Australian grip championships

[Guest]

Hello Everybody,

I am just informing you all of the first Australian Grip Championships to be held in Cloverdale, Perth next year. The competition is based along the same lines as the British Grip Champs that I have been a part of in the past. Here are the rules and times of the competition. I know most will be unable to come but if you are in Australia and enjoy this stuff come along.

             

               Sunday, 27th January 2002

                 Cloverdale, Perth, WA

Lifts to be contested

                           

1. PDA Grippers  

2. Two Hands Pinch Lift

3. One Hand Vertical Bar Lift  Lifting Starts: 12pm

4. Weaver Stick to Rear                Entry Fee $20

5. Reverse Curl

This competition is run under the governing body of All Round Weightlifting Australia and IAWA official rules.

One open class will decide all placing using age and bodyweight allowances. Each lift gains a score based on the tried and tested Blindt formulas to allow small weight lifts to be scored evenly with larger poundage ones.

               For further details, rules, equipment and tips contact:

Nick McKinless

                         PO Box 1577

                         Burleigh Heads

                         QLD  4220

                   

         E-mail: nickmckinless@hotmail.com

General Rules

All competitors to weigh in at the appropriate time. At this time the chief recorder will take the opening attempts for each lift from each competitor. This can be changed as long as it is before the lifter is called to lift. Please also state your age at this point to allow any percentage allowance to be added.

Three referees will attest each lift calling two or three white lights as a good lift. Warming up on each lift and apparatus will be allowed. The bar will rise as per the next weight in line and competitors should realise that the bar weight will not decrease.

After a successful lift please give your next attempt to the recorder. Chalk is allowed but no other grip aid is acceptable. A wrist wrap is allowed for the weaver stick to protect against injury from this lift.

Here are the rules for each specific lift and the order of lifting on the day of competition.

PDA Grippers

We have now changed the apparatus used for this particular event. However, it still involves crushing strength and therefore is still trained the same. 10-14 grippers will be used for the competition supplied by Nick McKinless and calibrated by Piedmont Design Associates in the US. These grippers will range in poundage from 200lbs to close to 500lbs. The 200lb gripper is close to an Ironmind Gripper No.1. Lighter grippers are available but it is expected that most will close at least the 200lb one. It is unlikely anyone will reach the 500lb level as only one man has done so in the world!

The gripper can be positioned with two hands but only one hand will be in contact with the gripper once the squeeze has begun. The gripper must be fully shut and held for a moment. The referee will then give the ok to release the gripper.

The event will have formulas for each poundage and this will create your score as with any other poundage lift. These grippers will become the standard for crushing as they will also be used in the British Grip Champs and in the US at their Grip Competition.

For information on grippers in Australia contact Nick.

Two Hands Pinch Lift

The pinch lift has always been one of the best standard tests of grip strength and has been included in every single grip competition, either in one hand or two.

A pinch grip block will be used. This will be 2” in thickness and will have a rough surface. The block must be pinch gripped with two hands and lifted. Legs must be locked but the body does not have to be erect.  The referee will give a signal to put the weight down under control. No part of the weight must touch the lifter. A pinch grip block will be sent to Frank Lamp.

One Hand Vertical Bar

A one inch vertical bar is used for this event which can be as long as 30”.(A vertical bar for the competition will be sent to Frank Lamp to train on). A hook grip is allowed including the modified hook grip where the thumb is placed on the ring finger and then the middle and index fingers are put over the top. This is not an easy option as this is very painful! The vertical bar is a great support lift and is also partial range allowing great poundages to be used, thus taxing the gripping muscles more than the back muscles as a full range movement would.

The lifter grasps the bar in the desired manner and lifts the weight off the floor. Only a complete gap must be seen for the lift to be good and the down signal given by the referee. The non lifting hand can be used to brace the body as in a regular one hand deadlift.

Weaver stick lift to rear

A wrist test should be included in any grip competition and for this one we have chosen the weaver stick lift to the rear. For construction of a weaver stick follow the instructions below.

George Russell Weaver popularised this wrist leverage test some 50 years ago whilst living in Brooklyn. A round stick (mop handle) is used which has the following dimensions – diameter about 1”, length 42”. Half an inch from one end cut a notch. Exactly 36” from the centre of this notch, circle the stick with a line. Get two metal right angles at a hardware store, and screw them into the top and bottom sides of the stick so that the rear edges of the right angles come exactly to the circled line. The topside of the stick is the side where the notch is cut. This leaves a handle just 5 ½” long.

The weight hangs from a wire in the notch ½” from the end, creating a leverage effect when you lift the stick by the handle. For the lift to the rear, you face away from the stick, grasping the handle with your little finger towards the weight, and lift the stick and weight off the table. You may bend your body forward as the lift is made.

The stick must be lifted approximately parallel to the floor. If the weighted end slopes downwards, you may carry on the event till the stick is level. You will then get the referees command to lower the stick. There must be no rocking of the stick on the table before lifting. The lifter hand and arm must remain free of the body. The heel of the hand must remain on top of the stick; if the hand twists around under the stick, the lift is not allowed.

Reverse Curl

The reverse curl tests flexion of the forearm. A direct forearm test has been included as it is felt this too is an important area of gripping strength and also because this is another IAWA sanctioned lift.

A bar is picked up with a pronated (overhand) grip. When ready the lifter strictly curls the weight up to the shoulders. The bar is held until a signal to lower the bar under control is given. The lifter must not swing the weight up in any way. A slight movement of the upper body is allowed but it must not be assisting the lifter in any way. The legs must stay straight throughout.

The BIGGEST thing about this whole competition is that...the legendary BRUCE WHITE WILL BE COMPETING! He is still training VERY hard and is in great shape. He's mega strong still and his lifting is incredible. More on this at a later date.

Happy training!

Nick

[Guest 86-1005097353]

Hi Nick,

Interesting competition. I have always wanted to meet Bruce White. That one-handed anvil lift of 147 pounds still amazes me. I would love to see Perth, too. Perhaps I could drive over there with my pinch grip machine for the competition? If not part of the competition it would be a wonderful opportunity to see what the others think about using it. It would be a great chance to see what all those competitors can achieve on it.

Can people enter only one of the events, eg, pinching? Or must a competitor do all the events?

[Arthur Antonopoulos]

Nick,

It should be a great day. I can not wait to compete with and watch both Bruce White and yourself in action. That alone would be worth getting my ass kicked!  

Arthur  

[Guest 86-1005097353]

I have been running pinch grip contests since 1965 in Vancouver. We have had pinch grip contests at my gym since  the 70's. We always used either a thick 2 inch steel plate or a special 2 inch X 4 inch purpose build mild steel block.

At the upcoming Australian grip contest you propose a two-handed pinch grip contest. What material is the pinch block made of? Wood? Could you give me the exact dimensions? Also, how far off the ground does the weight have to be lifted?

Gosh, that sounds like all the problems I was trying to avoid. I hope we all can work together. This community is way too small to have factions and cliques. I hope Arthur comments on the pinch contest tomorrow. He has tried the machine but so far has said nothing online.  Do any of you guys know how hard it is to design and build gym equipment? My grip machine is a precision professional piece of gym equipment. I will have some photos of it soon. I don't blame some of you for being a bit sceptical about this apparatus. It was invented to help the pinch contests. Yes, it is an expensive machine but it does exist. I will continue to hold contests using it and perhaps a few more will eventually try it out.

[Guest StrongerthanArne]

I would guess they are going to use two iron plates with additional weight on a bar through the hole. This works very well if one uses chalk and does not require washing the hands repetedly. I don't think your machine will become very popular among the rest of us considering all the washing and cleaning that seems to be required, but maybe I am wrong. I am a dirty pig who prefer to cover the dirt with lots of chalk. Using chalk minimizes the importance of having sticky "gecko-hands", but maximizes the importance of pure power. It is unrealistic to assume that one can record reproducable "world records" in an event that depend to a considerable extent on friction. All we can do is getting together the best and let them compete using a couple of different widths (say 50 and perhaps 75 mm). Iron plates would work just fine.

[Guest]

Vince,

We will be using a pinch grip block as stated in the rules above (read them all, they are quite precise). The blocks are made from 2x4 box steel with skateboard grip on each side to allow good poundages to be lifted. These blocks are used here and in the UK and hopefully soon in the US. They are easier than a smooth block but if they become the standard that won't matter. 300lb two hand pinches will be possible with this block.

Your machine sounds interesting and VERY specialist. When I am in Sydney next year I'll come and have a look. Don't worry about carting it to the competition in Perth though. There'll  be too much other serious gripping going on anyway - but thanks for the offer. As I said Bruce White will be competing and he will be bringing his Inch Dumbell Replica to try out too. I will also be having a bash at a calibrated 500lb gripper.

I hope you can make the competition. You can just do one lift but it seems silly to not have a go at the others even if you are a pinch specialist. Unfortunately, we'll be using good old fashioned weights and bars (even a broomstick handle for the weaver!) and not fancy machines. With your pinching prowess you should still have a pretty good all round grip so come along and see what you can learn about other gripping feats.

Nick

[Guest]

Its going to be on my birthday, that would be a great present to be able to go to see some of the best grippsters around compete.

Wow, a 300 pound pinch grip possible, sounds cool.  I should get some skateboard tape and put it on a few wooden rafters to do chin-ups with.  Good idea.

Michael Falkov

[Kevin Fulton]

Nick,

Sounds like a great contest with good variety.  It will be hard for a "specialist" to win which is the way it should be.  I see you are using the two hand pinch.  That is what we use in our contest and I think it is the best way!  E-mail me and let me know how to get one of your pinch blocks.  We have always used plates to satisfy USAWA rules.  Two York 45 lb. plates together are 2 1/4 inches wide which is the minimum.  I have some on the way which will replace the thicker plates we have been using.  A pinch block may work even better but I am a bit old fashioned and like the plates but I would be willing to consider using a block.    I wish I could meet Bruce White.  I would enjoy talking to him about farming stuff, and maybe even about grip too!!!  I wish you the best of luck with your contest!

Kevin