Tim's workout log

[Guest baldy]

3.9.02

grippers

warmup with sporting goods gripper

#1 * 4

#2 * 2

PDA 347 * 1 right / 1 attempt left

#3 down to 3/8" , hold there 5 seconds (right only) - measured with homemade plug gauge

PDA 347 * 1 right / 1 attempt left

#2 * 2 right / 2 attempts left

#1 straphold with 15 lbs * 11 seconds right / 4 sec left

#1 straphold with 15 lbs * 12 sec right / 5 sec left

#1 straphold with 15 lbs * 6 sec right / 2 sec left

After grippers, I held a 25 lb plate in a plate wrist curl style hold (straight out) for 2 sets of 15 second holds to finish grip work today.

[Guest baldy]

3.10.02

1 hand pinch

(2) 10's * 5 passes

(3) 10's * 5 passes

(4) 10's * 5 passes

(5) 10's  * 5 passes

(2) 25's  * 10 passes

wrist roller (made yesterday from 2 3/8" OD PVC pipe)

45 * 1

100 * 1

125 * 1 (backwards only)

[Guest baldy]

3.11.02 - positioning work with #1

3.12.02 - positioning work with #1

3.13.02

grippers

warmup with sporting goods gripper

#1 * 2

PDA 347 * 1 right / 1 attempt left

#2 * 2 right / 1 left + 1 attempt left

one hand pinch on 3" wooden block covered in grip tape

30 lbs * 4

55 * 1

65 * 1 (all lifts just to "get the feel" for this block, it is newly made)

45 lbs * 20 second timed hold

levering

warmup with small hammer

ax * 5 forward

ax * 5 backward (strict)

8 lb sledge overhead down to forehead and back up

1 neg overhead rep with 8 lb sledge + 2.5 lb plate secured with handle protector

1 rear weaver attempt with 10.5 lb hammer

ax * 8 forward

extensor work

This workout was intermingled with non-grip stuff, the non-grip went great. The grip was intended to be mostly a "light day", so it went OK as well.

[Guest baldy]

3.14.02 - positioning work with #1

3.16.02

grippers

warmup with sporting goods gripper

#1 * 5

#2 * 2 right / #2 * 2 attempts left

#3 * 1 attempt right (force closed and hold on #3) / #2 * 1 attempt left

#3 * 1 attempt right (force closed and hold on #3) / #2 * 1 attempt left

PDA 347 * 1 right / #2 * 1 attempt left

PDA 347 * 1 attempt each

#2 * 5 second overcrush right / #1 * 5 second overcrush left

#2 * 5 second overcrush right / #1 * 5 second overcrush left

#2 * 5 second overcrush right / #1 * 5 second overcrush left

#1 straphold w/ 17.5 lbs right * 7 seconds

#1 timed hold left * 12 seconds

#1 straphold w/ 17.5 lbs right * 10 seconds

#1 timed hold left * 15 seconds

#1 straphold w/ 17.5 lbs right * 10 seconds

#1 timed hold left * 20 seconds

#2 * 5 second overcrush right / #1 * 5 second overcrush left

plate wrist holds

warmup w/ 10 lb plate wrist curls

25 lb plate * 10 second hold

25 lb plate + 2.5 lb plate * 8 seconds right / 6 sec left

I just could not manage to get my swerve on with my left hand on the grippers today. My right hand felt unusually strong, especially on the first #2 closes. I thought I had picked up my #1 again. Right hand progressing nicely on the grippers. I think the left hand is still having a coordination problem. Everything felt pretty solid with the right hand except the last overcrush with my #2, it was almost more of a timed hold though I did get some lateral motion / grinding in there (albeit weak).

[Clayton]

Passing FIVE 10's hand tp hand?  I'm impressed.

Glad to hear your workouts are back on track.

[Guest baldy]

Scott, thanks for the kind words but don't be impressed; I am convinced after talking to you about the (5) 10's that somehow they fit my hands perfectly. I can pinch and hold that for longer than (2) 25's last time I tried timed holds with both. It is just a setup thing that somehow falls in my favor.

[Guest baldy]

3.17.02

one hand pinch

20 * 10 tosses

(4) 10's * 5 passes

(5) 10's * 1 lift (barely)

(4) 10's * 30 second hold right / 24 sec left

behind back wrist curls

warmup with bar

95 * 5

145 * 5

wrist roller

55 * 1

85 * 1

115 * 1

140 * 1 (backwards only)

Well, I had to go open my mouth about "oh, 5 10's aren't that bad...", today I barely lifted them once each hand. I wanted to work in some kind of wrist curl today, so I tried behind the back. It didn't ever really feel taxing, so I am either cheating or it isn't a good range of motion for me. Next time I will probably try them in standard fashion (sitting down, wrists braced on knees).

[Guest baldy]

3.18.02

very light work with #1

3.19.02

grippers

warmup with sporting goods gripper

#1 * 1

#2 * 2 right / 1 left

#1 * 8

#1 * 8

3.20.02

plate curls

10 * 5

20 * 5

25 * 5

35 * 1

grippers

#1 * 1

#2 * 3 right / 1 attempt left

PDA 347 * 1 right / #2 * 1 attempt left

extensor work

The plate curls (done today) felt really strange since I haven't done them in a little while. Though I was not able to work up to previously done weights (that 35 felt unusually heavy), I could feel that my wrists have gotten stronger from the plate wrist work by the way my hands felt afterwards.

[Guest baldy]

3.22.02 - positioning work with #1, many singles throughout day

3.23.02

grippers

warmup with sporting goods gripper

#1 * 5

#2 * 1

PDA 347 * 1 right / 1 attempt left

#3 * 1 attempt

#4 * 1 attempt (hadn't tried this in a very long time)

#2 straphold with 5 lbs * 5 seconds (right hand)

#2 timed hold for 8 seconds (left hand)

#2 * 1

#1 straphold with 20 lbs * 5 seconds (right hand)

#2 * 8 overcrushes (singles) with right hand

#1 * 8 overcrushes (singles) with left hand

#3 * 2 attempts/forced closes after stop/negatives

[Bearcat 74]

Awesome job with the 35lbs plate curl!  Looks like you're progressing nicely.  I think the #3 is begining to tremble in fear.......

[Guest baldy]

Actually, I think my #3 might have laughed at me after my first attempt yesterday. I was thinking about resorting back to "throwing for distance", but thought better of it.

[Tou]

Baldy,

What's your routine on plate curls ? I can do 15 reps with a 25 but I rarely get a single with a 35.

Those plate curls are a tremendous wrist toughener.

[Guest baldy]

Hey Tou, everything I have done for grip in the last couple of months is here. For plate curls I realized that I couldn't work them regularly along with heavy crushing work, so I dropped them for a long time. When I first specialized in pinching back in January, I added them back in. If I remember I did them about every 8-10 days, and what worked best was a good warmup (starting with a 10 lb plate, up to a 25 lb plate) of 3-5 reps each weight followed by progressively heavier singles. I would do a 25 each hand. 25 + IM loading pin each hand. 25 + pin + 2.5 lb plate each hand, and so on up to a max single. My form looks best on singles because the plate slips around in my hands when I attempt reps. After I got to a max single, I would drop back a little and work on either multiple singles or one set of reps (I prefer the multiple singles). Since I started training like this I haven't missed a 35 attempt on my right hand (when properly warmed up), but I am still not to the point where I could do a legitimate negative rep with a 45 lb plate.

I felt rusty working plate curls a few days ago, but the 35 came up smooth in my right hand. My left was a little sloppy.

One other thing I have tried was plate wrist curls (Roger Steffens suggested this), and I could tell a difference after doing those. I have gotten stronger at the plate wrist curls, and when I plate curled the other day my plate curl FORM had slipped some (like when you drop grippers for a while), but I believe my wrist strength was still there (and maybe a little stronger), because the 35 didn't just totally make me feel trashed.

Hope something there helps. I don't know if I could do a 25 lb plate for 15 reps, I never work on high reps on plate curls. 15 reps sounds pretty good to me. I have thought about hitting the plate curls really hard soon, but I am enjoying working with the grippers and I don't think I can give both my all.

[Guest baldy]

Been a while, and I don't like loose ends so I thought I should report in.

First, regarding goals:

My pinch never exceeded 76 lbs. This is a far cry from my 90 lbs goal. My IDB clean never made it to 113 lbs either. I was sure I could get 113 to the shoulder with work, but I doubted putting it overhead. Now I can put a significant amount more than that overhead (right hand, left is another story) but I can't get the 113 to shoulder with one hand. I will probably work on this goal more in months to come. As for a true "clean and press", my personal best clean was 98 lbs and my personal best strict press with my right hand was 98 lbs. My end goal (and I am talking LOOONG term here) would be to put an Inch replica overhead. I will work first on getting a push press or push jerk of 175 lbs or so on my IDB (working towards this now, I still have a way to go). Next I will work on getting a continental with this weight. If and when I get this far, I will buy a replica and work on ironing out the form.

As for my experiments:

I learned a lot about what I can (and can't) do in my training. Last time I tried to pinch I barely broke (5) 10 lb plates off the ground with my right hand. I haven't pinched in over 10 days and I did it easily an hour ago with each hand. For the last 2.5 - 3 weeks I have been experimenting heavily with grip stuff and non-grip stuff, and the relation between the 2. I have focused a lot on frequency of training and training volume, and have come up with some interesting results. Some things I can work everyday with no ill effect, other things I can't work often at all. Up to 10 days apart. Squats increase my power on some grip movements, on other things it doesn't affect them either way (I do low reps squats, never over 5). When I say increase power I mean I squat then in between sets I hit a grip movement. I don't mean squats make me stronger in general, which would be an understood thing. I am still experimenting, and honestly my grip training has never been so fun. 2 days ago I tried a new PR at my wrist roller and missed it (barely). My hands and forearms were blasted. Next day (yesterday) I went in to my garage and got it cold. That is an example of my experiments. I bent my first 60d nail in strict (no bracing) right after I missed the roller 2 days ago, just on the spur of the moment ("hmmmm, there's a nail..."). I don't really have a grip routine right now, I am just doing whatever grip stuff I want and focusing on my overall power work. So far I am having the time of my life and getting stronger. I will probably do this for a few more weeks, then settle on some grip goals and get back at it.