, lots of heavy chest and tri work along with paused benches. I am strong all around

Fun stuff - I’ve been doing a light banded version with an 8” polycarbonate rod as a shoulder mobility exercise, since my shoulders are like rusty gears held together with duct tape and chewing gum.

Congrats to Stephen!

Tuesday August 5, 2020 Deadlift (straps, no belt) 350×7, 370×5, 390×3 Squat (pause, no belt) 235×5 (belt) 250×5 (no pause) 265×8 A1 reverse lunges 18kg+22kg×8/8×3 A2 T handle swings 70×15×3 B1 jumping side kick throughs 2/2×3 B2 front kick throughs 2/2×3 Back after a small break due to a neck strain including a long weekend at the cottage. I've been back at work full time for two weeks. Reading habit is well established now and last week I finished off Natural Born Heroes. I'm currently 100 pages into a reread of Brave New World.

There have been more than one bad batch over the years.

Mashed the mash "monster"

Axel: 88x5 thumbless 128x1 thumbless 128x1 thumbless 158x 1 1 1 1 0 1 2- 2- 0 1 0 1 0 1 LTE Wristcurls Biceps Blockbuster 37.75x4 Axle needs to be tight suuuper important!

Yes notice the word "Claim". This is very important, he has claimed he has done that. Don't think he's a member here but it's against the rules on this board to claim world class feats without backing it up with video evidence. Very good rule indeed, otherwise we would have a lot of claims without anything to back it up.

The GripBoard Proudly Certifies: Stephen Anderson ************* GripBoard Mash Monster Level 5 This certification is granted by The GripBoard as an independent third party with no ethical or commercial conflict of interest. The Mash Monster Gripper is one of a limited number supplied and controlled by The GripBoard. The gripper is closed with one hand under strict and uniformly ethical and authenticated conditions. This momentous feat was demonstrated on video to assure it will be valid for posterity. Official Mash Monster Video Name: Stephen Anderson Age: 30 Height: 6' 3" Weight: 300lbs Date of Feat: August 3, 2020 Witness: N/A How Long Grip Training: 13 Months Current Grip Training Program: None Other Training Info: Shoutout to Team Texas for all the knowledge and friendship. Roy Golden ( training partner). Shoutout to (BMF) Mike Thomas for the great camaraderie and motivation. Stephen Anderson, the 16th man in the world to close the Mash Monster Gripper - Level 5 Could you tell us a little about your background in lifting? I was a collegiate football player. So traditional weightlifting has been my go-to. I played around with some strongman stuff. How did you get into grip training? Just saw an Armlifting comp at the Dallas Europa last June and signed up. Completely fell in love! You are now a GripBoard Mash Monster, what would you recommend to those aspiring to close this gripper? Don’t overtrain it! If you’re not having fun what's the point. What does your current grip routine look like? Honestly... whatever I’m feeling when I get into the garage. How has your grip routine changed since you first started training your grip? I’m still very new to the game. But I think I overtrained a lot. So really just dialling back and listening to my body. What are your favorite grip exercises? Right now probably anything pinch and grippers What kind of starting routine would you recommend for a trainee new to grip training? Focus on thick bar lifts and Saxon. Don’t go out and buy every new grip item out there! Stick to the basics. Who do you most admire in gripdom? Adam Glass. 100% percent!! He has taken me under his wing and is always there if I have a question! Truly a selfless competitor and I appreciate that. There are a lot of big names that do impressive lifts/feats. But I admire people who have big accomplishments and give me the time of day! What are some of your personal bests in grip exercises? The only personal best that I have right now is in grippers! I have MMS a 3.5 rated at 180 and my silver bullet with a #4 for 18.35sec. Do you have any parting advice for readers? If you haven’t yet, find a group of like-minded people to train with. It's great to have like-minded friends all working towards a common goal! GETTING STRONGER!!

Big congrats, that is an excellent close!

Incredible bends Derek! I remember when I was active here (the last time), and you were 14-15 years old. You were strong back then but this is superhero-level. Totally incredible journey and development you have done. Awe-inspiring. You've actually made me inspired to bring up the wraps and test some DO again

Carl actually has relatively small hands compared to his size, maybe like 8.3-5. Definitely not huge and for sure smaller than Tanner for example. My hand is ~8.4 or so, and I think he has same size as me.

Thing with thick bar is how good wrap around the handle you can get. You can have a large hand but if that hand is very fat it might not be so good, it's all about how far you can get the fingers around the handle. Someone with normal hands could get a better grip if their hands are lean. Depends on the proportion of the hand. How long the fingers and how far the span between index finger and thumb is, possibly also how big the span is from thumb to pinky. For grippers it's different, for CCS you probably need a fairly large hand but not too thin, since you want the thumb pad to stop the gripper from moving. For MMS you can have short fingers, the bigger your palm is the better, gives a better base to set the gripper against. This type of hand sucks for thick bar but is good for MMS grippers and also for Euro Pinch (where you choose the pinch width yourself).

And it's completely irrelevant as well.

I do not find that Carl has very big hands especially compared to his size, my impression may be wrong but I think that he does not have a huge advantage at this level..

August 4, 2020 Before Supper Week 2 Squat 176.5k x 8 x 2r Speed Squat (0:30) 111k x 6 x 2r RDL 245 x 3 x 10r Hanging Leg Raise 4 x 10r

Alas, this incredibly light Coc 4 is just a little heavier than the old version At the moment I can only count on a deep set or MMS with the new 4

I'm surprised no one mentioned David yet. This is who I was thinking about with being right on the cusp of certifying. @SeNoLD

I certainly wouldnt say golds are getting easier. I know there was some stock that came out lighter, but that was a fluke. It wouldnt be fair to the first person to cert on the gold to cheapen that achievement by saying it was an easier bar. With that being said, I know there is a tight race to the gold currently, cant wait to see who does it first.

Nathan has closed over 40 #4 grippers. Full strength Nathan has also lifted the millennium dumbbell.

This is insane!

I think Carl Myerscough has a decent chance to cert the #4. He's 208 cm tall and has done the most impressive gripper closes I've ever seen. Closing a 216# rated GHP9 for two reps with 38 mm block set. With that said, I think he's the only one who is actually close to be able to cert the #4. For the Gold Nail I would say there's at least two guys now, or maybe three who have a chance at it. It's difficult to predict which one is going to happen first but if I really had to bet I would say the gold nail. I think both of them will happen within the near future.

August 1, 2020 Before Supper So damn muggy. Finding it hard to eat or drink proper. Strict Press 45 x 4 x 10r 95 x 5 135 x 3 155/175/195 x 2 205/215 x 1 225 x 2 230 x 1 200 x 3 - enough. Too damn hot and gassed

I am very excited that I completed the Devil’s “666” Challenge today! First time this has ever been done. Bending 66 x 6” x 5/16 FBBC Bastards unbraced back to back. These Bastards were tough, especially on the crush, and finished like drill rod. I consider this challenge much harder than bending 100 Red Nails. John Beatty came up with this challenge in I think 2005. It was supposed to be the next step up from bending 100 reds. I am uploading the video now and will do a more detailed write up later, but here are some pics.

July 31, 2020 Evening Too freaking hot. Still on the technical work. Feel malnourished, dehydrated, and weak. Deadlift 380 x 5 x 3r Rack Pull 186.5k x 3 x 3r Shrug 146k x 3 x 10r Hanging Leg Raises 3 x 10r

How about putting in a 2000 meter row on the Concept 2 rower to match the mile run. 8 minutes is a fairly good 2000 row and matches your mile time. Guys our age might not have the knees for a run but can row or bike for a similar aerobic test . In my case 8 minutes would be the 16th best row for my age group in 2019

Got them from a friend unfortunately!