Destination:certification

[juLZ007]

It's been two months. I am back.

No PRs in that time period, none.

I laid off grippers 100%, trying to get my hand to heal. I just started, very slowly, on grippers a few days ago. I am not sure if the hand is okay or not. It may be a while before I do negatives or leg closes on something stronger than a 3.5. I believe it was that 4 that did it to it.

why did you stop grippers for 2months when you were so close you shoulda gone for a BBE or #4 choked reps or something for that last bit

[Hubgeezer]

March 19. Lifted weights, did Euro-Pinch, started IM Hub, felt like crap, didn't do any.

March 21. Did 8 reps right and 6 reps left, more volume than I said. Couldn't CCS my 2.8 level HG300, but my IM2.5 @135 went shut like nothing. Closed my Super 2 with my left, so the left hand strength is not far off its peak, about a 2.5 level (1 3/4 inch set).

March 22. Lifted weights, did Rolling Thunder, Apollon's Axle, IronMind Hub. The Hub was not impressive, got 50 left hand and 55 right, but it is going up. Hit a PR on the New Model Rolling Thunder, an easy 182 pounds. Not that much, but I had maybe one legal lift with 167 in Los Angeles at the Fit Expo just two months ago, so an improvement of 15 pounds in two months! Missed 333 on the Axle, got it past the knees but did not have the guts to stand up with it. Did do 2 sets of 3 with 293 on the Axle, which was a PR.

Maybe I will get that 2.8 CCS next time...

[Hubgeezer]

Still losing weight. Weigh 216 now.

Doing a little bit of everything. My grippers feel stronger, but right now I am only a 2.8CCS closer and a 2.9 1 5/8 inch set closer. I have been in contact with Strossen and he is eager for me to certify at AOBS on June 13. We both have our plane tickets, but I bought cancellation insurance on mine just in case some emergency comes up.

Had not done 1 inch Vertical Bar in a long time. Did some 10 days ago, and then again tonight. Very easy 286 pounds with both hands on the Fat Bastard bar. The Southern California contest in July is going to have the One Inch Vertical, so may as well start training for it. Was very happy with the initial numbers.

Strossen thinks I should be repping out for max on IM 2.5 as a training technique for Certification. That does not sound reasonable to me. I am not sure who would be telling him that's how they did it. For the hell of it, I tried it. Full range reps, I did 3 sets of 3. I'll see if I have 4 reps in me next time.

IM Hubgeezer

[Hubgeezer]

Been 30 days. Gripper strength still about the same, although it is very consistent. A couple of days ago I took the 159 lb Super 3 down to less than 1/8th of an inch CCS. Been waiting for it to suddenly be 1/16th of an inch, as that is the way it has worked in the past.

I always have proclaimed that my "sweep" was proportionately stronger than my close. I have that #4 that brutalized my hand at the end of 2008. I had taken it to 7/8th of an inch with a wide set (closed it on a Bill Pearl book and measured the book, could have been less). Had that gripper calibrated by Cannon. 224 pounds! I don't think the "credit card set" is the issue for me, it's the final close.

The hands feel fine. No aches or pains in any part of them right now. Seeing as I turned 55 less than two weeks ago, that is pretty amazing.

Weight, still going to Weight Watchers, only lost 1 pound in the last month. That's okay, it's working.

I an a CPA. Always have prided myself on being good with estimating numbers. When I sent some grippers to Cannon, I sent him a PM and estimated the RB260 was 155 pounds. It came in at 155.33. I estimated my Elite was 165 pounds. He measured it at 164.91. That does not surprise me. I don't think I will have any more calibrated, I know enough about the grippers I have. I estimated the Number 4 at 199. How else could I take it to under an inch? Finding out that that particular gripper was a "beast" is helpful to me, in that now I am positive that the close portion is what I should be concentrating on.

The "new thing" I have tried the last two weeks...on "gripper day", after I do around 10-11-12 heavy reps with my right (dominant) hand, I take my Super 2 (which I "estimate" to be about 132 pounds) which has an abnormally wide handle spread on it, close it, and then do as many "mini-reps" (one inch or less opening) reps that I can. I do three sets of those to finish off the gripper workout. The purpose of those of course is to work on my close.

I have been in communication with Strossen. I am committed to AOBS w/ son now. Going to AOBS and Certification are mutually exclusive decisions. I told him it does not look likely that I will be in shape to close a 3, but I would be monitoring it, and I would let him know. I told him that I wanted to do a contest or two between now and August, and did not want to concentrate on just grippers right now, and perhaps I would be ready in September. I told him that I wanted to Certify when I had an 80% certainty of doing it, as I did not want to repeat last year's noncertification (even though it was closed - Ha! ). Last year, at AOBS, I think I gave it a 50/50 chance. Right this minute, it would be a 20% chance. BUT, I said I was always game to try, just realistic about my condition. Ever since he studied his camera display of my attempts, trying to decide if it was closed or not, he has respected my gripper strength and is pretty open to me. He is a naturally skeptical guy and I think he is usually pretty strict about lining up certifications unless someone practically vouches for the individual. Still, I just don't want to be the Jim Kelly of certification attempts (how many Super Bowls did poor Jim lose, 4?).

In other grip stuff, I pulled 60 on the Iron Mind Hub yesterday, and 296 with both hands on the FBBC one inch vertical bar last week. The strength is returning on the other events very nicely...

[Hubgeezer]

June 5, last night. Done extensor work, IM Tugs, choker work, mini-reps, negatives, credit card sets, 1 5/8 inch sets in the last week, rested several days before attempting 159 lb IM 3 credit card set last night. Missed by a Mile, 1/8th of an inch.

Last communication with Strossen was yesterday, where he was "betting on me".

I will keep trudging forward, am going to AOBS, but don't believe I will attempt a Certification there.

I am not discouraged, more pissed off.

[climber511]

June 5, last night. Done extensor work, IM Tugs, choker work, mini-reps, negatives, credit card sets, 1 5/8 inch sets in the last week, rested several days before attempting 159 lb IM 3 credit card set last night. Missed by a Mile, 1/8th of an inch.

Last communication with Strossen was yesterday, where he was "betting on me".

I will keep trudging forward, am going to AOBS, but don't believe I will attempt a Certification there.

I am not discouraged, more pissed off.

Hang in there Mike - it will happen!

[John Eaton]

June 5, last night. Done extensor work, IM Tugs, choker work, mini-reps, negatives, credit card sets, 1 5/8 inch sets in the last week, rested several days before attempting 159 lb IM 3 credit card set last night. Missed by a Mile, 1/8th of an inch.

Last communication with Strossen was yesterday, where he was "betting on me".

I will keep trudging forward, am going to AOBS, but don't believe I will attempt a Certification there.

I am not discouraged, more pissed off.

I think you should try it anyways.

[Hubgeezer]

June 6, today. Lifted weights, did pinch, hub, and wrist roller (Fat Bastard 3 Inch). Had not done any wrist roller since November 2007.

Best hub in a while. Did 8 attempts with 60 lbs of plates on the IM small pin w/ hub. Got 4 of them up 110%.

Had some back spasms from tweeking my back around a week ago while closing a gripper in a funny position. Only time it affected me was with Trap Bar Deadlifts, had to cut my 20 rep set to 15.

AOBS is 7 days from now. I will be leaving in less than 5 days. Will do no more weight training or grip work before then, except for grippers two days from now. We will see how I do. Will write it up in 48 hours, good, bad, or ugly.

[JAU1985]

Good luck with this Mike, I know you can do it. I look forward to seeing your name on the updated COC list!

[Kormaz]

Best of luck with the cert if you give it a shot

[John Eaton]

June 6, today. Lifted weights, did pinch, hub, and wrist roller (Fat Bastard 3 Inch). Had not done any wrist roller since November 2007.

Best hub in a while. Did 8 attempts with 60 lbs of plates on the IM small pin w/ hub. Got 4 of them up 110%.

Had some back spasms from tweeking my back around a week ago while closing a gripper in a funny position. Only time it affected me was with Trap Bar Deadlifts, had to cut my 20 rep set to 15.

AOBS is 7 days from now. I will be leaving in less than 5 days. Will do no more weight training or grip work before then, except for grippers two days from now. We will see how I do. Will write it up in 48 hours, good, bad, or ugly.

Mike, I really would love to see you get it done this weekend

[Cannon]

June 6, today. Lifted weights, did pinch, hub, and wrist roller (Fat Bastard 3 Inch). Had not done any wrist roller since November 2007.

Best hub in a while. Did 8 attempts with 60 lbs of plates on the IM small pin w/ hub. Got 4 of them up 110%.

Had some back spasms from tweeking my back around a week ago while closing a gripper in a funny position. Only time it affected me was with Trap Bar Deadlifts, had to cut my 20 rep set to 15.

AOBS is 7 days from now. I will be leaving in less than 5 days. Will do no more weight training or grip work before then, except for grippers two days from now. We will see how I do. Will write it up in 48 hours, good, bad, or ugly.

One of these is for certain

Good luck, Mike. With how close you were last time, I think you'll have success!

[egg_uk]

Good luck Mike, hope you nail it, it will be a great story, about a long journey, and you can write your story for MILO

[Hubgeezer]

AOBS is 7 days from now. I will be leaving in less than 5 days. Will do no more weight training or grip work before then, except for grippers two days from now. We will see how I do. Will write it up in 48 hours, good, bad, or ugly.

Well, I guess I dropped that one, huh?

I was not ready at AOBS, but I went for it anyway. Strossen is not going to hold it against me. I was off by 1/8th of an inch. Richard Sorin was my witness. I purchased the gripper from Randy for $20 afterwards. He had bought about $25 of beer for my son and I the night before, so that was fine with me. I was bummed, not crushed.

Been training the way I had been, and was in a small contest two days ago in San Bernardino California, a very hot city in Southern California 50 miles East of Los Angeles. I came in 1st in 5 of the 7 events. The toughest gripper I closed in it was a gripper calibrated to a little more than 154 pounds, which was...my Certification Gripper! So, a little bit of vindication there, as after my Certification attempts, I could not close it with my 1 5/8ths 1 3/4ths set, could not close it when I tried a couple of times in training with it, but was able to close it after preparing well for a contest, plenty of rest, etc.

So, I did qualify for the US Nationals both ways: a)I came in the top 3 of an approved contest, and b) did meet 3 events' qualifying numbers in an approved contest: 1) 290 in One inch Vbar (did 310) 2) Close a 3 (closed three 3s), and 3) 290 on Axle (did 318.5).

But the real story for me was improving on grippers, closing the 154. It is coming back to where it was in the Fall. No question I will get this Certification. And that's what this thread is about: Destination: Certification.

Strossen has been very supportive of me. I think he wants this story bad: some over 50 guy who works in an office who has been doing grippers for over 10 years. He tells me that he thinks in my case this is now more mental than physical. And, after Saturday's performance, he is probably right.

[John Eaton]

You'll get it Mike

[Hubgeezer]

Been 6 weeks. Been steady on weights and grippers. Still losing weight, down to 208 this morning.

Still a ways off of where I should be on the grippers. I pretty much CCS close my HG300 every gripper workout. I always called it a "2.8", it's not calibrated, but probably in the low 140s. Been doing some deadlift work, as I am trying to get stronger there so I can do more on the Axle. My weak link is my body strength, not my grip, when it comes to the Axle.

Still not sure about GGC. I want to, have discussed it with my wife, who would come with me and we would do a short trip/vacation to boot (few days), but we are not sure we can swing it.

Strossen and I have been emailing regularly. As I have mentioned before, I seem to be some kind of Geezer Project for him. He is convinced that my "heavy singles" have not done anything for me the last year, and I should be repping out on the 2.5. I did that a few days ago, and used, as he suggested, a full credit card set for each and every rep. I did a whopping 4 reps, and then was about 1/8th of an inch on the 5th. I don't think I have anything to lose trying it for a bit. Until I started talking with other grip guys, all I used to do was to "rep out" on weaker grippers.

My son lives 60 miles North of me in San Jose. He recently took up Olympic Weightlifting, as he wanted to increase his "explosiveness" for BJJ/fighting. Picked a coach on the recommendation of Strossen, a guy out of Los Altos by the name of Rob Earwicker, a Brit in his early 30s, moved to the states 4 or 5 years ago. Surprisingly, my kid has amazing flexibility, and his first couple of workouts were as good as Earwicker had seen for a novice. As a father, it seemed to me that his first day of training was better than any first day of anything new he had ever done in his life, so it was cool that it was Olympic Weightlifting, a worthy endeavor so to speak.

Oh yeah, mashed my Grand Master two days ago during a workout, it's probably high 140s.

Unlike most folks, the difference between a gripper I can close using "my" set (1 5/8th inch set) and a Credit Card Set, is only about 1/16ths of an inch.

[John Eaton]

I hope you make it to the GGC Mike. It would be great to have the west coast represented.

[griparrayxp]

Sweet postings Mike, just read through all your progress, I will be here to read when you hit that coc#3 cert!

[Hubgeezer]

Not much to report. Grippers just slightly improved, still not where I was last November, but better than my June attempt at Certification.

Weighed 209 this morning, so weight is steady, still working on losing more.

Only PR of last 3 or 4 weeks was on the "teflon Rolling Thunder of late 2008". Got 192 on it on September 2. Pretty good, seeing as I choked on 167 at the Fit Expo in LA in January on the same device. Plus, I weigh 30 pounds less than I did then. My PR on the "original style" RT is 216. I am at about 200 on that version currently.

I am going to be at GGC/US Nationals. It is something that I have wanted to do for 4 years, and I need to do it this time, as I am not getting any younger. Plus everyone else is getting stronger and better!

Only here can anyone read that I invited Stanless Steel to the Nationals. I have spoken with him 3 times in the last week, and today he received the directions to Jedd's house in the mail. I give him 60% chance of being there as a spectator. Maybe 10% as a walk on competitor - - he is crazy enough to do something like that...

No injuries, none. No aches, none.

Did 3 reps on the Axle with 296 on September 11.

That may be my best for 3 reps.

Not sure, after the GGC, if I will just do grippers for a few weeks to see if I can bump those up towards Certification level. Will play it by ear.

[Guest Bullitt]

Not much to report. Grippers just slightly improved, still not where I was last November, but better than my June attempt at Certification.

Weighed 209 this morning, so weight is steady, still working on losing more.

Only PR of last 3 or 4 weeks was on the "teflon Rolling Thunder of late 2008". Got 192 on it on September 2. Pretty good, seeing as I choked on 167 at the Fit Expo in LA in January on the same device. Plus, I weigh 30 pounds less than I did then. My PR on the "original style" RT is 216. I am at about 200 on that version currently.

I am going to be at GGC/US Nationals. It is something that I have wanted to do for 4 years, and I need to do it this time, as I am not getting any younger. Plus everyone else is getting stronger and better!

Only here can anyone read that I invited Stanless Steel to the Nationals. I have spoken with him 3 times in the last week, and today he received the directions to Jedd's house in the mail. I give him 60% chance of being there as a spectator. Maybe 10% as a walk on competitor - - he is crazy enough to do something like that...

No injuries, none. No aches, none.

Did 3 reps on the Axle with 296 on September 11.

That may be my best for 3 reps.

Not sure, after the GGC, if I will just do grippers for a few weeks to see if I can bump those up towards Certification level. Will play it by ear.

Looking forward to meeting you Mike. That would be sweet if Stan showed up.

[griparrayxp]

Hey Mike........just something I thought I might throw at you and see what you think. Over the last 2 months of so I've been attempting prs with my grippers doing this close I call quick clicks. I've noticed sofar that on every gripper that I have been able to rep 50+ times this way, I have both been able to ccs pretty much anytime I "really want to" and TNS on a good day.

How I go about doing this is with very little set at all for the initial close.......I just hold the spring with the opposite hand as the one I will be closing it with and get a good grab, then shut it.......from here I only open it as minimal as possible to close it quickly again and repeat for 50 reps(goal).

I've completed this about a month ago with my RB180 and coc#2 right hand and can now tns both and ccs......currently I am working on my 2.5 same method and have noticed I am much closer on my tns attempts already and can now almost ccs close it.....I'm thinking on a good day now I will have a good shot at the ccs already.....

Anyhow Mike....just my 2 cents......I know you are further along on the grip battle than myself.....but this routine really seem to be going well for me and helping my with finishing strength a bunch....

I do these attempts through the week as many times as I feel like throughout the day, and then on the weekends I hit my max routines with bfns and overcrushes......etc. Let me know what you think Mike. Take care bud

[Hubgeezer]

Not much to report...

I am going to be at GGC/US Nationals. It is something that I have wanted to do for 4 years, and I need to do it this time, as I am not getting any younger. Plus everyone else is getting stronger and better!

Only here can anyone read that I invited Stanless Steel to the Nationals. I have spoken with him 3 times in the last week, and today he received the directions to Jedd's house in the mail. I give him 60% chance of being there as a spectator. Maybe 10% as a walk on competitor - - he is crazy enough to do something like that...

Not sure, after the GGC, if I will just do grippers for a few weeks to see if I can bump those up towards Certification level. Will play it by ear.

I went to the Nationals. Was happy with Grippers, as I closed an easy Elite, 153 pounds. Missed a #3 of 149 two times, and then moved UP for my 4th and last attempt, thinking the better knurling and the more narrow spread might be easier for me, and it was. That was the highlight of my performance, and I was dissatisfied with just about everything else I did, except the amount of effort I put in.

I have to face the fact that losing 36 pounds of weight in 2009 has impacted my strength. However, it has not impacted my gripper strength.

My gripper strength is the highest it has ever been, except for the period June-November 2008, which was when I concentrated solely on grippers. So it is the best it has ever been while not concentrating on grippers.

In the last 4 weeks, I have changed from twice per week workouts and gripper workouts to 3 times per week gripper workouts and one or two times per week for other workouts, depending on time. Something new for me on the gripper workouts, and it has worked these past 4 weeks is:

Once per week, about 15 heavy reps using the "HG Set" on the grippers. I call HG Set my style of a 1 5/8ths inch set, which is my preferred set, what I use in competition, etc. I don't know how to Deep Set, and the HG does not stand for Heavy Grips, it stands for Hubgeezer.I do a combination of grippers I can close and grippers than I cannot close, in increasing difficulties. I finish with cheated closes and negatives on my RB300, which by the way Cannon calibrated at 184.31 pounds.

Once per week, after some testing of where I am on credit card closing my Super 3, I do Credit Card Set closes to failure for reps on an IronMind 2.5. This is a Randy Strossen Special. He thinks that is my ticket to Certification, I am a bit skeptical. Don't think I mentioned that he SENT ME THIS GRIPPER FOR FREE as part of a research project of his. This and one other gripper, YES HE GAVE ME TWO GRIPPERS FOR FREE, RANDY STROSSEN! I am not sure which I should be more proud of, TWO FREE GRIPPERS FROM RANDY STROSSEN or, ahem, WINNING THE DIESEL AWARD AT THE US NATIONALS.

I just threw those in to see if anyone reads this crap. Yes, they are true statements. Hard to believe, eh?

And, for my third gripper workout per week, after my customary go-through-the-grippers-in-increasing-difficulty-and-testing-where-I-am-on-CCSing-my-Super3 routine, I do some Super 3s in the choker (the choker is a washer and the thing sets it at about 1 5/8ths of an inch).

I am doing about 15 or 16 heavy reps per workout, except about 20 on the 2.5 to fail routine.

This seems to be producing results.

Four weeks from today, there is a major Strongman contest at "Muscle Beach" in Venice, California, part of a "Super Series" tour circuit. I went to one there in June of 2007. I have gone on record saying I would never attend another WSM contest. Strongman contests are not that fun to watch live, as the events drag out. Not the Venice contests. It must be tough on the competitors, real tough, but they crank out all of the events in 3 or 4 hours. You are right down there with the competitors, and every seat is fantastic. It is the difference between seeing your favorite performing group from the first few rows versus the nosebleed section of a stadium. I had planned on going to it, meeting a former employee down there, a fellow who attended the 2007 contest and since moved to Southern California.

Then I got to thinking...November 14, Randy Strossen will be there, maybe I could get all amped up again and see if I could improve my gripper strength, and go for a Certification at that contest. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket...Certification at Muscle Beach, in the presence of some of the strongest men on the planet, on stage in between events at the Strongman contest, Colin Bryce or whatever his name is as the emcee, or maybe Bill Kaz...Yeah. Hmmmm. Only problem is, it's a stupid idea. And Mr. Failed-at-two-previous-Certifications (yeah Eaton, two not three) is going to suggest this stupid idea to Randy Strossen, who in his words, has concern about his valuable time and money? And it is some idiotic fantasy anyway, right?

About 10 days ago I received an unsolicited email from Randy entitled "Date with Destiny". Well, let's put it this way...somehow Randy Strossen has managed to tap into my idiotic fantasy, or perhaps at his age, he has the same fantasies as Hubgeezer, because I SWEAR that is what he is proposing. His email was written in the over-the-top MILO/IronMind style of advertising that he does. And Damn if I am not buying into it! After all, after all these years, I notice a cyle of my strength, and November is traditionally when my gripper strength is the best. With Randy, he believes that I have the strength, it is just mental, not physical, and it is a matter of my personal believing I can do it. And all kidding aside, he has taken a genuine interest in my doing this. I think he may view it as a marketing opportunity for IronMind as well ("you don't have to be a kid or a pro Strongman to have a good grip, take Mike Corlett. A mild-mannered Certified Public Accountant by day, and ..."). He sincerely has been EXTREMELY supportive on my efforts in a way that I truly appreciate. It is probably the Age Thing, but regardless, it is genuine.

Unlike many, I have no shame or fear of failure, no stage fright, no potential embarrassment of not pulling it off in public, not performing in front of the big strong guys, etc, etc. Nope. Not one bit. Here is my concern. I doubt if anyone has ever failed 3 times at a Certification. At some point, enough is enough. Because there is variablility in the devices, I cannot guarantee a close. But if I am CCSing my Super 3 ( 159 lbs, which I have not yet done, a single time, but was 1 mm off of CCSing it last November) I can't say that I am ready. And, you cannot expect "the mind" to take the body to a place it is not ready for. In retrospect, at my 2008 Certification attempt, I would say that on that day, I was good for about 155 lb RGC CCS. I estimate that the gripper I pulled was a 156. In 2009, I was good for about a 145 RGC lb CCS. The gripper was a 154 (I have it and it has been calibrated). Right this minute, I am good for about a 148 RGC CCS. If, the week before November 14, I could squeeze 154 RGC CCS in semi-rested shape, chances are I would be good for 158 or so rested CCS. I would be willing to take the risk of Randy slamming the door on future attempts if, in semi-rested condition, I could RGC CCS my 154. I don't think I would do what I did at 2009 AOBS, which was to give it a try and hope that I had a good day and pulled a weak 3 - - pretty sloppy stuff, egged on by a few readers here, and topped off with a spike of adrenaline in New Jersey. When I say "enough is enough", I mean RS has to say at some point, "I am sorry Mike, you are just the Jim Kelly of the Grip World. You will never win. No mas." That's my concern. But it does sound fun to go for it in a public manner, not the corner of an empty gym in Fresno.

Way more information than customary, I know...

[Guest Bullitt]

Not much to report...

I am going to be at GGC/US Nationals. It is something that I have wanted to do for 4 years, and I need to do it this time, as I am not getting any younger. Plus everyone else is getting stronger and better!

Only here can anyone read that I invited Stanless Steel to the Nationals. I have spoken with him 3 times in the last week, and today he received the directions to Jedd's house in the mail. I give him 60% chance of being there as a spectator. Maybe 10% as a walk on competitor - - he is crazy enough to do something like that...

Not sure, after the GGC, if I will just do grippers for a few weeks to see if I can bump those up towards Certification level. Will play it by ear.

I went to the Nationals. Was happy with Grippers, as I closed an easy Elite, 153 pounds. Missed a #3 of 149 two times, and then moved UP for my 4th and last attempt, thinking the better knurling and the more narrow spread might be easier for me, and it was. That was the highlight of my performance, and I was dissatisfied with just about everything else I did, except the amount of effort I put in.

I have to face the fact that losing 36 pounds of weight in 2009 has impacted my strength. However, it has not impacted my gripper strength.

My gripper strength is the highest it has ever been, except for the period June-November 2008, which was when I concentrated solely on grippers. So it is the best it has ever been while not concentrating on grippers.

In the last 4 weeks, I have changed from twice per week workouts and gripper workouts to 3 times per week gripper workouts and one or two times per week for other workouts, depending on time. Something new for me on the gripper workouts, and it has worked these past 4 weeks is:

Once per week, about 15 heavy reps using the "HG Set" on the grippers. I call HG Set my style of a 1 5/8ths inch set, which is my preferred set, what I use in competition, etc. I don't know how to Deep Set, and the HG does not stand for Heavy Grips, it stands for Hubgeezer.I do a combination of grippers I can close and grippers than I cannot close, in increasing difficulties. I finish with cheated closes and negatives on my RB300, which by the way Cannon calibrated at 184.31 pounds.

Once per week, after some testing of where I am on credit card closing my Super 3, I do Credit Card Set closes to failure for reps on an IronMind 2.5. This is a Randy Strossen Special. He thinks that is my ticket to Certification, I am a bit skeptical. Don't think I mentioned that he SENT ME THIS GRIPPER FOR FREE as part of a research project of his. This and one other gripper, YES HE GAVE ME TWO GRIPPERS FOR FREE, RANDY STROSSEN! I am not sure which I should be more proud of, TWO FREE GRIPPERS FROM RANDY STROSSEN or, ahem, WINNING THE DIESEL AWARD AT THE US NATIONALS.

I just threw those in to see if anyone reads this crap. Yes, they are true statements. Hard to believe, eh?

And, for my third gripper workout per week, after my customary go-through-the-grippers-in-increasing-difficulty-and-testing-where-I-am-on-CCSing-my-Super3 routine, I do some Super 3s in the choker (the choker is a washer and the thing sets it at about 1 5/8ths of an inch).

I am doing about 15 or 16 heavy reps per workout, except about 20 on the 2.5 to fail routine.

This seems to be producing results.

Four weeks from today, there is a major Strongman contest at "Muscle Beach" in Venice, California, part of a "Super Series" tour circuit. I went to one there in June of 2007. I have gone on record saying I would never attend another WSM contest. Strongman contests are not that fun to watch live, as the events drag out. Not the Venice contests. It must be tough on the competitors, real tough, but they crank out all of the events in 3 or 4 hours. You are right down there with the competitors, and every seat is fantastic. It is the difference between seeing your favorite performing group from the first few rows versus the nosebleed section of a stadium. I had planned on going to it, meeting a former employee down there, a fellow who attended the 2007 contest and since moved to Southern California.

Then I got to thinking...November 14, Randy Strossen will be there, maybe I could get all amped up again and see if I could improve my gripper strength, and go for a Certification at that contest. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket...Certification at Muscle Beach, in the presence of some of the strongest men on the planet, on stage in between events at the Strongman contest, Colin Bryce or whatever his name is as the emcee, or maybe Bill Kaz...Yeah. Hmmmm. Only problem is, it's a stupid idea. And Mr. Failed-at-two-previous-Certifications (yeah Eaton, two not three) is going to suggest this stupid idea to Randy Strossen, who in his words, has concern about his valuable time and money? And it is some idiotic fantasy anyway, right?

About 10 days ago I received an unsolicited email from Randy entitled "Date with Destiny". Well, let's put it this way...somehow Randy Strossen has managed to tap into my idiotic fantasy, or perhaps at his age, he has the same fantasies as Hubgeezer, because I SWEAR that is what he is proposing. His email was written in the over-the-top MILO/IronMind style of advertising that he does. And Damn if I am not buying into it! After all, after all these years, I notice a cyle of my strength, and November is traditionally when my gripper strength is the best. With Randy, he believes that I have the strength, it is just mental, not physical, and it is a matter of my personal believing I can do it. And all kidding aside, he has taken a genuine interest in my doing this. I think he may view it as a marketing opportunity for IronMind as well ("you don't have to be a kid or a pro Strongman to have a good grip, take Mike Corlett. A mild-mannered Certified Public Accountant by day, and ..."). He sincerely has been EXTREMELY supportive on my efforts in a way that I truly appreciate. It is probably the Age Thing, but regardless, it is genuine.

Unlike many, I have no shame or fear of failure, no stage fright, no potential embarrassment of not pulling it off in public, not performing in front of the big strong guys, etc, etc. Nope. Not one bit. Here is my concern. I doubt if anyone has ever failed 3 times at a Certification. At some point, enough is enough. Because there is variablility in the devices, I cannot guarantee a close. But if I am CCSing my Super 3 ( 159 lbs, which I have not yet done, a single time, but was 1 mm off of CCSing it last November) I can't say that I am ready. And, you cannot expect "the mind" to take the body to a place it is not ready for. In retrospect, at my 2008 Certification attempt, I would say that on that day, I was good for about 155 lb RGC CCS. I estimate that the gripper I pulled was a 156. In 2009, I was good for about a 145 RGC lb CCS. The gripper was a 154 (I have it and it has been calibrated). Right this minute, I am good for about a 148 RGC CCS. If, the week before November 14, I could squeeze 154 RGC CCS in semi-rested shape, chances are I would be good for 158 or so rested CCS. I would be willing to take the risk of Randy slamming the door on future attempts if, in semi-rested condition, I could RGC CCS my 154. I don't think I would do what I did at 2009 AOBS, which was to give it a try and hope that I had a good day and pulled a weak 3 - - pretty sloppy stuff, egged on by a few readers here, and topped off with a spike of adrenaline in New Jersey. When I say "enough is enough", I mean RS has to say at some point, "I am sorry Mike, you are just the Jim Kelly of the Grip World. You will never win. No mas." That's my concern. But it does sound fun to go for it in a public manner, not the corner of an empty gym in Fresno.

Way more information than customary, I know...

Mike, that would be a sweet way to finally cert. The adrenaline boost you would get from the setting and the audience should be good for at least 5 extra pounds. I wish you luck!!!

[Hubgeezer]

Mike, that would be a sweet way to finally cert. The adrenaline boost you would get from the setting and the audience should be good for at least 5 extra pounds. I wish you luck!!!

I know the RGC system has its flaws. But after the last year of "our" learning more about it, we now have an opportunity to be more rational about these things, and not just "you can do it!" Thanks,

Mike

[Hubgeezer]

In the last 4 weeks, I have changed from twice per week workouts and gripper workouts to 3 times per week gripper workouts and one or two times per week for other workouts, depending on time. Something new for me on the gripper workouts, and it has worked these past 4 weeks is:

Once per week, about 15 heavy reps using the "HG Set" on the grippers. I call HG Set my style of a 1 5/8ths inch set, which is my preferred set, what I use in competition, etc. I don't know how to Deep Set, and the HG does not stand for Heavy Grips, it stands for Hubgeezer.I do a combination of grippers I can close and grippers than I cannot close, in increasing difficulties. I finish with cheated closes and negatives on my RB300, which by the way Cannon calibrated at 184.31 pounds.

Once per week, after some testing of where I am on credit card closing my Super 3, I do Credit Card Set closes to failure for reps on an IronMind 2.5. This is a Randy Strossen Special. He thinks that is my ticket to Certification, I am a bit skeptical. Don't think I mentioned that he SENT ME THIS GRIPPER FOR FREE as part of a research project of his. This and one other gripper, YES HE GAVE ME TWO GRIPPERS FOR FREE, RANDY STROSSEN! I am not sure which I should be more proud of, TWO FREE GRIPPERS FROM RANDY STROSSEN or, ahem, WINNING THE DIESEL AWARD AT THE US NATIONALS.

I just threw those in to see if anyone reads this crap. Yes, they are true statements. Hard to believe, eh?

And, for my third gripper workout per week, after my customary go-through-the-grippers-in-increasing-difficulty-and-testing-where-I-am-on-CCSing-my-Super3 routine, I do some Super 3s in the choker (the choker is a washer and the thing sets it at about 1 5/8ths of an inch).

I am doing about 15 or 16 heavy reps per workout, except about 20 on the 2.5 to fail routine.

This seems to be producing results.

Yes, it does seem to be producing results. What I like about this is that when you are on a cycle with different types of gripper workouts, you are not testing yourself every couple of days, but once per week. So, you check on your CCS a week apart, your normal close max a week apart, and the choker work a week apart. Tonight, with my 1 5/8ths inch set, I was 1/32nd of an inch (that means almost closed) from my 154 lb 2009 "Certification 3". Considering that I had done a gripper workout two days ago, I am very pleased with that, as presumably my "rested" gripper strength would be significantly better than that.

I went through my "PR Journal" and see that September 2008 was my month for the most gripper PRs of my life. I was apparently doing grippers 3 or 4 times per week then as well. It may have taken me 10 years to discover what KTA has been preaching: it takes focusing on grippers to improve your gripper closings. Still lifting weights, just not doing much of other grip work right now. And, I think it is working. Muscle Beach? I don't know.