Guest DavidHW Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 This may not seem like big news to some of you, but I'm psyched -- I closed the No. 2 today for the first time. Not only that, but I did it for 3 reps! FWIW, I think I know why I had a breakthrough today after trying for the past two weeks to get the thing closed. Rest. Not rest so much in between workout days, but rest in between sets, like someone (sorry I can't recall who it was) here said a few weeks ago. I gave myself 5-8 minutes in between attempts, occasionally doing 5-6 reps on the No. 1 to stay warm, and -- maybe this is the key -- kept heating my hands up in warm water between each attempt. On the fourth try, after @45 minutes total session time, I got it. Positioning the thing in the hand is a big deal too, I might add . . . I think I had the gripper too far "up" in my fist before. Anyway, I'm pretty happy, especially since I just got my No. 1 in the mail three weeks ago and my No. 2 two weeks ago. Of course, I'm VERY aware from the posts here that the No. 3 is a different animal! As always, thanks for all the free help and advice. I hope I can share and relate what works for me as I start my drive for the No. 3. Best, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest woody36 Posted July 4, 2001 Share Posted July 4, 2001 Dave, Congratulations,extremely well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tou Posted July 4, 2001 Share Posted July 4, 2001 Good work ! We're on the road to close the #3. That thing is VERY different from the #2. Just to get a proper positionning is tough. Let us know how you're doing on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AghastGrip Posted July 4, 2001 Share Posted July 4, 2001 GREAT job David! That is an awesome accomplishment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Black Posted July 4, 2001 Share Posted July 4, 2001 Great job Dave! Looking at your post it reminds me that grip work is a thinking mans game. Brute strength helps, but careful consideration of what you’re doing can make a significant difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryduty Posted July 5, 2001 Share Posted July 5, 2001 Way to go, David! Now for that COC # 3!!! (Edited by Strongman at 5:09 pm on July 5, 2001) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DavidHW Posted July 5, 2001 Share Posted July 5, 2001 Thanks for all the kind words. One training item I think got me past the No. 2 so quickly is something called Thera-Putty. My wife's a physical therapist, and she's had all these different little containers of the stuff sitting around the house now for years. It's like Silly Putty, only much stronger, and can be purchased in differing tensions. Therapists use it to help folks with hand injuries and strokes regain function. Anyway, what I started doing was stuffing the Thera-Putty in the folded crease of my pinky finger and closing down through the putty until my finger touched my palm. Sounds easy, but it's not, at least it wasn't for me the first few times. After training with the putty for a few days, I was able to "feel" for the first time the muscles I hadn't been using when attempting to close the grippers. When it came time to try the No. 2 again, I was able to -- for lack of a better word -- "activate" the muscles associated with closing the solo pinky finger thereby completing a more powerful overall motion that closed the No. 2. Now, whether this will help with the No. 3 remains to be seen. But I've got thicker, harder putty to train with, and doing pinky work is now a integral part of my training. I imagine any hard putty-like substance could do the job, although my wife's fairly sure this Thera-Putty stuff is pretty cheap (<บ a glob). Good gripping, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarBender Posted July 6, 2001 Share Posted July 6, 2001 David, congrats on closing the #2. Since your wife is a PT, you should be privileged to exercise toys that the rest of us may have difficulty gaining access to. There are some effective hand strengthing exercises that can be done with a length of thera-band and you can measure your crushing progress with a hand dynamometer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DavidHW Posted July 6, 2001 Share Posted July 6, 2001 BarBender: Darned good idea about the hand dynamometer. Thanks. BTW, from a quick Google search, I see that several medical supply stores online stock five-packs of Thera-Putty (each glob increasing in resistance) for around โ, or single globs (pick your tension) at @ผ-14. I have no idea about the reputation or the customer service of such online companies, so this *isn't* an endorsement of any particular company, but merely a note that the stuff is easily available to everyone. I might also add that the lower-range Thera-Putty makes a fantastic off-day, active-rest implement. Not demanding, but helps work the kinks and soreness out like nothing else I've found. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Harlan Jacobs Posted July 6, 2001 Share Posted July 6, 2001 Great Job Dave !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryduty Posted July 7, 2001 Share Posted July 7, 2001 Regarding Thera-putty, I use something like these that I received for Christmas that's called PowerPutty. These cost Ű.50 each and range from Very Soft to Hard. So, the whole set of 4 will cost you about ำ plus S+H. Here's a link for you: http://www.bodytrends.com/pwrputty.htm Strongman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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