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Lessons Learned


Bill Piche

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Keep a very detailed workout log. The more detailed, the more it's worth to you when you go back in a few months (or years) and review what's worked and what hasn't.

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Unless you have a REALLY good reason for doing it, avoid single digit lifting in general.

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Don't be afraid to FAIL!

That means actually ATTEMPTING your goals once in a while! :whistel

Sometimes failing itself is a learning tool that's more valuable than succeeding with submaximal lifts.

That's a hard pill to swallow for those trainers who like everything neatly charted out and don't really like to put in a "failed" notation on anything.

The ironic thing is that by always succeeding (because the lifts are well within their current limits) the timid trainer almost always ASSURES himself of continued STAGNATION! :ohmy

So ensuring success at the expense of intensity won't get you very far!

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Step up to the platform every once-in-a-while. You'll learn more about training, your weaknesses, and yourself in general than you can imagine.

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chase your dreams till the end

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Just some stuff I've learned:

Work your wrists

Work your thumbs

Do not be afraid to change your routine

If you feel like dirt, don't train it will NOT hurt you to rest

If you are injured, do not train, it will only get worse

Do NOT take max attempts every workout, or evn every week for that matter

Do not be afraid to cut volume, sometimes you need to backoff

Do not be afraid to crank it up, when your body adapts shock it!

The biggest help I have found is to listen to the experienced guys, read old posts, take what they have done and adapt it to what I want to do. I laid a good base knowledge down, and then adapted it.

Just some ideal ramblings

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When you're making a workout schedule, don't put gripper work in directly after hard bending. You won't have much "squeeze" in your hands after a few hard bends.

Justin Reagan

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SQUAT HEAVY!

Heavy squatting promotes better recovery.

Heavy squatting before a grip or bending workout is the best warm-up I've found. All my PR's come after doing a few sets of heavy squats and injuries are kept at bay.

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Just some stuff I've learned:

Work your wrists

Work your thumbs

Do not be afraid to change your routine

If you feel like dirt, don't train it will NOT hurt you to rest

If you are injured, do not train, it will only get worse

Do NOT take max attempts every workout, or evn every week for that matter

Do not be afraid to cut volume, sometimes you need to backoff

Do not be afraid to crank it up, when your body adapts shock it!

The biggest help I have found is to listen to the experienced guys, read old posts, take what they have done and adapt it to what I want to do.  I laid a good base knowledge down, and then adapted it.

Just some ideal ramblings

Every Newbie needs to tatoo this post to their forehead...that way they see it every time they look in the mirror.

Out Fricking Standing Heath!

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1. Be careful when bending and/or pinching that you do not strain, overtrain, or injure your thumbs and/or thumbpads. Thumb injuries heal VERY slowly and are hard to train around.

2. Be careful when bracing against your leg if you're wearing jeans or other clothes made of rough material. Denim has a way of removing skin from your knuckles when you brace against it (especially braced poker card tearing).

3. Plate pinching will sometimes cause abrasions or cuts in the web of your thumb and first finger. Athletic tape is your friend.

4. As others have said, don't go for PRs every bending workout. See lesson #1 above.

Edited by milkbone
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:D lessons learnt from a newbie,you aint bending no red closing no 3 or hitting the heights over night,this is a sport for stayers and tryers if you aint in it 4 the long haul then give it up,slow and steady wins the race! :cool
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Enthusiasm, bordering on fanaticism, counts for far more than the "perfect" routine when it comes to making gains.

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Be consistent. And have fun, do some random things from time to time, but be consistent with your normal grip training.

Edited by Zakath
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Don't compare your level or gains with those around you "THIS IS PERSONAL"

Show off your abilities every once in a while in front of family or friends but for added gusto do some feats of strength in front of strangers. That fear of embarrassment will turn into adrenalin and you will amaze even yourself.

(plus the sound of jaws hitting the floor makes me feel all tingly inside)

RECOVERY may be the hardest part of bending or even gripping but it is NOT AN OPTION! "Recover now for a few days or recovery after an injury for months"

Every bending session does not require you to get a huge PR to be considered a good workout.

Never buy steel from HD, Lowes and any other hardware stores. For the same price you can get 3 or 5 times the steel at the diameters you want both round and square CRS or HRS.

Don't do what I have done all this time and not work out, or do any complimentary exercises to your bending or gripping like levering, extensor work, pinch, block weight or even V-bar work. No telling how fast I could have reached my bending goal of bending the Red Nail and even an FBBC or equivalent bar ( 7 months was my time but 1 year was my goal) Praise God!

Start using the IM Pads early on or regularly cut down the length of your leather wraps so your hands will toughen as your bending get s getter so when you do go to the IM Pads you will not experience such a shocking and painful experience.

Don't get wrapped up in mimicking others style such as DO, DU or even the rarely used Reverse style. Find what works best for your body structure and mechanics.

Case in point: I could barely kink a yellow with a DO type style then tried DU and bam! The Yellow and the Blue went down as fast as I could wrap them up. Eventually I learned a more proper for of DO and moved past the Grade 5s.

Volume or Intensity? I would say at least alternate these training styles. I used intensity primarily and it worked for me but hindsight adding the volume work could have saved me some injuries.

Encourage others as often as you can - Helping each other will help you also - Win -Win situations are always best.

Humor and Humility will take you a lot further towards success than Elitism and Negativity. No eagle sores to high that he will not eventually come down. If you were good to others they will catch you if you were bad to others they will let you plummet to your death and eat you like BBQ chicken.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF USING COLOR, FONTS AND IN YOUR POSTS! :yikes

That is my story and I am sticking to it! :whistel

GATOR

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-Don't be afraid of pain. Some people hide from it like it is the plague! Good pain is simply your body reacting to an unknown stimulus. It doesn't want to change-it is happy sitting on the couch. You gotta MAKE it change. Making it change will hurt.

-Just cause someone is making progress on a certain program-doesn't mean you will. Experiment with different types of routines, sets, reps, weight. See what works for you. You never know, maxing out once a week may just be what pushes you over the edge.

-Make a decision early on as to how bad you want it, and how hard you are willing to push to get it. That may mean working through injury. That may mean walking the tight rope of injury or being just hurt. I hurt everyday-but I also progress steadily. Don't even bother if you aren't willing to go the distance. Why attempt to bend a big spike, or deadlift a big weight, or hoist a big stone if you aren't committed 100% and willing to die for it? Why do it half assed?

-Don't neglect nutrition and supplementation.

-Cardio! Cardio! Cardio!

-Make small goals and reach them. Make Milestones and forever fight to get close.

-Don't be afraid to vomit from time to time. Jedd does it on a regular basis, and he is one strong dude!

-Ask questions, read articles, read books. Not sure about something? There is a book or article out there that will answer it for you!

-Schedule 3-4 weeks of down time 3-5 times a year. During this time just have fun in the gym, laugh, do fun exercises, go light. Eat like a horse, maybe tie on a good buzz. Have fun with friends, etc. Avoid burnout!

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-Schedule 3-4 weeks of down time 3-5 times a year.  During this time just have fun in the gym, laugh, do fun exercises, go light.  Eat like a horse, maybe tie on a good buzz.  Have fun with friends, etc.  Avoid burnout!

This is a GREAT point, people get ansy at the thought of taking some down-time but you'll go crazy if you don't!

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Keep an open mind.

Because an "it's always been done this way" mentality may prevent you from reaching higher levels.

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Train with blobs! ("Block weights = hand strength" - John Brookfield)

Listen to all the experienced members on this Board.... they know a LOT!

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