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Destination:certification


Hubgeezer

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Not much to do with training, and I am not a fan of Powerlifting, but...

Am going to get on a plane, fly to Las Vegas, watch my kid in a Powerlifting contest, fly back and get to bed by 10 pm tonight. Since I started this thread, my son has gone from a garage lifter, to an aspiring BJJ combatant, to an aspiring Olympic-style weightlifter, to an Elite Powerlifter. He finally found something he is real good at! He is shooting for 1625 to total to qualify for RUM. I think he will PR (high 1500s, not sure he will pull off the 1625), competing in the 220 class, having moved up from 198.

Most of us on these forums are all about our own performances, it is going to be nice to be a "fan" for a change. He was not too into sports after junior high, so I guess I am making up for lost time (he is 33 years old), as he never played high school football, basketball, etc. Going to be fun!

Oh yeah, I think the Secret Weapon is forming a "base" of crushing strength of sorts for me. Hard to explain, but it is as if I am recovering faster from gripper workouts now. Using the principles laid out in the Wood/Kinney book. I am so sensitive to injury, it is almost ridiculous how cautious I am.

No question, "age" is becoming a factor. But I am the best on crush that I have been in a couple of years. Hope to be there in a few months. I think the book and the use of it was a good move...

Enjoy your son's performance and good luck with your ramping up in training. Focus and caution not to get injured.

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Am going to get on a plane, fly to Las Vegas, watch my kid in a Powerlifting contest, fly back and get to bed by 10 pm tonight. Since I started this thread, my son has gone from a garage lifter, to an aspiring BJJ combatant, to an aspiring Olympic-style weightlifter, to an Elite Powerlifter. He finally found something he is real good at! He is shooting for 1625 to total to qualify for RUM. I think he will PR (high 1500s, not sure he will pull off the 1625), competing in the 220 class, having moved up from 198.

Most of us on these forums are all about our own performances, it is going to be nice to be a "fan" for a change. He was not too into sports after junior high, so I guess I am making up for lost time (he is 33 years old), as he never played high school football, basketball, etc. Going to be fun!

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

My kid pulled it off. Got all of his lifts, got all white lights, and totaled 1626 pounds, nailing his last deadlift with 651 to put him over the total. Darned impressive, proud of him.

27 White Lights, Zero Red Lights!

Edited by Hubgeezer
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Mike - Tell your son Congrats for me please - nicely done!

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that's really awesome. especially if he just moved up in weight classes.

He had been "cutting weight", successfully, for two years. Weighing 225, dieting for months, then cutting at the end with the removal of salt and water, coming in at 197 something to compete at 198. Then, performing poorly in meets.

So this time, he was walking around at 215, actually ate like a pig the last few days to get to 218 or 219, and felt just great the day of the meet. He said something like "I finally was able to take advantage of the strength gains I have made the last two years".

This weight cut business works for many people. It did not work for him. Sure, "he made weight", but he was not himself on the meet days. His whole thing was "qualifying for RUM" as a goal, but the difference between the two weight classes for the total was only 66 pounds. That is 22 pounds per lift. It doesn't take much for an "off" day to be adversely impacted to the tune of only 22 pounds.

Like a lot of things, I suspect he probably figured if the weight cutting thing worked for so many others, it "should" have worked for him. WRONG.

He said afterwords that he thought he had about 630 in him for the Squat, where he had PR'd for 600. Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but 3 whites probably means he has a point.

The other thing is this time he pulled way back two weeks in advance, so he was very well-rested. I think the fact that he traveled alone to the meet well in advance allowed him more rest as well. A bunch of little things added up.

It was very nice to see a situation where "everything went right", as it doesn't usually happen that way. And especially when it is your kid!

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Cutting weight is an art form. If you have a 24 hour weigh in - it's pretty easy but with 2 hour windows it really sucks and takes practice. Unless you are high level - I personally don't think it's worth it to cut very much. Oh sure dropping 5# or something is easy for anyone and you can drink it back on and be strong - when you get much over that the best way is to drop the weight over a fairly long time period - and stay healthy doing it.

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Am going to get on a plane, fly to Las Vegas, watch my kid in a Powerlifting contest, fly back and get to bed by 10 pm tonight. Since I started this thread, my son has gone from a garage lifter, to an aspiring BJJ combatant, to an aspiring Olympic-style weightlifter, to an Elite Powerlifter. He finally found something he is real good at! He is shooting for 1625 to total to qualify for RUM. I think he will PR (high 1500s, not sure he will pull off the 1625), competing in the 220 class, having moved up from 198.

Most of us on these forums are all about our own performances, it is going to be nice to be a "fan" for a change. He was not too into sports after junior high, so I guess I am making up for lost time (he is 33 years old), as he never played high school football, basketball, etc. Going to be fun!

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

My kid pulled it off. Got all of his lifts, got all white lights, and totaled 1626 pounds, nailing his last deadlift with 651 to put him over the total. Darned impressive, proud of him.

27 White Lights, Zero Red Lights!

My kid can be a funny character. He has some Robin Williams-like qualities to him, always has since he was very young, talked early, quick-witted, funny, etc. He told me this morning that after his time was over, he went up to them and said something like "Hey, 27 White Lights from you guys, is that some kind of World Record?"...

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Am going to get on a plane, fly to Las Vegas, watch my kid in a Powerlifting contest, fly back and get to bed by 10 pm tonight. Since I started this thread, my son has gone from a garage lifter, to an aspiring BJJ combatant, to an aspiring Olympic-style weightlifter, to an Elite Powerlifter. He finally found something he is real good at! He is shooting for 1625 to total to qualify for RUM. I think he will PR (high 1500s, not sure he will pull off the 1625), competing in the 220 class, having moved up from 198.

Most of us on these forums are all about our own performances, it is going to be nice to be a "fan" for a change. He was not too into sports after junior high, so I guess I am making up for lost time (he is 33 years old), as he never played high school football, basketball, etc. Going to be fun!

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

My kid pulled it off. Got all of his lifts, got all white lights, and totaled 1626 pounds, nailing his last deadlift with 651 to put him over the total. Darned impressive, proud of him.

27 White Lights, Zero Red Lights!

My kid can be a funny character. He has some Robin Williams-like qualities to him, always has since he was very young, talked early, quick-witted, funny, etc. He told me this morning that after his time was over, he went up to them and said something like "Hey, 27 White Lights from you guys, is that some kind of World Record?"...

Judges, forgot to say who the "them" were, he approached the judges.

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  • 4 weeks later...

After the contest, and after the tendons heal, I am going to pursue the "Secret Weapon" using the book written by Kinney and John Wood. I have read it, but have not used it. John pretty meticulously goes through exactly how to go through it using specific applications of Joe's training methods. Most importantly, a real focus on small incremental gains. If, after all these years of banging away at my "advanced age", I get a "breakthrough" using that book on that gadget, seems like I should be a Poster Child for a Fanatical Testimonial! :)

That is what I wrote on July 9. I started back with Grippers about 2 weeks later, and the first workout on the Secret Weapon was July 26. My 154 pound rated CoC Number 3 was one-quarter of an inch away from closing at that time. After four months of very modest work with grippers and the Secret Weapon, I have come about 1/10th of an inch away from closing same gripper CCS.

I am working "grippers" once a week with 8-11 hard reps/negatives/choker (that is total reps each hand) with a gripper of 2.5 or more. I do about 25 reps of easier grippers leading to the hard reps, such as: Warmup of 5 with the Point Five, another set of 10 with the Point Five, one set of 5 with a PDA that is around a 1.6, and some singles with a 2 and my Super 2 (it is about 2.4 or 2.5). That would be Wednesdays.

On Saturday, I will do the same gripper warmup, and around 4 hard reps, lift weights, and towards the end of the workout, use the Secret Weapon.

On Mondays, I typically do around 800 reps (400 each hand with IM Tugs), which is insane and something I do not believe I have ever told anyone.

On Tuesdays, I do some very light Titan's Telegraph Key work on the thumbs (this is new for me).

My mindset is the Tugs will give me about 1%, the thumb work around 1%, and the Secret Weapon the balance to get to the CCS Number 3 closing.

Okay, some comments on the Secret Weapon. This is not something you will have read on the recent "Secret Weapon" thread. My experience has ZERO CORRELATION, I REPEAT ZERO CORRELATION, with most of the comments made by the gripsters in the thread. Here goes...

I mentioned before that I read the Joe Kinney/John Wood book sold by John Wood. I read it twice. It was very detailed, step by step, even repetitive. I chose a methodology uniquely my own that is nowhere near as "intense" as what most believe to be the case for Joe Kinney's style. I am 60 years old. The last year in particular, I have become very susceptible to injury, very susceptible. I am following the principle of multiple reps with sets of holds of 3-4-5 seconds, adding reps, weight, length of count. So, with my "cautionary" approach, resulting from fear of injury and the long recoveries that go with injuries, I am taking things very slowly. Adding one more rep per set each week. One rep more.

Results? I don't think I have ever gotten this far with this little "red lining" of gripper training. These Secret Weapon portion of the workouts are lasting 30-40 minutes. My recovery seems to be better than ever. After a gripper workout with 10 or 11 heavy gripper reps, my hands are fried for days. After a Secret Weapon workout, my hands are not fried the way grippers do it to me. This was never my experience from my earlier attempts to training with the Secret Weapons over the years. Absolutely no fear of injury, not a single use of it resulting in any type of pain, ever. This from a guy who could not close a Sport without pain after simply squeezing a 2.5 without a warmup just a few months back.

Forty plus years ago, in long distance running, LSD running (Long Slow Distance) was advocated for "building a base" in training for runners, a base that you built on, with more intense interval training, speed work, etc. to follow. That's what the Secret Weapon training that I have been undergoing reminds me of. I have never heard of this connected with the Secret Weapon before, by anyone, including Joe Kinney. But that is what I am personally experiencing right now.

It seems like with the Secret Weapon, you are in charge of the intensity, the length of time on the holds, the number of reps, the weight, and you are less likely to injure yourself. Heck, simply "leg closing" a Hard Number 4 for one rep can seriously injure the heel of your hand and set you back for six months. Been there, done that.

So getting less than 1/8th of an inch on a Number 3 CCS, something that I have done in every year since 2007, may not be proof enough for me yet. But with the modest effort, lack of injuries, and consistent progress, I am very very encouraged.

Next time I post, I ought to know if this is the Real Deal of not. Right now, as I said, I am encouraged.

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  • 2 months later...

He said afterwords that he thought he had about 630 in him for the Squat, where he had PR'd for 600. Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but 3 whites probably means he has a point.

My kid is in the LA Fit Expo Powerlifting meet today in Los Angeles. I will be down there tomorrow to work the Grip Contest. Working at the office today. It's 300 miles from LA.

He finished his squat, said his "Legs don't have it today". Smoked 611 and "got buried" on 644.

He easily "made" 220 again, no drama, 217 lbs. He is competing at what he weighs now.

Jut got a text. I guess the 611 was wraps, not sleeves, so he is disappointed, feels he should have 650 in wraps...

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After the contest, and after the tendons heal, I am going to pursue the "Secret Weapon" using the book written by Kinney and John Wood. I have read it, but have not used it. John pretty meticulously goes through exactly how to go through it using specific applications of Joe's training methods. Most importantly, a real focus on small incremental gains. If, after all these years of banging away at my "advanced age", I get a "breakthrough" using that book on that gadget, seems like I should be a Poster Child for a Fanatical Testimonial! :)

That is what I wrote on July 9. I started back with Grippers about 2 weeks later, and the first workout on the Secret Weapon was July 26. My 154 pound rated CoC Number 3 was one-quarter of an inch away from closing at that time. After four months of very modest work with grippers and the Secret Weapon, I have come about 1/10th of an inch away from closing same gripper CCS.

I am working "grippers" once a week with 8-11 hard reps/negatives/choker (that is total reps each hand) with a gripper of 2.5 or more. I do about 25 reps of easier grippers leading to the hard reps, such as: Warmup of 5 with the Point Five, another set of 10 with the Point Five, one set of 5 with a PDA that is around a 1.6, and some singles with a 2 and my Super 2 (it is about 2.4 or 2.5). That would be Wednesdays.

On Saturday, I will do the same gripper warmup, and around 4 hard reps, lift weights, and towards the end of the workout, use the Secret Weapon.

On Mondays, I typically do around 800 reps (400 each hand with IM Tugs), which is insane and something I do not believe I have ever told anyone.

On Tuesdays, I do some very light Titan's Telegraph Key work on the thumbs (this is new for me).

My mindset is the Tugs will give me about 1%, the thumb work around 1%, and the Secret Weapon the balance to get to the CCS Number 3 closing.

Okay, some comments on the Secret Weapon. This is not something you will have read on the recent "Secret Weapon" thread. My experience has ZERO CORRELATION, I REPEAT ZERO CORRELATION, with most of the comments made by the gripsters in the thread. Here goes...

I mentioned before that I read the Joe Kinney/John Wood book sold by John Wood. I read it twice. It was very detailed, step by step, even repetitive. I chose a methodology uniquely my own that is nowhere near as "intense" as what most believe to be the case for Joe Kinney's style. I am 60 years old. The last year in particular, I have become very susceptible to injury, very susceptible. I am following the principle of multiple reps with sets of holds of 3-4-5 seconds, adding reps, weight, length of count. So, with my "cautionary" approach, resulting from fear of injury and the long recoveries that go with injuries, I am taking things very slowly. Adding one more rep per set each week. One rep more.

Results? I don't think I have ever gotten this far with this little "red lining" of gripper training. These Secret Weapon portion of the workouts are lasting 30-40 minutes. My recovery seems to be better than ever. After a gripper workout with 10 or 11 heavy gripper reps, my hands are fried for days. After a Secret Weapon workout, my hands are not fried the way grippers do it to me. This was never my experience from my earlier attempts to training with the Secret Weapons over the years. Absolutely no fear of injury, not a single use of it resulting in any type of pain, ever. This from a guy who could not close a Sport without pain after simply squeezing a 2.5 without a warmup just a few months back.

Forty plus years ago, in long distance running, LSD running (Long Slow Distance) was advocated for "building a base" in training for runners, a base that you built on, with more intense interval training, speed work, etc. to follow. That's what the Secret Weapon training that I have been undergoing reminds me of. I have never heard of this connected with the Secret Weapon before, by anyone, including Joe Kinney. But that is what I am personally experiencing right now.

It seems like with the Secret Weapon, you are in charge of the intensity, the length of time on the holds, the number of reps, the weight, and you are less likely to injure yourself. Heck, simply "leg closing" a Hard Number 4 for one rep can seriously injure the heel of your hand and set you back for six months. Been there, done that.

So getting less than 1/8th of an inch on a Number 3 CCS, something that I have done in every year since 2007, may not be proof enough for me yet. But with the modest effort, lack of injuries, and consistent progress, I am very very encouraged.

Next time I post, I ought to know if this is the Real Deal of not. Right now, as I said, I am encouraged.

Great post ! Results are very encouraging for sure !

And just a word to the son of a man who never surender : Congrats!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had some health issues, did zero exercise for a month. Started grippers again. Went down to a 2.3 Credit Card Set, and have come back to a 2.8 after just 3 gripper workouts.

Real reason for my post is that I assisted with the scoring at the Visegrip Viking grip contest at the Fit Expo in Los Angeles.

I was Alexey Tyukalov's Witness for his Number 3.5 Certification attempt. It was pretty much Randy's idea, don't think Alex would have asked if he had not been asked.

It was after Rolling Thunder, after Apollon's Axle, after the Silver Bullet, and after the giant fishing pole wrist roller...no cigar. He was less than one-eighth of an inch off, and more than one-sixteenth of an inch away. My guesstimate about 1/12th of an inch...

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  • 3 months later...

Am going to send in my registration for the San Jose Fit Expo Grip Contest, which is being held in 20 days:

http://www.thefitexpo.com/TFESJ_grip.asp

The bummer is that they threw out the Little Big Horn and added the IronMind Hub. I have not worked out on the IronMind Hub in 15 months, and the contest is in 20 days!

I took the longest time off from training since 1999, and my "strength" level is lower than it has been in a couple of years. My gripper strength is not bad, so I am hoping for a PR on the Silver Bullet. I may be lucky to hit the opening weight on the Axle.

Hoping to do well in Anaheim in three months at yet another Fit Expo grip contest there (an inaugural Fit Expo for Anaheim)

Used the Secret Weapon for the first time in 4 1/2 months yesterday. Back to my goal of Certification on the Number 3...

I think I have talked my Elite Power Lifting son to enter the San Jose contest. He is 5 foot 9, around 225 right now, an Elite Power Lifter (198 and 220), and 7 1/2 inch hands. He has not trained grip since 2006, when he broke off from Dad's Garage Gorilla facilities (that means my garage), hanging out at gyms. He was a mechanic for 7 years, and was a naturally strong bender. I am curious as heck as what he can do on the Axle (he pulls about 650 in PL)...300? 350? Will he attempt the Silver Bullet? Maybe could hold it Zero seconds, maybe 2 or 3. I think he is about a 2.5 medium set closer...

Lastly, as a benefit to those who read this log, I have the following special, no strings attached offer:

PM me and I will send you my mailing address

Send me a self addressed stamped envelope (one stamp will do it)

I will send you one rubber band that is tougher than IronMind's "red" Expand Your Hand Band

(I was a volunteer at a beer booth a month ago at a local event and there were "wrist bands" to allow access in and out. The bands were very sturdy. Someone gave me a dozen of the things when I asked)

One per person limit. First come first served.

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  • 7 months later...

My offer is still open on the rubber bands.

Participated in both Fit Expo contests in California since my last post. Got third both times. Big deal. Competition was not that strong. I didn't do particularly well in either. I was happy with my 330 pound Axle pull both times, because I was not in the best shape at the time. My son participated in one of them, and that was interesting. He got 308, but did not get 330. Had maybe 320 in him. He does Zero grip work these days, and has not for years. In November he pulled 672 in the Deadlift at a meet where he competed in the 220 class. Our relationship is such that he didn't exhibit any embarassment at my "beating" him. After his 308 lift, he enthusiastically smiled and said "That was HARD!", and the officials and loaders all laughed. Fun stuff. I hope we both participate in the upcoming May San Jose contest and both get 352. Haugen's contests are very predictible. They begin at 308 and take 10 kg jumps in weight thereafter.

I am at the point were I really only want to focus on two things: General Fitness and getting Certified on the Number 3. I will keep the Axle in the mix because it is a good exercise. Working it is so close to my standard bar maximum, it falls into the "fitness" category.

There is no question that following the John Wood and Joe Kinney book on using the Secret Weapon is a help. It is a very slow process, but it works. The problem is that I am not following my own principles strictly enough. One day of grippers on Wednesday, and the Secret Weapon on Saturday. Oh, I'll skip the Secret Weapon on a Saturday in the interest of time, and then do it on the following Wednesday. That means that I skipped one of them for the week. I find that when I stick to it religiously, I have about a one pound RGC improvement a week. I think my "RGC", at some point during 2015, fell down to the neighborhood of 133, 134. It currently sits about 140. My lifetime peak was in late 2008, probably about 155-157, although I never closed one at that level. The inside cover of the latest MILO has an advertisement with my hand on it (caption is "It's Not a Crush It's an Obsession", it's a full page ad) It was taken by R Strossen in June, 2008 at a failed Certification. You can see how close it was on a (my estimate) 155-156 Number 3. Right now, about every 5th day, the photo and the caption (not the ad copy in the magazine) shows up on a scrolling IronMind advertisement on their website.

Funny thing is, I was not obsessed to get Certified before the ad went in. Determined, yes. But now? Yeah, I am obsessed with getting that. I am not getting any younger, and I don't have any time to waste.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Very cool to have the milo pic , congrats on the 3rd place as well !

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Very cool to have the milo pic , congrats on the 3rd place as well !

Thanks.

About every third day, the hand photo is part of the scrolling advertisement on the home page of the IronMind website, firs photo. It's on right now. Probably be gone tomorrow, back for a day or two next week. I like to show it to my wife about once a week just to piss her off. She thinks this stuff is stupid.

Very cool to have the milo pic , congrats on the 3rd place as well !

Thanks.

About every third day, the hand photo is part of the scrolling advertisement on the home page of the IronMind website, first photo. It's on right now. Probably be gone tomorrow, back for a day or two next week. I like to show it to my wife about once a week just to piss her off. She thinks this stuff is stupid.

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  • 2 weeks later...

There is no question that following the John Wood and Joe Kinney book on using the Secret Weapon is a help. It is a very slow process, but it works. The problem is that I am not following my own principles strictly enough. One day of grippers on Wednesday, and the Secret Weapon on Saturday. Oh, I'll skip the Secret Weapon on a Saturday in the interest of time, and then do it on the following Wednesday. That means that I skipped one of them for the week. I find that when I stick to it religiously, I have about a one pound RGC improvement a week. I think my "RGC", at some point during 2015, fell down to the neighborhood of 133, 134. It currently sits about 140. My lifetime peak was in late 2008, probably about 155-157, although I never closed one at that level. The inside cover of the latest MILO has an advertisement with my hand on it (caption is "It's Not a Crush It's an Obsession", it's a full page ad) It was taken by R Strossen in June, 2008 at a failed Certification.

Funny thing is, I was not obsessed to get Certified before the ad went in. Determined, yes. But now? Yeah, I am obsessed with getting that. I am not getting any younger, and I don't have any time to waste.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************End of Quote

I have to confess. I have become "obsessed" in getting this thing, and no doubt I have been "feeling" the strength improving, but truly have not had good measurable results; just "how I feel". Last night was different.

I have pretty much dumped/traded/sold my Number 3s, except for that bastard that that humiliated me at my last Cert attempt in October 2010. I had closed a 158 in a contest two weeks prior with a 1 5/8ths inch set. At the Cert Fail, the Number 3 felt like a bear. I was 1/8th of an inch off. Randy said "what do you do with your normal set you use in contests?" It too was 1/8th of an inch off. That was 5 years, 4 months ago. Since then, I have never squeezed it CCS less than 1/8th of an inch, and never better than a little under than using my set. Even with a choker, not much better than that.

Cannon measured it at 159, and it was wider than normal, which is why Matt said he thought it felt harder than 159.

Last night, with "my set", it went down under 1/16th of an inch! And, in a choker, it was less than that.

I have to tell you, that at my age, doubt had been creeping in. I'm feeling much better about this. Plus, my hands were not fully rested from a Secret Weapon workout three days earlier.

NO question, it is the Secret Weapon training using the guidelines in the Kinney/Wood book that has made the difference. I was going backwards for four years.

I keep a special "PR" book. It is a beautiful black leather bound gold leaf on the edges of the pages customized book my daughter gave me for Christmas 10 Years ago. Some years there are 30, 40 PRs in it. I hauled it out last night. One entry in 2015 for the whole year. For 2006, I had 49, more or less steadily decreasing down to 11 in 2014. Recently, the PRs have been "thick bar", which is more than crushing strength. But staring at that one entry (which was for a left handed Rolling Thunder by the way) last night really drove home just how much what I am doing now is actually working. It feels good! It feels great...

Edited by Hubgeezer
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There is no question that following the John Wood and Joe Kinney book on using the Secret Weapon is a help. It is a very slow process, but it works. The problem is that I am not following my own principles strictly enough. One day of grippers on Wednesday, and the Secret Weapon on Saturday. Oh, I'll skip the Secret Weapon on a Saturday in the interest of time, and then do it on the following Wednesday. That means that I skipped one of them for the week. I find that when I stick to it religiously, I have about a one pound RGC improvement a week. I think my "RGC", at some point during 2015, fell down to the neighborhood of 133, 134. It currently sits about 140. My lifetime peak was in late 2008, probably about 155-157, although I never closed one at that level. The inside cover of the latest MILO has an advertisement with my hand on it (caption is "It's Not a Crush It's an Obsession", it's a full page ad) It was taken by R Strossen in June, 2008 at a failed Certification.

Funny thing is, I was not obsessed to get Certified before the ad went in. Determined, yes. But now? Yeah, I am obsessed with getting that. I am not getting any younger, and I don't have any time to waste.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************End of Quote

I have to confess. I have become "obsessed" in getting this thing, and no doubt I have been "feeling" the strength improving, but truly have not had good measurable results; just "how I feel". Last night was different.

I have pretty much dumped/traded/sold my Number 3s, except for that bastard that that humiliated me at my last Cert attempt in October 2010. I had closed a 158 in a contest two weeks prior with a 1 5/8ths inch set. At the Cert Fail, the Number 3 felt like a bear. I was 1/8th of an inch off. Randy said "what do you do with your normal set you use in contests?" It too was 1/8th of an inch off. That was 5 years, 4 months ago. Since then, I have never squeezed it CCS less than 1/8th of an inch, and never better than a little under than using my set. Even with a choker, not much better than that.

Cannon measured it at 159, and it was wider than normal, which is why Matt said he thought it felt harder than 159.

Last night, with "my set", it went down under 1/16th of an inch! And, in a choker, it was less than that.

I have to tell you, that at my age, doubt had been creeping in. I'm feeling much better about this. Plus, my hands were not fully rested from a Secret Weapon workout three days earlier.

NO question, it is the Secret Weapon training using the guidelines in the Kinney/Wood book that has made the difference. I was going backwards for four years.

I keep a special "PR" book. It is a beautiful black leather bound gold leaf on the edges of the pages customized book my daughter gave me for Christmas 10 Years ago. Some years there are 30, 40 PRs in it. I hauled it out last night. One entry in 2015 for the whole year. For 2006, I had 49, more or less steadily decreasing down to 11 in 2014. Recently, the PRs have been "thick bar", which is more than crushing strength. But staring at that one entry (which was for a left handed Rolling Thunder by the way) last night really drove home just how much what I am doing now is actually working. It feels good! It feels great...

Slow and steady wins the race - you got this!

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  • 1 year later...

Been over a year since I posted here. I have not been too into sharing. Recently, RJStrossen asked me what I was doing. I told him. This was posted today:

 

Glad to see someone believes in me. Is that first (and as of this time, only) comment an insult?

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I still believe in you, Mike!!!  Heck of a lift on the Hub too by the way.:cool

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Ben, it's a cool photo, but that was almost pedestrian compared to what guys are doing now. I think that was taken at the first San Jose Fit Expo in 2012.

 

But, Thanks!

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