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Chez vs The MM8: Whatever it takes


Chez

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This training diary - the best that I have ever read. A lot of useful information about grippers. :grin:

Thanks dude. The log has been a great way to track my progress and I hope it helps at least one person reach their goals.

Thank you to all the guys who commented on my recent 179.7 lb COC #3.5 off hand MMS attempt. I'm still training hard. I have been really busy though so I'm behind on updating the log. I'll updated soon.

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I haven't forgotten about the title of this log. I'm still working towards a COC #3.5 certification and today I took another step towards that goal. I trained right hand CCS grippers today and I got a new CCS PR! I closed my 174 lb RGC RB 280 CCS. This gripper is vicious from CCS because its 3 1/6" wide and has 20mm handles so my hand has to be very wide open for CCS. I missed the first attempt by a little bit and then got it on the second attempt after I got more serious. Here is the video:

planning on updating the log tomorrow with several workouts.

Edited by Chez
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It look like you got up until you moved to the camera.

I know you will break 3.5.

S/F,

CEYA!

Thanks bud. I only had it closed for a second and then it opened a little. It is a max effort CCS for me right now. I'll be doing more CCS in the upcoming months to get this cert done.

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Wow, been really busy and I'm super behind in this log. I was going to forget about posting the past couple weeks, but I decided to man up and log everything. Some really good session and some mediocre ones because of being tired. Going to do this by posting 2 training session a post.

9/12/14

Right Hand Grippers (All MMS)

COC Sport = 10 reps

COC #.5 = 5 reps

COC #1 = 3 reps

COC #2 = 2 reps

COC #2.5 = 1 rep

GHP 6 = 1 rep

Cert COC #3 = 1 rep

Medium BBE = 1 rep

Hard BBE = 1 rep

RB 280 = 1 rep

185.8 lb MM3 = 1 rep

194.45 BBSE = 1 rep

194.45 BBSE = Slight miss because I ripped my set finger skin again. This has been happening a lot with the heavier grippers. Chalk dries out my skin and then the stress makes it tear. Need to use lotion to keep it under control. time to switch to negatives to save the skin

213 lb MM8 with extended handle and 1/2 inch mount = (3) 10 second negative holds.

Calves

3 sets of 50 reps

Front Squats

1 warm up set of 10 reps

3 working sets of 10 reps

9/13/14

Deadlifts

1 warm up set of 10 reps

1 warm up set of 5 reps

1 working set of 5 reps

1 working set of 3 reps

1 working set of 2 reps

DB Rows

83.5 lb DB = 3 sets of 10 reps each hand

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9/14/14

1 HP Euro

54.05 lbs = 5 reps each hand

66+ lbs = 3 reps each hand

75+ lbs = 2 reps each hand

83.15 lbs = 3 sets of 2 reps each hand

IM Hub

39.25 lbs = 5 reps each hand

49.65 lbs = 3 reps each hand

60.7 lbs = 1 rep each hand

70.95 lbs = 1 rep left hand. New PR! Video above in the log

60.7 lbs = 2 sets of 2 reps each hand

60.7 lbs = 2 reps right hand and 1 rep left hand

1 HP and Hub feeling strong

Squats

4 sets of light squats to wake myself up during the grip work

1 Hand dynamic pinch on Pops gripper

2 orange bands on high posts + 5.5 lbs = 3 sets of 15 reps

9/16/14

- Start of deload week for regular weight lifting.

Barbell Flat Bench Press

120 lbs = 5 reps

150 lbs = 5 reps

180 lbs = 5 reps

Barbell Incline Bench Press

110 lbs = 5 reps

137.5 lbs = 5 reps

165 lbs = 5 reps

Barbell Curls

65 lbs = 3 sets of 10 reps

Close Grip Push Ups

3 sets of 10 reps

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9/20/14

Deload for regular weight lifting

Calves

3 sets of 50 reps

Squats

4 sets of 10 reps

Stiff Leg Deadlifts

3 sets of 10 reps

1 arm DB Bent over reverse laterals

3 sets of 10 reps each arm

Lying Leg Raises

3 sets of 10 reps

Extensors

Blue Band = 3 sets of 100 reps

Left Hand Grippers (All MMS)

COC Sport = 10 reps

COC #.5 = 5 reps

COC #1 = 3 reps

COC #2 = 2 reps

COC #2.5 = 1 rep

GHP 6 = 1 rep

Cert COC #3 = 1 rep

Medium BBE = 1 rep

Light COC #3.5 = 1 rep

179.7 lb COC #3.5 = Really freaking close. Video above in the log

172 lb COC #3.5 = 1 rep

171.5 BBE = slight miss. spent a lot of energy on the hard 3.5 attempt.

165.3 BBE = 1 rep

165.3 BBE = 1 rep

149.2 lbs COC #3 = 3 sets of 3 reps

Crush Booster Holds

Big Purple + Blue bands = (3) 10 second holds

9/23/14

still deload for regular lifting

Seated Barbell Shoulder Press

85 lbs = 5 reps

107.5 lbs = 5 reps

130 lbs = 5 reps

Close Grip Barbell Bench Press

115 lbs = 5 reps

145 lbs = 5 reps

172.5 lbs = 5 reps

Little Big Horn

100.5 lbs = 5 reps each hand

125.5 lbs = 3 reps each hand

155.5 lbs = 2 reps right and 1 left

155.5 lbs = 2 reps right, 150.5 lbs = 2 reps left

155.5 lbs = 2 reps right, 150.5 lbs = 2 reps left

Rolling Thunder

121.5 lbs = 3 reps each hand

166.5 lbs = 2 sets of 2 reps each hand

166.5 lbs = 2 lifts left and 1 right

Little Big Horn

115.5 lbs = 2 sets of 5 reps each hand

Rolling Thunder

131.5 lbs = 2 sets of 5 reps each hand

9/25/14

Barbell Curls

65 lbs = 3 sets of 10 reps

Close Grip Push Ups

3 sets of 10 reps

I'm lifting tonight so I'll finish the old updates and log that workout later on tonight.

Edited by Chez
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Dammit! Not logging right now, but I just finished an off hand gripper workout and I missed my hard (179.7 lb RGC) COC #3.5 left hand MMS by a freaking small margin. I played the video frame by frame and I noticed that my palm skin pinched between the handles. This would have been closed otherwise! Here is the still:

This is going down soon. I won't stop until the job is done.

Youll get that close yet. Like you my off hand is behind, and I'm trying to close the gap :grin:

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9/27/14

Grippers right hand (MMS unless stated otherwise)

COC Sport = 10 reps

COC #.5 = 5 reps

COC #1 = 3 reps

COC #2 = 2 reps

COC #2.5 = 1 rep

GHP 6 = 1 rep

Cert #3 = 1 rep

Medium BBE = 1 rep

RB 280 = 1 rep

174 RB 280 = very slight miss CCS

174 RB 280 = 1 CCS rep. New PR! video above in the log

165.3 BBE = 1 CCS

165.3 BBE = 1 CCS

153 Cert #3 = 2 CCS reps

149.2 COC #3 = 2 sets of 2 CCS reps

213 MM8 Spring with an extended handle 5/8 inch mount = (3) 10 second negative holds

Squats

4 light sets of 10 reps

Calves

3 sets of 50 reps

9/28/14

last deload sessions for regular weights

Deadlifts

3 sets of 10 reps

1 Arm Bent over DB rows

61.5 lb DB = 3 sets of 10 reps each hand

Lying Leg Raises

3 sets of 10 reps

9/30/14

Back to regular weight lifting

Barbell Flat Bench Press

122.5 lbs = 5 reps

152.5 lbs = 5 reps

183.5 lbs = 3 reps

198.5 lbs = 5 reps

230 lbs = 5 reps

260 lbs = 5 reps

Barbell Incline Bench Press

140 lbs = 10 reps

167.5 lbs = 10 reps

195 lbs = 10 reps

barbell curls

45 lbs = 10 reps

95 lbs = 3 sets of 10 reps

Close Grip Push Ups

3 sets of 10 reps

10/2/14

Calves

3 sets of 50 reps

Squats

2 warm ups sets of 10 reps

3 working sets of 5 reps

1 HP Euro

54.10 lbs = 5 reps each hand

65.75 lbs = 3 reps each hand

74.8 lbs = 2 reps each hand

85.6 lbs = 2 reps each hand

84 lbs = 2 reps each hand

84 lbs = 2 reps left hand and 1.5 right

IM Hub

40.45 lbs = 3 reps each hand

50.65 lbs = 2 reps each hand

55+ lbs = 1 rep each hand

- didn't feel right so I just cut it there.

1 hand pinch dynamic pinch on pops gripper

2 orange bands on high setting + 8 lbs = 3 sets of 10 reps each hand

all caught up.

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213 MM8 Spring with an extended handle 5/8 inch mount = (3) 10 second negative holds

:yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes

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213 MM8 Spring with an extended handle 5/8 inch mount = (3) 10 second negative holds

:yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes :yikes

haha, my new weapon for the end of the workout. I took the handles off the MM8 gripper and put on silvis megalodon handles (1 being the extended handle). I do it at the end of the workout when I'm very fatigued so I can use a large mount and have less resistance and its still hard.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Still training. Just super busy with work, personal stuff, and getting ready to host the new york location for the King Kong Grip Comp. I plan on updating after the comp. I'm taking it easy till comp day. After the comp, I'm going to focus hard on the #3.5 certification.

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I'm alive! dam, I have fallen so far behind in this log. work, life and preparing to host the king kong comp got in the way of updating the log. I hosted the NY leg of the King Kong grip comp this past Saturday. I was thinking about logging all the training I have done leading up to the comp but honestly it wasn't anything special so I have decided instead to skip right to my recap of my performance at the comp and my impression of my comp location. Here we go:

Event 1: 1 Hand Pinch on the Euro

Attempt 1: 85.15 lbs - This felt insanely easy. It was like picking up a toy. I know I have this any day and that is why I picked it as my opener but today it felt like a joke. I knew today was going to be a good pinch day and I got excited.

Attempt 1: 90 lbs - this is right at my training max on my device till this point. I replicated it again at a training session 2 weeks prior and I wanted to lock this in. It felt easy and I killed it. I knew it was PR time.

Attempt 1: 92.1 lbs - I got this half way up on my device a week ago and I knew today was the day. No problems. felt real good. Killed it and got a new PR on my device.

Attempt 2: 94.1 lbs - I knew I had a chance at this. Things were going great and my pinch felt strong. I took my time setting up and making sure everything felt good. I got it and let out a huge roar! hell ya. Huge PR for me on my device.

- Note: I have used more seasoned euros in competition before and I think I have a 100 lb 1hp in me on a nice device like Jedd's. This is a great step in the right direction and 100 will be mine. I have worked very hard on my pinch and will continue to do so.

Event 2: 1 hand IM axle

Attempt 1: 172.5 lbs - I was originally planning on opening at 175 lbs but I don't own an IM axle and I have been using my rogue axle and even though they are close I wanted to be conservative. This was John Manna's axle and I actually bought it at the comp so now its mine. Got the lift but it wasn't as easy as it has been in training.

Attempt 2: 177.2 lbs - Small jump since the last lift wasn't easy. I got it but I felt my hand slipping a little. This worried me. The original plan was to get 185 but now I was doubting myself.

Attempt 3: 182.3 lbs - I was debating if I should go for 180.3 just to break 180 but I decided to take a risk since I got all my 1 HP attempts and I didn't want to be too conservative. Not a great attempt. Head wasn't in the game.

Attempt 4: 182.3 lbs - tried to pysch myself up in the back room while doing squats. This time the attempt was much better but still not good enough. I felt like it was over 1/2 way up but it wasn't a good lift. Maybe I would have gotta this if I was dialed in the first time. Oh well. I think 180.3 would have fallen. I left a few lbs on the table.

- I honestly really don't like the 1 hand axle, especially from a judging stand point. Balancing this thing is tough. 1/4 inch off and it tilts like crazy. I had to call no lift a couple time because of tilting and not because the competitor lacked the strength. I hope this event is replaced next year. Average performance on my part so its alright. You can't PR everything.

Event 3: Ironmind Hub

Attempt 1: 65 lbs - My hub training has been going very well and Manna's hub is very well seasoned so I opened high at 65 lbs. Got it no problem.

Attempt 2: 70.05 lbs - I locked out 70 lbs even with Manna's hub at my comp back in July and got the down single and then it slipped on the way down which really pissed me off since I have been chasing 70 for a while and I started off real low on the hub when I first started training it. I figured this would be a formality since I have been getting over 71 with my hub (not as good) in Training and I usually pull a couple lbs more with Manna's. bad move. I missed the lift because I didn't give the weight the respect it deserved. Only a couple inches off the ground and it slipped. So pissed!

Attempt 3: 70.05 lbs - I regrouped and locked in mentally. Got it!

Attempt 4: 72.05 lbs - Manna got 71.05 lbs on his last attempt before me and he has always beaten me or tied me on the hub in competition. I have to be honest. Manna is a good friend of mine but I wanted to beat him. I put 1 extra lb on the hub and psyched myself up. I let out a huge roar and got it. I remember pausing at the top and looking at Frank across the room. haha. He was just in my line of sight. I put the hub down and really concentrated to make sure it didn't slip and then marched across the room in celebration. Big PR on any hub for me.

Event 4 - Little Big Horn

Attempt 1: 155.1 lbs - My horn lift had been all over the place in training. Some days I feel strong and others weak so I went conservative with 155.1 and got it.

Attempt 2: 160.2 lbs - I wanted to make sure to get 160 lbs locked it. I got it and the judge mentioned that it didn't look easy and he was right. I felt it slip a little. This was very late in the day and I was only person left lifting. I was starting to feel tired.

Attempt 3: 162.2 lbs - small jump since the last attempt didn't feel great and I didn't want to make the same mistake as I did on the axle. I got it.

Attempt 4: 165.3 lbs - another small jump just to get 165. I got and It felt better than the last 2 lifts. I am so inconsistent with the horn. I felt like I had another 5 lbs in me so I left a few lbs on the table. PR is training was around 175.

note: a couple of people mentioned that my horn is slick and I knew that going in. I haven't been able to get it to seasoned well. That is something you have to live with when dealing with grip. Surfaces vary.

Overall performance: really happy with my overall performance. I was shocked to see that I finished 8th overall out of 73 competitors. I also finished third in the 120 kg class so I earned a medal. Not too shabby for a gripper guy.

The location: I held this comp at my parent's house because I didn't have the energy to transport 500 lbs of equipment this time. I was worried about the size of the garage since we had 12 people lifting (including me) but it turned out well. The camaraderie was great and every cheered each other on. We ran a little late. I need to get quicker at changing the euro width (It got faster after the first change) and I think its a good idea to print out the possible weights for each event for each competitor next time so they can pick their weights quicker. I also want to modify my euro so the spin collars are locked in to prevent loosening like I have seen on other devices since we had to re-tighten it after every drop. I learn from every comp I host and I was continue to improve.

Upcoming grip plans: Now that the comp is over I want to focus again on grippers and knock both the MM7 and COC #3.5 certs. Its time to buckle down and knock these out of the way. My ankle keeps improving. I have been doing physical therapy twice a week and seeing a chiropractor once a week. I feel stronger all the time. I'm planning on making my next comp nationals. I haven't competed at nationals since 2012 which was my first year of grip. I want to return and make some noise! I'm going to focus on the big 3 (grippers, 2hp and axle) until then. I also plan on increasing my wrist strength since there were 2 wrist events at nationals last year. I'm going to make an attempt to update the log more often so I don't fall so far behind like I have been.

Edited by Chez
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Congrats on your PRs!

Looking forward to the mm7 and coc3,5 certs!

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Congrats on your PRs!

Looking forward to the mm7 and coc3,5 certs!

Great job on the KK performance, Cesare!

Thanks guys, I'm happy that I'm on the road to recovery. Its been a long time since my ankle has been healthy.

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Great write-up Chez and congrats on some huge numbers!

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All of the above. ^

Great write-up Chez and congrats on some huge numbers!

Thanks fellas. Happy with the comp but I had to put grippers low priority for weeks to place well in the comp. I trained them tonight and ya I'm rusty. I expected this though. No worries, but it will take a couple weeks to get back to form.

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Chez-

I saw you were using some negs...are these smooth out or holds till failure?

And are you using a filed gripper?

Hope you don't mind me asking...

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Chez-

I saw you were using some negs...are these smooth out or holds till failure?

And are you using a filed gripper?

Hope you don't mind me asking...

Hey dude. You can always ask me questions.

I do my negatives with either the Pop's gripper Crush booster using short powerlifting bands or my Frankenstein gripper. Remember a while back we figured out we could put silvis handles on certain gripper springs which were the right size. I took my 213 lb rated MM8 spring and put a regular silvis handle on one side and the extended silvis handle on the other side (smooth metal). I usually set it MMS and then crush and assist with the off hand until its closed and then hold for 10 second holds. I could hold longer but I'm very cautious. on negs, I raise the resistance very slowly and use the same resistance for weeks at a time. I always do it after all my regular gripper closes so I'm pre fatigued and won't need as much resistance. People get injured on these because they use to much resistance that opens their hand immediately (Joe Kinney mentioned he did it that way). I think that crazy overload is flirting with danger. I believe slow and steady wins the race and keeps you injury free. I have honestly never used a filed gripper. I tried a filed gripper a couple times but the close feels weird and pinches my skin a lot. Who knows if I will use one in the future though. I always try to think of way to blast through plateaus so I add techniques here and there.

Edited by Chez
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  • 2 weeks later...

Back on my old training rotation after king kong which is arranged for the best gripper gains. The first week was a little rough since my hands have felt a little beat up (sore and stiff) after the comp so I'm resting more in between workouts. Hands are feeling rested now. I plan on training grippers and updating the log Saturday.

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Argh! I have fallen behind on the log again. The main reason this time is that I was trying to buy a place and it fell through so I have been busy looking for another one. I found a promising one and i'm still deciding about whether to put an offer in.

My workouts since the king kong comp have been cruddy. The major reason being that I have been feeling burnt out. I trained hard for KK and I felt the toll after the comp. My hands have seen stiff and sore so I have been using light weights. I see this as being forced to deload after the comp. My hands felt great tonight even though I didn't train grip. I'm settling into the new training order finally and spaced the workouts out more to give myself more recovery time. Tonight I hit deadlifts and set a huge PR since the surgery. I haven't been posting my deadift and squat numbers since the surgery because they have been so low and I wanted to focus on recovering instead of the weight use. Time to change that and post the weight I use. they are still very low for a man my size but I have worked hard and they have improved a lot. I feel its time to post the numbers because I feel much better and its time to focus on improving them.

11/19/14

Ankle Work - Physical therapy exercises focusing on range of motion and strength.

Deadlifts

135 lbs = 5 reps

185 lbs = 5 reps

225 lbs = 5 reps

265 lbs = 3 reps

300 lbs = 3 reps. Huge PR since the surgery and it felt super easy. My left ankle felt very stable. I'm still far from 100% but this felt great. I capped it at 3 reps even though I had a lot left in the tank because I want to be careful. This is very light weight for someone my size but I had titanium put into my ankle and have had to work hard to gain flexibility and strength back so I'm super happy with this. I'll up the weight to 315 next cycle to slowly ramp it up more.

Bent Over 1 Arm Dumbbell Rows

61.5 lb DB = 10 reps each arm

91.5 lb DB = 3 sets of 10 reps each arm

Note: short workout since I spent a lot of time working my ankle. I do some form of work for my ankle almost everyday. I need to get this thing strong again. I'm very motivated right now because of the results I have seen recently. I have been going to physical therapy twice a week and its making a huge difference.

Edited by Chez
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almost forgot. I finally got around to uploading my 94.1 lb one hand Euro pinch from the King Kong Comp. Here is the video:

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