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Pinch Grip Training


Guest Scott Clayton

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Been awhile...

Yesterday, 12-17

Reverse Curl

45x5

65x5

85x5

95x5

105x5

75x10

Hammer Curl

50x5

60x5

65x5

45x15

Wrist Roller

x45

x90

x100

Today 12-18

Pinch

 25's, 45 second hold

 35's, 5 "reps" each hand

 45's, 5 "reps" right, 3 left

 4, 10 pound plates, 30 second hold

Grippers

warm up

5x5, #2

5 attempts, #3

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I made myself a pinch block today.  It's just a touch under 2 and a half inches thick.  I hung a bucket full of scrap metal off of it and did 4 holds with each hand.  Holds were probably between 30 and 45 seconds.

After that I did some weaver stick lifts with a shovel.  I had to move my hand about a foot up from the bottom of the shovel handle.

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12-22

Played around with 100 pound sandbag.  It worked the grip/wrists a little

Leveraged a 10 poound sledge hammer.

Grippers

5x5 with #2

5 squeezes on #3

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12-24

Pinch Block

2 holds to failure with bucket of scrap metal.  About 50 pounds for 40 seconds I guess.

Grippers

#2, 5x5

#3, 5 squeezes

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12-28

Finger Tip Push Ups

Sand Bag work

Grippers

warm Ups

#2, 5x5

#3, 5 attempts.  Managed 1 close with right hand.  My crushing strength is starting to come back.  

I can't wait to get back to a weightroom where I can pinch some plates.  The block is ok, but it's not the same.  I've got some big ideas, we'll see how they work in the New Year.

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1-2

Back in the gym.

Pinch

Warm up

45's  3 "reps," each hand

60, held for 20 seconds, both hands

50, held for 35 seconds, both hands

Hammer Curls

40x10

50x10

55x10

In the past I made my best pinching progress with long holds, and I decided to use the holds again.  Starting with 60 pounds, I'll use one weight until I can hold it for 30 seconds.  Hopefully, I'll be able to make 5 pound jumps every week.

1-3

Wrist Roller

 x45

 x90

 x100

 x110

Grippers

Warm up

#2, 5x5

#3, 5 attempts

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1-7

Wrist Roller

x45

x90

x115

Pinch Grip

warm up

60 pounds, 37 seconds, both hands

60 pounds, 34 seconds, both hands

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What is the width of two 45lb plate pinch together(Sorin's feat)? I'm planning to make a wooden pinch block with the same width.

Thanks in advance.

JAMES

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It was at least 4 inches, maybe a little more.  Also, he told me in a phone conversation that part of the difficulty was the way the plates tried to slip apart more than usual Olympic plates.  It was something about the design of the York wide plates that made them really slippery against each other.  With that in mind, you might be looking at something like what we have on the Inch dumbell thread where you have to go way over the target weight on the training apparatus.

Scott, on days when you do the timed holds is that usually all the pinching you do, or was that day just short?

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baldy,

usually I try do do a few "reps" with a pair of 45's, or some wide 35 pound plates in addition to the timed holds.  In fact, I attempted some 45's at the end of that last workout, and barley pulled them off the floor, so I stopped.   Looking back, I probably should have done the heavy lifts first.

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1-9

Pinch

warm up

45's, pass back and forth, hand to hand, 5 passes.  Lift and hold for 1 count, 5 lifts each hand.

Reverse Curls

65x10, 4 sets

1-10

Wrist Leveraging

5 pounds, on 2 inch thick handle, 18 inches long.

3 sets of 8.

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Scott, thanks for the reply.  I am going to try to do a lot of pinching and thick handle work starting February.  My pinch is still a big weakness, I would like to see it (eventually) as a strength.  I am certain your timed holds idea is what got my one hand pinch up to my PR.  When you specialized in pinch, did you totally drop everything but pinching and thick handles?  Also, would I be correct in assuming that your freaky pinching ability had some carryover to other areas of hand strength once the period of specialization was over?

Again, I really appreciate guys like you, Heath, Tom Black, Roger Steffens, Woody, and others who I have forgotten who are willing to post workout reports to let others see what you are doing.  I get lots of ideas from all of you.

Sorry to be cluttering you training log area.

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Tim,

Congradulations on your PR.  Glad I could help you out.

When I fist got crazy about pinching, that and the farmer's walk were about all I did.  

Lately, I've been trying to do some stuff for my wrists, while I specialize on the pinching.  

I guess it just depends on how hard you want to work your pinching.  If you go totally crazy and work all out 3 times a week it's hard to find the energy, and the mental toughness to make yourself do much more.  But if your just doing 2 moderate pinch sessions a week you can definetly do several other things.

There is some carry-over to other areas, especially to thick bar stuff.  I feel like they go hand in hand.  Pinching won't really give you a huge increase in crushing strength, but it definetly won't hurt you.  It may even help you with the "sweep" range on the grippers.

Don't worry about cluttering up my log.  I post so I can get the question and comments.

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Scott, thanks again for the information.  In looking forward to specializing in pinching, one obstacle I see for me is the thumb skin problem.  I don't know if that will heal in time for 3 workouts a week, so I'll probably shoot for 2.  I have been training in a very subjective manner lately, not really planning on what day to do what and instead I've been "going by feel".  This is really new to a "bench on Monday, squat on Tuesday, etc" kind of guy like I have been for years.

As for the wrist strength, I noticed a while back that you were working on 40d nails without too much success according to your log.  Shortly after I read that you levered a 10 lb hammer!  That levering indicates a strong wrist to me.  I had trouble with 60d nails until I watched Tom Black's videos he provides on his website. Mimicking his form on those bends got me over the hump.  However, I am still a long way off from a 10 lb hammer.

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1-11

Wrist Roller

45x1

90x1

125x1

Pinch

warm up

70 pounds, 15 seconds

50 pounds, 1 minute

Going by feel is probably the best way to go.   I think it's really the only way to acount for good and bad days you may have.  

As for the nails, the 40 pennies are just so short.  I think I'll need more practice.

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1-14

Wrist Roller

45x1

90x1

135x1

Hammer Curls

35x10

55x8

65x6

80x4

Grippers

-Many attempts, on many different grippers.

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1-15

Pinch

warm up

35's, 25 second hold

wide 25's, passed back and forth, hand to hand, till I got tired.

I'm making progress faster than I expected.  Today, held 35's for about 25 seconds.  I'm right on pace to hit 150 by April.

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1-17

Have had several good sessions this week.  Hands/forearms felt good today.  Decided to do wrist roller, and go for a max single on the pinch.

Wrist Roller

45x1

70x1

90x1

115x1

These were much harder than normal.  Forearms got really "pumped."  Was hoping for 140, stopped early.

Pinch

20x1

50x1

57x1

70x1

77x1

90x1

97x1

102x1

Everything over 20 pounds felt heavy.  I think I pushed a little too hard this week.  I'm gonna take a few days off to rest up.  But I still managed to get 102 with both hands.  Can't wait till next week to see how much I can do well rested.

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1-22  Last Night

Pinching

Three 25's, pulled with right, broke off ground with left.  This was a little bit hard.  But, I think it may be slightly easier with thee plates that are exactly the same size.  The 3 I used were all slightly differnt.

Wide 25's, 2 Long holds

Rolling Thunder

Singles up to 200 pounds.  This was the first time I've used the Rolling Thunder.  It was fun, but a little humbling.  This may take a little work.

Wrist Roller

50x1

80x2

Plate Wrist Curl

25x10, 2 sets

Hammer Curl

45x8

55x8

65x5

No huge weights this session, but all in all not bad.  Pinching the 3 25's was kinda cool.  I guess three 35's comes next.

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Scott, that workout is one to write home about! Wide pinch with (3) 25's, I had heard somewhere that no one except Richard Sorin or David Horne could duplicate that. :)

As for the Rolling Thunder, I knew you would do good at that since your IDB poundages are so high. I think that 200 lbs is great for the first time out. The plate wrist curls are very impressive as well, I would be very happy getting 25 * 10 (I'm a long way off).

great work on everything

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Three 25's is doggone impressive!  Maybe on your way to the 35's you can lift a 35 and 2-25's, then 2-35's and a 25, then...There's no law that the plates all have to match.  I would never have made 2-35's without getting a 25+35 first.  Just a suggestion from a grip guppy.  Good luck with the program.

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Tim, thanks for the kind words.

TDave, that is something I may have to try.

1-25  Last Night

Barbell Wrist Curl

95x15

105x15

115x15

125x15

Reverse Curl

65x15

75x15

80x15

Pinch Grip

Warm up

3 25's, got a picture of this on a friend's digital camera.  Will post soon.

2 45's, Passed hand to hand, 11 passes.

2 45's, Passed 8 times.  Got a 15 second video clip of this on friend's camera, but it didn't turn out well.

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