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Close A #4 Training


lloyd80s

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I've thought of a training idea that many or none of us may have tried before, I've no idea if anyone's used this.

While many of us have many grippers, I'm sure for most if not all of us our ultimate goal will be the same....to close a #4.

I've been asking myself what would happen if I locked away all of my other grippers and just used a #4 everyday? When I say used a #4 I mean, keep it in my car, my pocket, my desk draw and even the toilet. Squeeze it with 100% at least 50 times a day, throw in some negs, TNS's, just setting it and BFN. My reasoning for this mad type training is for the following reasons-

-Keeping the ultimate, your goal, your Everest with you all day every day for say......3 months, would make the #4 more of a friend, it wouldn't seem such a distant object. You could even imagine it to be the most easy of coc grippers and that the hardest is a coc #9. I think what I'm trying to say is that if you use it all the time it will start to feel normal in your hand, you'll have a better understanding of what a gripper that tough feels like and MENTALY you'll be ready for anything less than a #4 when it's placed in your hand as you've already been fighting the toughest for 3 months.

-In using a #4 and nothing else, you may find that the greater forces that the #4 will place on your skin, hands and wrists will "teach" these parts of the body to toughen up under the new "super load". Let's say you're 1mm from closing a #2, can you say that 3 months of trying to kill a #4 and busting your ass on it will not give you that last mm on the 2? Maybe yes, maybe no, I'm not sure but why not give it a go?

I'm going to do as I've said and not use any other grippers apart from my #4 for 3 months, I'll try and kill it everyday, if my strength grows then great, if it stays the same or gets worse then at least I've given it a go.

Any constructive thoughts on this?

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I've thought of a training idea that many or none of us may have tried before, I've no idea if anyone's used this.

While many of us have many grippers, I'm sure for most if not all of us our ultimate goal will be the same....to close a #4.

I've been asking myself what would happen if I locked away all of my other grippers and just used a #4 everyday? When I say used a #4 I mean, keep it in my car, my pocket, my desk draw and even the toilet. Squeeze it with 100% at least 50 times a day, throw in some negs, TNS's, just setting it and BFN. My reasoning for this mad type training is for the following reasons-

-Keeping the ultimate, your goal, your Everest with you all day every day for say......3 months, would make the #4 more of a friend, it wouldn't seem such a distant object. You could even imagine it to be the most easy of coc grippers and that the hardest is a coc #9. I think what I'm trying to say is that if you use it all the time it will start to feel normal in your hand, you'll have a better understanding of what a gripper that tough feels like and MENTALY you'll be ready for anything less than a #4 when it's placed in your hand as you've already been fighting the toughest for 3 months.

-In using a #4 and nothing else, you may find that the greater forces that the #4 will place on your skin, hands and wrists will "teach" these parts of the body to toughen up under the new "super load". Let's say you're 1mm from closing a #2, can you say that 3 months of trying to kill a #4 and busting your ass on it will not give you that last mm on the 2? Maybe yes, maybe no, I'm not sure but why not give it a go?

I'm going to do as I've said and not use any other grippers apart from my #4 for 3 months, I'll try and kill it everyday, if my strength grows then great, if it stays the same or gets worse then at least I've given it a go.

Any constructive thoughts on this?

you should try it and let us know how it goes.

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There's isos and isos. You won't increase your Deadlift by trying to DL the Hoover Dam every day, you need to break the effort down into component parts and strengthen each component.

In other words, you'd get there quicker with just a #2 than you would with just a #4

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In my opinion this will lead to injuries but I'm looking forward to hearing from you in 3 months. It's like trying to deadlift 500kg when your maximum is 100kg... doesn't sound good to me at all but give it a go! I won't try myself

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While theoretically you improve quicker by using lighter loads and working up to the big ones, you subconsciously try harder with heavier grippers. Or with more weight. Or when you're arm wrestling a massive guy and you figure you don't stand a chance. I've had this idea before too. If you take a thick plastic pipe and just grab it as hard as you can for a long while that still builds grip too.

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Progressive overload is the best way to get stronger, its how many athletes train and it applies to grippers also. I really don't see this working better then simple progressive overload.

It would be like doing negative squats from a dead stop with a weight you can't move, your theory would be you will eventually squat it and I don't see this happening.

Chokers seem to be one of the best methods to increase gripper strength, they work the hardest part of the gripper and its how pretty much all the of top grip guys have increased-using simple progressive overload methods-. That and a few negatives-which is like using reverse bands in the bench and squat ext which help a lot-

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what could be a better stimulus than something you can't move even if you budge it a fraction more each time it's still progress. sounds like a solid idea and i'm tempted to try it.

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I'd agree the risk of injury is high if you're going to be hitting it every day that many times. If my hands are sore, I know from experience I need to take some time off.

I'm also assuming the person trying this trianing technique can actually close the gripper partway. If not, I don't see how the training is really much different than squeezing a brick all day.

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John Brookfield touched on the same idea. He said it's how he closed the #3, but he said it took him way longer to do it that way than if he trained normally, i.e, don't bother. I'll see if I can find it...

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You'd be surprised how the body adapts BUT you got to be careful

when giving 100% everyday and 50 tries.

Why not try it 3-5 times every other day?

Remember, rest is part of the adaptation process, without it

you're asking for problems in my opinion. :)

Stay Strong!!!

Mighty Joe

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As crazy as it sounds it is an interesting idea, however, I would like a few people try it before I do, HAHA.

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Just wondering, what are you at now, I could see this as a great idea if you can at least close a three solidly for a few reps, or close a 3.5 for a one rep max, however if you can't even close a three, then I think that this type of training will be futile.

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Just wondering, what are you at now, I could see this as a great idea if you can at least close a three solidly for a few reps, or close a 3.5 for a one rep max, however if you can't even close a three, then I think that this type of training will be futile.

I agree. I would even go a bit farther and say if you cant NS a 3 dont try this. Being able to NS a 3 shows fully developed hand muscles/tendons throughout the sweep. If you can only MM set a 3... its a different story. How much of your time do you think will be working on the 4 past parallel?

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Guy's today is day one of the 3 month trial.

After reading some of your comments I've decided to add a break at the weekends. I'll hit it hard Monday to Friday then let my hands rest at the weekend. I'll still go for at least 50 tries a day though. I want this to be hard on the hands and I want to force them to adapt to this gripper. After I'm done on with this programme I want the #3 to feel like a .# in my hands. Only time will tell.

Just to let you know where I'm at- I can close a #3 from a deepish/MM set. I can no set my #3 down to about 7mm. I can get my Elite down about 6mm. So I've really got no business training with a #4 but if I don't do it I'll never know if this'll work or not.

I started with the #4 this morning in the car, I was stuck on the motorway and had plenty of time to get some work in on the #4. I put my queens of the stone age album on, cranked it up at gave the #4 100%. I managed to force it shut against my leg and do some hard negs about 10 times. I couldn't hold it anymore closer than about 1 inch apart but it still felt good.

I'm at work now and my hands feel great!

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Can it be done....yes...

But it would take alot of guts. What I learned;

I tried it myself for 1 month. I did improve tremendously on the #4 I was closing it to within 1" at the start from tns. I got to 1/2" after that one month, thats closer than parallel, but then like someone else pointed out, the work becomes too much if you stick to it for too long and you do tend to "over-reach" not really overtrain. You need a period of low intensity following a period of high intensity.

The idea is: afterwards you return again, weaker, but not as weak as when you started the first time, and do it again. I did not return simply because I preffered to engage in another hobby of mine. also I did not improve on anything else but closing the #4, no carryover to anything in case any one was wondering. my gains when testing myself after the low intensity period where almost gone. but not all of it. I did keep "some" of it.

I believe that you would get there in a more healthy and stronger manner by training with #2 and #3 grippers that you can close, instead of working with something you cant. (I understand many dont share this view however)

the deadlift analogy is not an accurate one, for the simple fact that a barbell is a constant resistance device and a gripper is not. meaning the barbell is 900 lbs ALL THE TIME. The gripper is not the 210lbs* throughout the whole range of motion. Its considerably easier at the beginning of the movement than at the close. A gripper you can move, while 900lbs on a bar if its too much for you will not budge.

what I found best to condition the skin was holds for time of at least 30 sec. but they tire you something fierce.

GOOD LUCK lloyd80s!!!

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oh and warrens grippers will also "condition" your skin. ;)

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Thanks for the advice, some good and intersting points coming in.

I do agree that the opinion saying training with #3 will get me stonger on the #3 quicker than training with a #4. Problem is I've been training this way for over a year and a half so I'm now going into shock the body mode with the #4 and see how it'll respond. Thing is if I come back after 3 months and say I've massivly improved then I guess others may give this a go, so consider me the lab rat and let my hands go to war in the name of resarch!

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Interesting idea! Most would agree this doesn't seem like the most effective plan but they aren't willing to spend 3 months to try it out. Let us know how it goes and if you feel it helped at all 3 months down the road.

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This is a waste of time and an injury risk if you are not at at least elite or 3.5 level yet. I think you should make the elite your goal gripper and if you are bent on this sort of routine do it with the elite.

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lloyds, I like that you're "noodling" training ideas. Here are my questions:

1) Why the #4?

2) Why 3 months?

3) Why 50 attempts?

I think your only guarantee is a poor quality of workout. My belief these days is that quality is king.

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lloyds, I like that you're "noodling" training ideas. Here are my questions:

1) Why the #4?

2) Why 3 months?

3) Why 50 attempts?

I think your only guarantee is a poor quality of workout. My belief these days is that quality is king.

I share the same belief after my experiment with higher volume.

It is a good idea to use a harder gripper than you can close in training in oder to toughen up your hands, but if this type of frequency is combined with that kind of volume..so, here's a few things I'd like to say to lloyd80s:

- you'll end up overtrained

- you would be lucky not to get injured

- for the most part, you would be able to train just your sweep

- for the most part, you would be training in fatiqued state

- as you would not ever recover, you would not get that much stronger

- volume does not do any good if the quality is seriously compromised

- you would get the desirable training effect with lot less work

- you should not be using a #4 even for your hardest negs, not yet, as you will not get stronger on the last little bit with it

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