Destination:certification

[Joefrey]

Do you use a card cut at 1 5/8 inch or something like that ?

[Rick Walker]

I have to say that this is one of the best logs I have read, ever.

Great stuff!!

[Hubgeezer]

I have to say that this is one of the best logs I have read, ever.

Great stuff!!

Wow. And I figured all this time I was just rambling, or the words of encouragement from others were "mercy comments". Thanks!

[Hubgeezer]

Do you use a card cut at 1 5/8 inch or something like that ?

No, my "set" just evolved. I went from a virtual no set (many years ago), to a 2 inch, to a 1 3/4, to a 1 5/8th, where it seemed to eventually stop. I have measured the spread a few times, which is why I know. I never really paid much attention to "how to set", so it just worked out that way. My hands are about 8 inches. The difference between my own set and a credit card set is about 1/16th of an inch - - which is, I suspect, significantly less than most. In other words, if I am 1/16th of an inch off of closing a gripper "my" way, I would be 1/8th off of closing it CCS. If I am barely closing a gripper, I would be 1/16th of an inch from CCS closing it.

Strossen thinks I analyze this stuff way too much. He is the guy with the PhD in sports psychology, and I am the acountant. What can I say...

[Joefrey]

Excuse me, I'am a little bit lost.

CCS = 2 and 1/8 inches.

Your current setting is 1 and 5/8 inch.

The difference between the two is 1/2 inch, I'am right ?

Since the beginning of 2009, I've set a goal of "opening" my setting from 5 mm (3/16 inch)every two months. I use credit cards cut at 30, 35 and finaly 40 mm at the present time. I'am fighting to achieve 45 mm for the end of 2009. I now train with credit cards cut at 40 and 45 mm. With a setting of 45 mm, I can close my #3 to 1mm from being fully closed. BUT I also train CCS on a regular basis (1 per week, a workout of 10 attemps CCS). CCS, I can close my #3 to 3 mm which is not the difference between CCS and 45mm (9 mm).

My personnal feeling :

1) Train from a setting you master and "open" it slightly (you have to take measures);

2) Train also CCS;

3) I use a card to be accustomed to the certification process, even if cut;

4) It's not rewarding because I miss all my 10 CCS attemps and I have to deal with that frustration

Train hard

PS : I really like to follow your log

PPS : I'am no PhD

[Hubgeezer]

In other words, if I am 1/16th of an inch off of closing a gripper "my" way, I would be 1/8th off of closing it CCS. If I am barely closing a gripper, I would be 1/16th of an inch from CCS closing it.

I should have said "the difference in results of my set and a CCS set is 1/16th of an inch". But, I did clarify it in the two sentences following my incomplete or misleading statement. It's a log, so I don't self-edit much.

[Joefrey]

In other words, if I am 1/16th of an inch off of closing a gripper "my" way, I would be 1/8th off of closing it CCS. If I am barely closing a gripper, I would be 1/16th of an inch from CCS closing it.

I should have said "the difference in results of my set and a CCS set is 1/16th of an inch". But, I did clarify it in the two sentences following my incomplete or misleading statement. It's a log, so I don't self-edit much.

I get what you mean. Thanks for clarification. But a question remains : if your current setting is 1 5/8 inch, the difference with CCS is not 1/16 inch, it's 1/2, isn't it ?

[Hubgeezer]

In other words, if I am 1/16th of an inch off of closing a gripper "my" way, I would be 1/8th off of closing it CCS. If I am barely closing a gripper, I would be 1/16th of an inch from CCS closing it.

I should have said "the difference in results of my set and a CCS set is 1/16th of an inch". But, I did clarify it in the two sentences following my incomplete or misleading statement. It's a log, so I don't self-edit much.

I get what you mean. Thanks for clarification. But a question remains : if your current setting is 1 5/8 inch, the difference with CCS is not 1/16 inch, it's 1/2, isn't it ?

Of course!

My closing (which is my focus) is a 1/16th difference using the two different settings. If I CCS close my 158/159 #3 not fully rested, I figure I should be able to handle 90% of #3s thrown out in a Certification situation. And 90% is the best my patience can handle. 100% will take me into my 60s.

[Joefrey]

I figure it out

[Hubgeezer]

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.

Last night, I was very close to closing my 158/159 lb No 3 with my set, perhaps 1/24th of an inch at most. Very happy with the improvements. This is very encouraging. Don't know about CCS, but if there were a contest, with the normal rest period prior to one, I would definitely squeeze 160 plus. September 19 at the Nationals I barely got 153 (after failing at 149). 7 pounds in 5 weeks at age 55? I'll take it.

[jl441]

Your progress proves that this time is it. I won't forget my camera this time. See you at muscle beach.

[Hubgeezer]

It's been 3 months since I posted in my workout section.

I have been doing virtually no non-gripper "grip" stuff, just grippers and working out with weights. The workouts have been about once per week, which is maintenance at best. The gripper workouts have varied from once per week to 3 times per week. Have been too busy with Life issues to be going psycho with gripper INTENSITY, which is what it is going to take for a Certification for me. Have been hovering at about 1/8th of inch away from closing my 158/159 Super 3 CCS for the last two months.

Not sure when I am targeting my Certification, but I had an attitude that if I did not get it in 2009, I would never get it. At the same time, I had the attitude if I did not get it while I was 55, I would never get it after I turned 56. NO! I do not believe that! As a matter of fact, I almost want to delay Certification to the point that I am older than Gale Gillingham (probably another month or two) was when he did it, to being older than Richard Sorin was on his "recertification" (probably 6-9 months) so that I can say I was the OLDEST Captain of Crush in History, confident that Chris Rice will be too old to pull it off, and not seeing anyone else on the Horizon. Just checking to see if Chris is reading this. But that would be stupid. Just do it. But when? Hell, I don't know. Focusing on grippers does detract from other things like Rolling Thunder and Vertical Bar and the Hub, but I want to prove to myself that anything is possible, so Grippers have been the focus.

I wrote an article for MILO during December about Stanless Steel. It was accepted, and has been shipped off to the printer. It should come out about March 1. I spent time researching, talking to Stan, calling people that know him, exchanging emails with the director of the movie made about him, numerous telephone calls with Stan and his lady Barbara, and driving to Los Angeles in late November for a day and night to see the movie, hang out with Stan and Barbara and the director and a relative of theirs before I started writing the piece. In all, between all of the hours, the emails, the coordination with Strossen, the travel, the writing, I spent around 80 hours on the "project". As I was writing the last 500 words or so of the 2300 word piece, I think I figured out why I was doing it. You will have to read it to understand why. Somehow, my Certification is about the same thing as my point in the article about Stan. And somehow, Stanley Pleskun, not who one would call an intellectual, understands this as well. As a result, I am more determined than ever to get Certified. Writing about Stan made me want it more than before.

[bencrush]

I haven't commented on your goal for quite a while, but I hope you nail down the certification one of these days! Even though I have my differences with Ironmind, I'm still quite proud to be a COC. And I'm sure you will be too.

[Joefrey]

I really hope 2010 will be the year of your certification.

Good luck !

[Hubgeezer]

Been a while. Been real busy at work, so I have just been lifting weights on Saturdays, but doing grippers 2 or 3 times per week.

Last night, I shut my Grand Master like it was a Number 2. It's probably high 140s on the RGC. Then I hammered my "certification gripper", an IM 154 that I failed on in June 2009 that I purchased from Strossen afterwards. It was not "CCS" by any means (more like 1 5/8ths of an inch set), but the only time I had ever closed it was at a contest in July, so that was major progress for me.

I tried something different last night. I purchased a Number 4 in late 2008 at a Weightlifting meet from a vendor. It measured 224 pounds on the RGC. I tore my hand bad in late 2008 early 2009 from the pounding from just a few negatives. I did 3 "CCS" reps last night on it. It went to 1 3/8s of an inch from a close. The pounding the hand/injury I got over a year ago on it was from the pressure of "the close", so I will have to see if a little work from the tough spread (and not the pressure on the base of the hand pressing from pushing on the leg) does any good or causes any damage. Just something new to try...

Anyone know Richard Sorin's date of birth? I think I am now older than Gale Gillingham when he certified, but I think I am a bit younger than Richard Sorin was when he certified CCS in 2007. Don't know his date of birth...just curious, and just trying to find a silver lining to be "the oldest" at something

[Hubgeezer]

Nothing too exciting to report. Except my PR Journal, in which I get fewer and fewer opportunities to make entries, got a new one tonight.

20 reps on Trap Bar, 280 pounds. Time to move it to 285. Not a lot of weight, but a PR is a PR...took me 5 months to finally get 20 reps on 280 from 275.

[Hubgeezer]

Still banging away at grippers 2-3 times per week, and lifting and some other grip stuff once per week.

Going to buy a couple of Kinney's new DVD. I have perhaps the last Secret Weapon he made for someone, maybe I can learn how to put it to use.

Training on the New Rolling Thunder is coming along. Very high rep sets (20 to 30 reps) at about 85-90% of max (???).

Got a Little Big Horn as a gift for Christmas in 2004. In January 2005, my son, me, and Clay Edgin all took a crack at it. My son got 145, I got 160, and Clay Edgin got 175. On April 4, five years after first trying it, and not having trained on it (and except for one rep a month ago) had not touched it, I got 170. Five pounds less than Clay? I'll take it.

Have a contest in two weeks in San Bernardino. Not ready at all. Been working some with one inch vbar, and got 291 yesterday. Done a little IM Hub work. Only at around 55 on it.

Feel like the grippers will come, feel pretty strong. Got through Tax Season without injury and without losing much, if any, strength.

[Hubgeezer]

Going to buy a couple of Kinney's new DVD. I have perhaps the last Secret Weapon he made for someone, maybe I can learn how to put it to use.

Have a contest in two weeks in San Bernardino. Not ready at all. Been working some with one inch vbar, and got 291 yesterday. Done a little IM Hub work. Only at around 55 on it.

Feel like the grippers will come, feel pretty strong. Got through Tax Season without injury and without losing much, if any, strength.

Got the Kinney DVD. Plan on starting to use the Secret Weapon for negatives, do that once per week, and grippers once per week. That is patterning after Kinney, who said he did grip "Wednesdays and Weekends". I never used the SW for negatives, I used it for full range reps, which just tore the crap out of my hands. He says in his interview with John Wood that it was never intended for full range reps, and if one did those it would tear the hands up. Heck, I just figured he was a tough guy! Okay, 7 years later, let's see what it does...

There was no contest in San Bernardino. Everyone but me and the promoter backed out. He is planning another one for September. I will be there. We are gluttons for abuse...

Had a few PRs since my last post:

**192 pounds on right hand, Version III Model of Rolling Thunder

**182 pounds on left hand, Version III Model of Rolling Thunder

**Trap Bar, 285 pounds, 20 reps

**Trap Bar for 1 rep, 368 pounds

**PR on David Horne Two Hand Pinch Device. I don't say how much it is because it is so "unseasoned" the numbers are low.

Grippers? Running about the low 140s for CCS closing and low 150s with a 1 5/8ths inch set. Just sort of maintaining strength, not doing enough volume to increase things. So, watching the over age 50 Kinney in his homespunly intense manner may be the ticket to get this last bit. If he could do what he did to the 4 at age 38 or 39 or 40 there is no reason I cannot do the same thing to the 3. When he talks about the bleeding beneath his fingernails, years before the Gripboard existed, and years before I had ever met a grip person, my fingernails would do the same thing whenever I worked on the IronMind Hub. I used to drive the fingernails through the skin every time I worked out, doing 65 pounds plus the device for reps in 2001. Point is, I am convinced I have been lazy when it comes to grippers. I had way more intensity when I was pursuing big hub numbers even though I didn't know that they were big numbers, I just had adrenaline rushes every time I did them and it felt good.

So, Secret Weapon in the next few days, here I come.

Have not had any kind of injury in a while, knock on wood. At my age, that in itself is quite something.

[Hubgeezer]

Got the Kinney DVD. Plan on starting to use the Secret Weapon for negatives, do that once per week, and grippers once per week. That is patterning after Kinney, who said he did grip "Wednesdays and Weekends". I never used the SW for negatives, I used it for full range reps, which just tore the crap out of my hands. He says in his interview with John Wood that it was never intended for full range reps, and if one did those it would tear the hands up. Heck, I just figured he was a tough guy! Okay, 7 years later, let's see what it does...

So, watching the over age 50 Kinney in his homespunly intense manner may be the ticket to get this last bit. If he could do what he did to the 4 at age 38 or 39 or 40 there is no reason I cannot do the same thing to the 3.

So, Secret Weapon in the next few days, here I come.

Tonight, I did reverse hyperextenstions, deadlifts, and The Secret Weapon.

I did 6 whopping negatives on the Secret Weapon for each hand. My hands are shaking as I type this. I used a light weight, so the negatives/holds were 30 seconds. And he used to do 60 of them? I will increase them each time, but it is hard to believe that my hands feel like they do. Not injured, just worked. The negatives feel real good...not like the "full range" reps that I was doing years ago. The feeling in the forearms is similar to the first time you ever use "the Formulator", really worked and pumped.

This is going to be interesting, and I am optimistic.

[Cannon]

Tonight, I did reverse hyperextenstions, deadlifts, and The Secret Weapon.

I did 6 whopping negatives on the Secret Weapon for each hand. My hands are shaking as I type this. I used a light weight, so the negatives/holds were 30 seconds. And he used to do 60 of them? I will increase them each time, but it is hard to believe that my hands feel like they do. Not injured, just worked. The negatives feel real good...not like the "full range" reps that I was doing years ago. The feeling in the forearms is similar to the first time you ever use "the Formulator", really worked and pumped.

This is going to be interesting, and I am optimistic.

Remember that most of these negatives were done on the plate-loader at a weight that pulled his hand open in a matter of seconds. In the old video, he only addresses this with a general comment like, "This is where the work is done," or something like that. In the new video, he goes on to say that he would mix Secret Weapon into his weekend workout, still leaving the impression that most of the work is done on the other machine which is "more comfortable to use" as he says. I agree! Also remember that on the SW reps, he would end the rep after it opened about 1". He only used the machine to train BTR and the last little bit.

Another thing he clearly states in the old video is that the 60 reps were "split each side." So only 30 reps on each hand. He talks about the importance of working both hands and even gives the anecdote of his friend who was struggling with the 3 but only training his right. Once he brought up his left, it made it happen for his right. This is just my speculation, but I think this logic is why Joe counted the reps in total. I would do a rep on the left and the right and count it as one. I think Joe believed that each rep on either side made his whole body stronger so he counted it as two.

He does mention working to higher reps, but I personally got the impression that was very short-lived, maybe even a one-off workout, and he makes the comment that he "realized real quick that was a bad idea."

I made myself a copy of Joe's plate-loader with the angled handles and have been using it for a while. But I realized that you can go on and on for quite a while and rack up lots of reps. Each rep is intense and hits the forearms really deep, but each rep only lasts a matter of seconds. I can see that if you progressed responsibly over the course of months, it would be possible to build to pretty incredible volume. My limiting factor on that machine is that I hit a point where I can no longer lift the weight with two hands so it's game over.

Just some thoughts. I'll be interested to see how this goes for you!

[Hubgeezer]

Had my second "Secret Weapon" workout tonight. Did 8 reps instead of 6. It seems to work the area between the wrists and lower forearm, the ligmnts there better than anything else. Don't know if it will translate into gripper improvement. Only had one gripper workout after my one SW workout, and it was nothing special. How about that for expectations, huh? One workout and I was hoping for miracles!

There may be a very interesting grip contest at the LA Fit Expo in January on the main stage, put on by Odd Haugen. There will be a "qualifying" round so that people like me can qualify for the finals to get stomped by Strongman-types in a thickbar grip contest later in the weekend, the "finals". The qualifying round may have a bunch of IronMind products in it, so I am back to working the IM hub and IM pinch block. Am doing that on weekends. Up to about 60 on the Hub, and about that much on the Block.

[Hubgeezer]

Already abandoned the Secret Weapon. It did not seem to be doing anything, and I have been going nowhere with grippers - - level for a while now, so I went back to 3 times per week with grippers - - light, medium, and heavy, with a combination of full-range, "my set", and choker closes, with uncompleted reps being finished off on the the leg to close. That's what seemed to work in 2008, so that is what I am back to.

Am going to temporarily drop pinch and blob work to focus on the grippers.

There is a contest at Robert's in San Bernardino in ten weeks that I want to participate in. I don't expect to hit my best numbers in everything, but hope to have good Axle, Vertical Bar, and Gripper numbers.

Have been training the Vertical Bar again for the last 5 months. Got a solid 306 today, 4-5 inches, not that much effort. Had 316 going up, but it slipped out at 1 inch. And that after a "heavy" gripper night last night. Took a while for it to come back, but it did. Feels good.

Grippers. I just don't want to stop everything just to work on grippers. Yet, that might be what it takes to get Certified. My version of the "20 Rep Squat" is the "20 Rep Trap Bar". I took two years, due to injuries, layoffs, etc to increase the weight by 5 pounds, October 2007 to October 2009. Then it went up another 5 pounds in March of 2010. On May 19, for my birthday, I received the new Brooks Kubik book for older lifters, Gray Hair and Black Iron. The book said you shouldn't expect to be adding weight after you turn 50. 50 was a long time ago for me. I added 5 more pounds twice since getting the book on May 19. Trap Bar Deadlifts are my "Squats". I think they are helping my grippers. I am going to keep adding weight to the Bar. I am going to get Certified this year. And, I am not going to get injured doing it.

[bencrush]

I love your drive and persistence Mike! I think 2010 is your year.

[Hubgeezer]

I love your drive and persistence Mike! I think 2010 is your year.

I hope so. Dave Thorton said to me that he had big gripper gains as a result of doing Squats. Of course, everyone knows that was a Kinney Belief as well. For whatever reason, I decided about 5 years ago that I would be doing Trap Bar Deadlifts instead of Squats, which is why I have made "putting more weight on the bar" a priority, despite the cautionary warnings of Brooks Kubik.

[dthor]

I added 5 more pounds twice since getting the book on May 19.

I like this.

Great attitude!!