"grip tester"

[tomfitz]

check it out: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?V...item=1040579433

[Guest kINGPIN]

I will put money on that $200 bid being from Sybersnott!

[Sybersnott]

Kingpin..... don't bet against me, man!  I could probably break that thing.  Then it's 200 dollars down the drain.  

[tomfitz]

please note,  it is not me selling this item. just thought it was an interesting link.

[Guest 86-1005097353]

Grip testing instruments have been around for a long time. There are other instruments that exercise scientists use that have dials on them. However, I have always wondered at the accuracy and reliability of such instruments.

That item on Ebay looks like a collector's item. It worries me that the dial does not sit on the zero. Could be a problem.

I believe that scales can be accurate but they need calibrating from time to time. If an apparatus has a weight stack on it then the resistance will not change over time and will be more reliable than spring devices.

[Guest]

That would be a dynamometer.

Also, I've been away a while, have you pinched plated yet?  If so, how did you do?  If not, a simple "no" will suffice.

Pinch away,

Michael Falkov

[Guest 86-1005097353]

Hi Michael,

I did try to pinch Olympic plates and the ones I tried were about an inch and a half thick. I didn't lift anything that I would be proud to report on this site! Lifting 2  X 45 pound plates is beyond what I can do at the moment. That was disappointing but not surprizing. I have always thought that very few men can pinch two 45 lb plates together. I definitely will train on that feat and perhaps one day will be able to produce a photo demonstrating that feat. I do not have any one inch thick plates that I can put together. I will see if I can find two and have a go at pinching them.

It appears that pinching is a skill rather specific to surfaces and widths. I am proficient on smooth stainless steel 2 inch blocks and others are good at what they do. There seems to be little of no transfer from one apparatus to all the others.

If I can pinch 203.5 pounds it is assumed that I should be able to lift half that on Olympic plates. Well, I wish it were so! It remains to be seen what those who are the best on other surfaces can pinch on the stainless steel machine.

I have explained this issue in other posts here and also on my site Grip Strength, if you care to take a look.

http://communities.msn.com/GripStrength

[Guest StrongerthanArne]

Vince,

I would argue that there is a lot of transfer from one pinching exercise to another. I can pinch about 10-15 per cent more than a friend of mine on iron plates 62 mm wide. We also tried 68 mm plates and the difference in strength was very similar. Another lift similar to pinching is the hub lift where again I could lift a bit more than my friend. We have tried several iron surfaces always with a very similar relative difference. Some of these surfaces were far more slippery than others. I personally have no doubt that those that can pinch a lot with iron plates would do very well on your mashine given enough time to train on it. You have to come to terms with the possibility that you are not No. 1 in pinching. In fact you may not even be close.